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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZKARAS, Anton(b 7 July '06, Vienna; d there 9 Jan. '85) Zither, composer. Trained as a locksmith, found a zither in the attic and became a virtuoso. Playing in a tavern '49 when film director Carol Reed asked him to compose a score for The Third Man; he agreed, with no experience of composition; "The Third Man Theme' made him rich, and his music will forever be inseparable from a great film. Both his own recording and Guy Lombardo's (with Don Rodney playing the zither part on guitar) were in the USA charts for 11 weeks '50, both reaching no. 1; his album on Decca UK (London USA) also did well. He bought his own tavern and lived happily almost ever after. |