Styles of Music
The music we listen to (whether by choice or by chance) is influenced by many different styles of music. Which pieces below do you like? You may be surprised to learn what style it is.
Click on the titles to hear the music.
Disney Music
1. Out There -Hunchback of Notre Dame This song is written in the style of a musical theatre production, which is a performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. A story is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical effects. Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to each of the artforms.
2. Kiss The Girl - The Little Mermaid This song is written in the style of Calypso. Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to mid-19th century. Its rhythms can be traced back to West African Kaiso and the arrival of French planters and their slaves from the French Antilles in the 18th century.
Calypso drew upon African and French influences, and became the voice of the people. It was characterized by highly rhythmic and harmonic vocals, and was most often sung in a French creole and led by a griot (storyteller).
3. Cruella De Vil - 01 Dalmatians this song is written in the style of jazz. Jazz is a type of music of black American origin characterized by improvisation (making up a melody on the spot) and syncopation (emphasis on the off beats). Several jazz and pop musicians have created their own versions of this song.
4. Dixieland Jazz - In New Orleans Square at the Magic Kingdom you are sure to hear Dixieland jazz, sometimes referred to as hot jazz or traditional jazz. It is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. One popular piece heard throughout New Orleans Square is Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin.
5. Disney Jim - It's very common to hear Ragtime music at the Magic Kingdom. Ragtime is a musical style that was popular between 1895 and 1918. It is known for its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm. Ragtime began in African American communities in cities such as St Louis, Missouri. Ragtime was also a modification of the march style popularized by U.S. patriotic music of John Philip Sousa, with additional polyrhythms coming from African music The Entertainer by Scott Joplin is on of the most popular ragtime songs.
Classic Favorites
1. Music for Fireworks: The 1812 Overture may be an unfamiliar title, but you've heard it at many fireworks displays. It was not written to celebrate the Fourth of July though. Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who also composed The Nutcracker, wrote the 1812 Overture to commemorate Russia's defense of its fatherland against Napoleon's invading Grande Armée in 1812.
2. Lone Ranger Theme Song: The Lone Ranger Theme SOng was not written for the the TV show at all.
It was written by Goachino Rossini for his opera William Tell. It premiered in 1829.
3. Classics in the Movies: Adults would most appreciate this link explaining various orchestral works that are featured in movies. (Children may find it boring.)
4. The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, by Johann Sebastian Bach is a piece of organ music written, according to its oldest extant sources, by Johann Sebastian Bach. The piece opens with a toccata section, followed by a fugue that ends in a coda. It is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire. Today it is commonly known as music for a scary setting, though it was not intended for this purpose. The first major public performance was by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840 in Leipzig. The concert was very well received by the critics, among them Robert Schumann. Later in the 19th century, Franz Liszt adopted the piece into his organ repertoire, and a piano transcription was made by Liszt’s pupil Carl Tausig, which gained substantial fame. Another popular transcription was completed in 1899 by Ferruccio Busoni. It was used as film music well before the sound film era, becoming a cliché to illustrate horror and villainy. Its first uses in sound film included the 1931 film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the 1934 film The Black Cat. In the 20th century, an orchestral version of the piece, created by Leopold Stokowski, popularized the work further when it was included in Walt Disney’s film Fantasia, released in 1940.
5. Auld Lang Syne is a Scots-language poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. It is well known in many countries. Its traditional use is to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. It is also sung at funerals, graduations, and as a farewell or ending to other occasions. The title may be translated into standard English as "old long since", "long long ago","days gone by", or "old times". The first line of the chorus, might be loosely translated as "for the sake of old times". The phrase "Auld Lang Syne" is also used in similar poems by Robert Ayton (1570-1638), Allan Ramsay (1686–1757), and James Watson (1711). Matthew Fitt uses the phrase "in the days of auld lang syne" as the equivalent of "once upon a time" in his retelling of fairy tales in the Scots language.