In this set, I'm introducing a new composer for me: Alan Menken. He is known for his film work scoring the music to Aladdin, Pocahontas, and The Little Mermaid. He has had at least two Academy Awards for all his work. His work is all over the animated film genre. Many of the songs like “Dear Ophelia” among others have this distinct broadway element to them. One of the funny ones I actually love is “Cheese Nips.” It bounces around the voice—the musical texture—it reminds me of watching cartoons and movies as a kid. It brings the youth back.
The opening overture of the collection here on current music is fabulous teaser to what you would experience in the movie theater with the kids movies. It bounces along with the ferocious intensity with white music filling in for the voice doesn't fill in. There are brief string passages that are really breathtaking. I wouldn’t mind capturing those and taking some lessons from them myself.
The other pieces have a lot of different major key exploits that are fabulous. In the repertoire on the website, there is a balance of ballads and wide-ranging uptempo songs. It's a fabulous mix. We could all take lessons from Menken’s repertoire. His skill in musicals really paved the way for future people to score future films.
Sylvia, the fabulous piece from that Elliot soundtrack is so endearing—talk about a tearjerkers. You could easily cry your way through a lot of the soundtracks. If you enjoy sentence like I do, then his whole repertory is for you. These soundtracks is make me want to be in a different world.
What is there left to say? The vast level of music speaks volumes of itself. My favorites have to do with Elliot Rosewater and the Rhode Island Tango. Those movies had more than just a simple plot line of fiction in them. They had a glowing story and a glowing story deserves a glowing music score. The best scores in the soundtrack of music are backing up the best plotted movies whether they are kids movies or they are in the adult genre, action or whatever you take from the history of movies.
After scoring for over 50 films and numerous other plays, Menken is far overdue for another Tony or Academy Award. Beauty And The Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, etc.—what a resume! If you want highly melodic music that climbs to uppermost terraces, this type of goofy and funny cartoon music mixed with the dramatic ballads are what any film composer would be looking for.
