The Genius of Disney Theme Park Music

Every summer since we got married, my wife and I travel to Orlando to visit our favorite place on earth, Walt Disney World.  It is no secret that we're huge Disney fans and we look forward to our vacation every year.  "But why go back year after year?" you say.  "Don't you get bored of the same thing every year?" you say.  Everything about the place is magical and so well-designed.  There are changes constantly being made, with new attractions and resorts being added yearly.  Even after all these trips, we still haven't experienced it all.  And being the music nerds we are, there is a constant barrage of music to keep us happy and interested.  In fact, there is probably a lot about the music around the parks that you don't know about.  So I'm here to fill you in on some of the finer details that you may have never noticed.

First of all, let me say that every detail in the parks is researched and planned by a team of experts called "Imagineers."  There are no accidents to the way everything is put together.  The guest sees and hears everything exactly as they are supposed to.  And the music you hear throughout the park is no exception.

The parks are designed to be a movie that the guests literally get to walk through.  Walt Disney first made his fortune through movies, and the theme parks were just a natural extension of that.  So walking through the front gates, the first thing you experience are the coming attractions (just like the movies).  Musically speaking, you hear an overture featuring songs you will hear throughout the park, although arranged in a different way than you will hear them later.  This is done subtly, in the background, and you might not even notice, but the musical motifs are planted in your head right from the get-go. 

Then as you walk through the different "lands" throughout the park, the music is themed to the style of the land.  Take the Magic Kingdom, for example.  The Magic Kingdom is divided into Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland.  So as you walk down Main Street, you hear music from the turn of the century.  Then as you enter Adventureland, the music transitions to more tropical music with African drums and steel drums.  Frontierland plays bluegrass music.  Liberty Square plays American music like Yankee Doodle and Sousa marches.  You get the idea.  Now here is where the planning is going to blow your mind.  As you transition from one land to the next, one type of music is faded out while the other is faded in seamlessly, and the songs are composed in the SAME KEY so that it is not as noticeable when the background music changes.  Speakers are hidden so well, that you constantly hear background music, but have no idea where it is coming from.  Hint: some rocks and bushes aren't what they appear to be.  While I just used Magic Kingdom as an example, this design applies to all the parks.

Many rides and attractions have their own theme song to go with it.  We all know It's a Small World.  And you might also know Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me from Pirates of the Caribbean.  There's also The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room, Grim Grinning Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion, and There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow from the Carousel of Progress to name a few.  The thing with these songs is that they are so catchy and repetitive; they are hard to get out of your head once you hear them. 

Epcot, of course, has the World Showcase.  As you walk from country to country, you can hear traditional music authentic to each country.  There are even live musicians native to the countries who perform, such as Japanese drummers and a mariachi band in Mexico.  You can literally take a musical trip around the world in just a few hours.  What a great cultural experience.  That alone is worth the price of admission.  Epcot also has some of the best symphonic scores composed as background music throughout its Future World part of the park.  The music is truly timeless and defies any specific genre.  And my favorite of all may be the music composed for the nightly fireworks called Illuminations.  Gavin Greenaway, the composer, really hit the nail on the head with this one.  The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps even used the music as part of their championship-winning show in 2000.

Hollywood Studios uses more familiar music throughout the park.  The overture played at the entrance is composed of famous movie and television score music, such as James Bond, Star Wars, The Magnificent Seven, Gone With The Wind, etc.  The park is actually set in 1940s Hollywood, so naturally you hear big band swing music as you stroll down Sunset Blvd.  The music helps set the time frame.  Hollywood Studios also has a nightly fireworks, water, and pyrotechnics show called Fantasmic, that also has a unique and catchy soundtrack.

Finding Nemo - The Musical

The imagineers have a great sense of humor as well.  In Dinoland in the Animal Kingdom park, one of the songs playing in the background is REM's It's the End of the World As We Know It as a nod toward the dinosaurs' impending extinction.  Most people are too busy eating their overpriced burgers to notice.  It's these subtle touches that make it so appealing to me.  If you just slow down and take it all in, you'll notice that there is more to the design than just what you see on the surface.  Animal Kingdom is also home to Finding Nemo - the Musical, a Broadway-style show based on the Pixar movie.

It's not only the parks that get in on the themed background music.  You can also find appropriately themed music at the Disney resorts.  The Polynesian Resort plays traditional Hawaiian ukulele music as you wander around the lobby and the grounds of the resort.  The Grand Floridian Resort plays high-society jazz, and even has a jazz orchestra that performs in the lobby.  The Port Orleans Resort plays dixieland jazz.  The Animal Kingdom Lodge plays African music.  You get the idea.  And if you take one of Disney's buses to the parks, you'll hear music playing in the background on the bus that previews the park you are about to visit.  And on the trip back to your hotel, you'll hear the resort's background music being played on the bus.

You can also find great live music throughout the resorts.  On our last trip, we went to Jellyroll's, a dueling piano bar at the Boardwalk resort.  The piano players would take requests from the audience and then play them on the spot.  I requested some Pink Floyd, and so they played Comfortably Numb on two pianos.  It was awesome.  There is also the House of Blues at Downtown Disney which hosts touring acts throughout the year.  I once saw Galactic perform there.  And you can also see various school groups such as marching bands, show choirs, jazz bands, etc. performing throughout the parks.  I'm proud to say that I led my students in a parade down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom.  It was definitely a magical experience.

Walt Disney clearly appreciated great music and saw its importance in the entertainment industry.  Don't forget, Fantasia was only the second feature film he ever produced back in 1940.  The Disney Imagineers have kept his legacy going and honored his values with the way they have incorporated music into the parks.  I think Walt would have been proud of what his parks have become.

Here are some more great musicians from Walt Disney World:
Fantasyland Sax Quartet performing the Theme From Monster's Inc.
The Disney Philharmonic performs on Main Street
The Dapper Dans sing barbershop tunes in the Magic Kingdom
Future Corps at Epcot was one of the best groups ever, but were cut some years ago.  Shame on you, corporate Disney executives!
Future Corps was essentially replaced by the Jamminators.  While entertaining, they're not quite the same.
Off-Kilter rocks at the Canada Pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase
African Drums and Dance at Animal Kingdom

Awesome Classical Music

You know the saying, "they don't make things like they used to?"  Well, I would have to agree when it comes to music.  Music composed years ago has so much more depth and complexity than most of what is popular today.  And kids today who listen to Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga say classical music is boring.  Maybe some classical music is "boring" in the sense that it is written with slower tempos and for instruments with softer timbres.  But I'm here to give you some examples of classical music that is simply awesome.  Listen with an open mind, and you may find a newfound appreciation for the classics!

Beethoven

Ludwig von Beethoven - Symphony #5

Premier:1808

Beethoven's fifth is perhaps my favorite symphony of all time.  The first movment, Allegro con brio, is the most recognizable and is based on a simple four note motif.  It opens with a bang - the motif is presented immediately at a fortissimo (really loud) dynamic.  I think what makes this movement so moving is its wide range of dynamics throughout.  It is like a roller coaster ride with extremely soft moments played only by the high strings followed by extrememly loud moments played by the full orchestra.  This is also what keeps the same motif that is played over and over again from getting monotonous or boring.  In total, this symphony has four movements, each sounding different than the next, yet still all tying together.  When listening, consider the fact that Beethoven in his mid-30s and was beginning to lose his hearing at this point in his life.

Wagner

Richard Wagner - Die Walkure (Ride of the Valkyries)
Premier: 1870
Die Walkure is the second opera in the set of four composed by Wagner as part of his cycle, "Der Ring des Nibelung."   Now, you probably just read the word "opera" and began to dismiss it already.  You are picturing a fat lady singing in a foreign language.  Ok, well you are probably right.  The opera is in German.  However, the most famous part, "Ride of the Valkyries," is mostly instrumental.  And awesome.  It has been used in movies, commercials, and cartoons, so you've probably heard it.  If I were in the army and about to head into battle, this would be the song I'd want to hear to get me motivated.



Stravinsky



Igor Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring)

Premier: 1913

The music for this ballet was so ahead of its time and controversial that it literally caused the audience to riot at its premier performance.  We're talking fist fights in the aisles.  What made the audience go so crazy?  Well, it didn't sound pretty and pleasant.  There was lots of dissonance and mixed meters.  Some parts of the music were incredibly aggressive and violent.  Stravinsky also used some inventive compositional techniques that were not common or expected at the time.  This is a very important piece of music in the progression of 20th century art music.

Respighi

Ottorino Respighi - Pines of Rome
Premier: 1924
The Pines of Rome is a symphonic poem with four movements: "The Pines of the Villa Borghese," "Pines near a catacomb," "The Pines of the Janiculum," and "The Pines of the Appian Way."  The final movement is my favorite and builds to an incredible climax.  It starts very soft and sounds mysterious, even haunting.  As the movement progresses, more brass are added and the tone shifts from mysterious to majestic.  You might recognize the music from Disney's Fantasia 2000.

Holst

Gustav Holst - The Planets
Premier: 1918
The Planets is a seven movement orchestral piece, with each movement representing a planet in our solar system.  The music is meant to evoke imagery and mood for the specific planet.  The first movement, Mars, the Bringer of War, is my favorite.  It is composed in 5/4 time and the music is really intense.  It could easily be part of a movie soundtrack.  Another notable movement is the fourth movement - Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.  The brass fanfare work is remarkable, and the melody is memorable.  If you're wondering why there are only seven movements, it is because Earth is not included, and Pluto was not considered a planet at the time this was composed.  Pluto has since been downgraded to a dwarf planet anyway.  Poor Pluto.


Barber


Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings
Premier: 1938
This one could be a real tear-jerker.  It is powerful in a much different way than the rest of the pieces I have listed here.  In fact, this is possibly the most emotional song I know.  I don't think I've ever listened without getting goosebumps or even getting teary-eyed.  This was used a lot after 9/11 in memorial services.  The violins really build tension with extrememly high notes and close intervals.  And just when you think the tension is too much, the resolution relieves the tension, and the strings move back down to lower pitches.  It ends quietly and without fanfare.  I dare you to listen and not be moved.

Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem Mass in D Minor
A requiem is basically the collection of music played at a funeral mass in the Roman Catholic church.  Many composers wrote their own versions, and this is Mozart's.  What is interesting about this one is that he died before he finished it (ironic, huh?) and it was finished by another much less famous composer.  Rumor has it that Mozart knew he was writing this requiem for his own funeral.  It is a haunting collection of music, with the Lacrymosa being particularly moving.  Again, I get chills every time I hear it.  Dies Irae is another fantastic movement.  I think this is some of the most beautiful music ever composed, and I wouldn't mind at all if Mozart's Requiem is played at my funeral.

Copland

Aaron Coplad - Appalachian Spring
Premier: 1944
Aaron Copland, to me, is the American Composer.  His music truly paints a vivid imagery of our beautiful landscape.  And when you consider that this piece (actually music for a ballet) premiered in the midst of World War II, it makes it that much more special.  When you think of American music, you probably think of patriotic songs like America the Beautiful and Yankee Doodle, but I think the pinnacle of American music is the music of Copland.  He based many of his compositions on our traditional folk music, and this was no exception.  He uses "Simple Gifts," a Shaker melody, as a basis for his ending variations.

Gershwin

George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
Premier: 1924
This one is special because it combines the elements of classical music with jazz.  The bend of the clarinet note is atypical of classical music, but exactly what the musicians were doing in jazz at the time.  The chord structure used throughout is much more typical of jazz, yet he uses the instrumentation of a full symphony orchestra.  The piano player and the clarinet player are without a doubt the stars of this piece.  If you like what Gershwin did for Rhapsody in Blue, be sure to check out his other music.

Greig

Edward Grieg - In The Hall of the Mountain King
Premier: 1876
This piece of music was composed as a piece of instrumental music to accompany a Norwegian play, Peer Gynt.  The song "Morning Mood," which you may know, is also from the same play.  It is composed from the nationalistic approach, and incorporates traditional Norwegian music and imagery.  This is another highly recognizeable song.  I love the way it builds in velocity right up to the very end.

Orff

Carl Orff - Carmina Burana
Premier: 1937
Carmina Burana is a "scenic cantata" sung in Latin and based on poems from the 11th and 12th centuries.  Whether you realize it or not, I think you definitely know this piece - specifically "O Fortuna."  It has been used in many movies and TV shows for incredibly dramatic moments.  Even though this was composed in the 20th century, it conveys a medieval sound and mood using more modern instrumentation and compositional techniques.  It was Orff's most famous work.

There are so many more pieces that I could include here, so maybe I'll give you a "Part 2" in the future.  But for now, enjoy these timeless classics!