The Disney Song Encyclopedia - Hardcover

Thomas Hischak; Mark A. Robinson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810869373 ISBN 13: 9780810869370

Publisher: Scarecrow Press, 2009

Synopsis

Songs written for Disney productions over the decades have become a potent part of American popular culture. Since most Americans first discovered these songs in their youth, they hold a special place in one's consciousness. The Disney Song Encyclopedia describes and discusses hundreds of famous and not-so-famous songs from Disney films, television, Broadway, and theme parks from the 1930s to the present day.

Over 900 songs are given individual entries and presented in alphabetical order. The songwriters and original singers are identified, as well as the source of the song and other venues in which it might have been used over the years. Notable recordings of the song are also listed. But most important, the song is described and what makes it memorable is discussed. This is not a reference list but a true encyclopedia of Disney songs. The book also contains a preface describing the criteria for selecting the songs, a glossary of song terms, a list of all the Disney songs and their sources, a songwriter's directory in which every song by each composer/lyricist is listed, a bibliography, a guide to recordings and DVDs of Disney productions, and an index of people and titles.

About this title

About the Author:

Thomas S. Hischak is the author of 18 books, including Theatre as Human Action (Scarecrow Press, 2006) and Through the Screen Door: What Happened to the Broadway Musical When It Went to Hollywood (Scarecrow Press, 2004). He is professor of theatre at the State University of New York College at Cortland.
Mark A. Robinson has taught theatre and film in various high schools in Nebraska and New York.

Review:

This impressive volume describes more than 900 songs written for Disney movies, videos, musicals, television shows, recordings, and theme parks....No other volume offers a comprehensive list or description of Disney songs. Recommended for large performing arts collections. (Booklist)

This first of its kind, this small volume of annotated entries succinctly describes 940 original songs used to date by Disney in its films, television programs, home videos, stage musicals, and more. . . . Hischak is a prolific scholar of popular music and the theater. Being paired here with a first-time author and Disney connoisseur has resulted in a worthwhile and entertaining resource. (American Reference Books Annual)

Hischak (Oxford Companion to American Musical) and Robinson (independent theatre and film scholar) offer descriptions of over 900 Disney songs featured in film, on television, and in their theme parks since 1930. Organized alphabetically by song title, paragraph-long entries detail writers, original context, publication date, and notable performers. For easier entry location, various appendixes give an alternate title list, a song writer's directory, film or program listings, and a guide to various recorded formats. Most at home in collections for Disney enthusiasts or cultural studies scholars. (Library Journal)

Scarecrow has produced a well-bound, well-printed book for the library reference shelf....One page after page, old memories are evoked- memories of time and place beyond the movie or production.... Recommended for libraries with any kind of performing arts collection....Recommend this to future princesses, princes, and the menagerie of Disney fans. (Fontes Artis Musicae)

The authors compile over 900 songs, from Disney's earliest cartoons-the ones we all know by heart-to the latest Disney productions like High School Musical , and provides a paragraph about each. . . . As you browse through the book, you realize how influential "Uncle Walt" was on American popular music. (In The Groove)

The book is laid out in clear fashion.... This is a work that should appear in music libraries and academic institutions that have courses covering modern and popular music. I certainly recommend it for purchase for public libraries where readers will find it quite a difficult to put down book. (Reference Reviews)

“The Disney Song Encyclopedia is a unique and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic library Music History and Disney Studies reference collections.” (Midwest Book Review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0810869373
• ISBN 13: 9780810869370
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368