God Help The Outcasts Analysis
Cortney Buesgens
Ms. Brown
Chorale
12 January 2016
Semester 1 Final
Over the course of the semester, the Chorale has sung a combination of Disney and Christmas themed songs for their fall and winter concert. Such songs include God Help the Outcasts arranged by Audrey Snyder, When You Believe arranged by Audrey Snyder, and Carol of the Bells arranged by Kirby Shaw. Each one of these pieces contains its own rich history and meaning behind the lyrics, of which date back to the original composer and his or her inspiration.
God Help the Outcasts was originally composed by Alan Menken, an American film and theater composer and pianist. Menken grew up in New Rochelle, New York with his parents who described him as a “Lover of Music” from an early …show more content…
Schwartz was born in New York City where he studied piano and composition at Julliard while still in high school. Soon following, he attended Carnegie Mellon and graduated with a B.F.A. in drama. Throughout his career, he collaborated with composer Alan Menken on numerous Disney films by contributing lyrics to the films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His inspiration for When You Believe was originally ignited by the pressure placed upon him from his directors and producers. He heard two of them discussing the possibility of a song that would be grand in emotion but yet sum up the message of perseverance in the face of hopelessness. The song “When You Wish Upon a Star” by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington ultimately sparked Schwartz’s idea of When You Believe, with his song composition growing from his title. Another major sphere of influence upon the piece was Schwartz’s desire to compose a song that was contemporary yet comprised of Egyptian and Hebrew cultural elements. He did research on the different cultures relative to the film’s location and incorporated it through the lyrics “A-shir-ra la-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah, Mi-cha-mo-cha ba-e-lim Adonai, Mi-cha-mo-cha ne-dar-ba-ko-desh, Na-chi-tah v'-chas-d'-cha am zu ga-al-ta”. Overall, the film incorporates Egyptian and Hebrew culture, all thanks to this one composer’s willingness to research and credit diverse …show more content…
Mykola’s inspiration derived from the Ukranian Republic Choir, for the conductor commissioned him to write a song for the choir that was based on a traditional folk chant. The chant can be ascribed as an original folk story that celebrates Christmas as a time of rebirth and anticipation for a prosperous New Year. The choral piece was later introduced to Western audiences through the performances of The Ukrainian National Chorus, of which enabled Peter Wilhousky to hear of the chant. In 1936, Wilhousky wrote English lyrics for the song, influenced by his Eastern European descent and his knowledge of the traditional Christmas story of bells ringing at Jesus’
Ms. Brown
Chorale
12 January 2016
Semester 1 Final
Over the course of the semester, the Chorale has sung a combination of Disney and Christmas themed songs for their fall and winter concert. Such songs include God Help the Outcasts arranged by Audrey Snyder, When You Believe arranged by Audrey Snyder, and Carol of the Bells arranged by Kirby Shaw. Each one of these pieces contains its own rich history and meaning behind the lyrics, of which date back to the original composer and his or her inspiration.
God Help the Outcasts was originally composed by Alan Menken, an American film and theater composer and pianist. Menken grew up in New Rochelle, New York with his parents who described him as a “Lover of Music” from an early …show more content…
Schwartz was born in New York City where he studied piano and composition at Julliard while still in high school. Soon following, he attended Carnegie Mellon and graduated with a B.F.A. in drama. Throughout his career, he collaborated with composer Alan Menken on numerous Disney films by contributing lyrics to the films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His inspiration for When You Believe was originally ignited by the pressure placed upon him from his directors and producers. He heard two of them discussing the possibility of a song that would be grand in emotion but yet sum up the message of perseverance in the face of hopelessness. The song “When You Wish Upon a Star” by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington ultimately sparked Schwartz’s idea of When You Believe, with his song composition growing from his title. Another major sphere of influence upon the piece was Schwartz’s desire to compose a song that was contemporary yet comprised of Egyptian and Hebrew cultural elements. He did research on the different cultures relative to the film’s location and incorporated it through the lyrics “A-shir-ra la-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah, Mi-cha-mo-cha ba-e-lim Adonai, Mi-cha-mo-cha ne-dar-ba-ko-desh, Na-chi-tah v'-chas-d'-cha am zu ga-al-ta”. Overall, the film incorporates Egyptian and Hebrew culture, all thanks to this one composer’s willingness to research and credit diverse …show more content…
Mykola’s inspiration derived from the Ukranian Republic Choir, for the conductor commissioned him to write a song for the choir that was based on a traditional folk chant. The chant can be ascribed as an original folk story that celebrates Christmas as a time of rebirth and anticipation for a prosperous New Year. The choral piece was later introduced to Western audiences through the performances of The Ukrainian National Chorus, of which enabled Peter Wilhousky to hear of the chant. In 1936, Wilhousky wrote English lyrics for the song, influenced by his Eastern European descent and his knowledge of the traditional Christmas story of bells ringing at Jesus’