For more on appreciating classical music, Michial and I recommend this podcast, Sticky Notes. Here’s an episode on Joseph Haydn and particularly the comedy of his pieces (although oddly he left out the bassoon fart)
He also has some more episodes that would be of particular interest to Fantasia lovers:
Kay Nielsen did the artwork for the Ava Maria sequence in Fantasia, which is one of my favorite moments in the Disney Canon.
“This finely crafted reprint restores the stunning detail and artistry of Nielsen’s images to their original splendor. Featuring 46 illustrations, including many enlarged details from Nielsen’s rare original watercolors, the book is printed in five colors with a lovingly designed slipcase. Three accompanying essays, illustrated with dozens of rare and previously unseen artworks by Nielsen, explore the history of Norwegian folktales, Nielsen’s life and work, and how this masterpiece came to be.”
The book Michial recommends for increasing your knowledge and appreciation of classical music.
Sure Michial says not to buy it and that he hates it – but Stravinsky was also busy selling the rights for Renard, Fireworks, and The Firebird to Walt Disney as he panned Fantasia – so, you know, words aren’t everything. As far as I’m concerned, it is THE book on John Updike.
Who knew that Marx was familiar enough with Fantasia to reference the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in his book? I’m not saying Marx was a time traveler, but I’m not not saying it either.
Join Dr. Victoria Reynolds Farmer in becoming a Mary Blair super fan. Get started.
Exactly the sort of thing I want for every genre of music – but especially classical. Also basically any other media I’m trying to get my head around. Helpful and informed opinions I can trust.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3_xiUYMnXA&w=640&h=480]
I love the internet. Ask and you shall receive. Dramamasks22 has lined up all the animated crocodiles and alligators into one image. While you’re there check out Dramamasks22’s other images of every Disney bird, horse, rat, etc.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-zaGM39Cik&w=854&h=480]
I’m declaring Haydn the patron composer of middle school orchestras everywhere.
“Antony Hodgson identifies George Szell as a conductor who was not afraid to overdo “the vulgarity of this joke”. Hodgson argues that “if, in concert, none of the audience laughs, then the episode must have been underplayed.””
“At the end, Dreamfinder told Figment and the guests that Imagination is our key to unlock the hidden wonders of our world. The guests then entered the final show scene as their picture was taken. In the following room, Figment stood in the center of a giant film canister, surrounded by several movie screens of him being a scientist, a mountain climber, a pirate, a superhero, a tap dancer, a ship captain, a cowboy and an athlete. Dreamfinder, sitting behind a movie camera, gave one last inspiring message and told guests to use their newly-found sparks of inspiration in the Image Works and the on-ride photo was shown to the guests on a screen next to Dreamfinder.
The ride closed on October 10, 1998 to the dismay of numerous fans.”
During our conversation on The Rite of Spring, I mentioned reading an article at one time that discussed how the mounting of dinosaurs in museums has effected our imaginations. (I didn’t find it – but this FAQ on dinosaur mounts is fascinating). I would still love to reread that article; if you’ve seen it send it my way! However, in my process of looking for it, I found some other really interesting things I can direct you to. What’s interesting to me is how the art has complimented the science, and the imagination has even outpaced the science. Sorry, Deems Taylor.
“More than any other single person, Greg Paul has had a major influence on how Mesozoic dinosaurs are imagined by other palaeoartists, by scientists, and by the public.”
Darren Naish’s article in Scientific American discusses dinosaur’s move from “flabby” (as in Rite of Spring) to “sprightly” and from there to feathery and soft.
Naish’s article also mentions paleoartist John Conway.
“Dinosaur fossils have been catching up with paleoart — and that’s quite nice, that the fossil evidence actually is lagging behind the art,”
Conway spoke to Jacqueline Ronson at Inverse. Ronson gives a nice rundown of the interaction between art and science.
“if you want to come close to the truth, you’d better bring your imagination.”
Which brings us back to Disney and the work he and the studio were doing to advance science through their work on Fantasia.
“From the very start of preproduction on Fantasia in September 1938 Disney wanted to include a prehistoric sequence that would serve as “a coldly accurate reproduction of what science thinks went on during the first few billion years of this planet’s existence” (Fantasia). So he brought on Julian Huxley, Barnum “Mr. Bones” Brown, and Roy Chapman Andrews as scientific consultants for the project, along with Edwin Hubble.”
Noyes posits that the accurate art ignited the imagination and inspired more people to join the field of paleontology.
Michial claimed only people “our age” would know the Land Before Time movies, and I said there are 29 of them – and although both of these statements are clearly false – only mine may come true at some point in the future.
Also, we’ll definitely be mentioning The Land Before Time again when we get to the 80’s because it was created by Don Bluth – a rather infamous character in the Disney Animated Studios saga.
I’m not saying this is the definitive version of Faeries – from ‘The Nutcracker,’ but I’m not not saying it either.
If Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is your favorite piece and you (unlike Walt Disney) really like the abstract and experimental then I’d encourage you to discover more of the work of Oskar Fischinger at http://www.oskarfischinger.org.
“As the lights dim, Donald Duck is fast asleep. Mickey Mouse appears with music in hand and wakes Donald before rushing offstage to ready the show. As Donald prepares the orchestra for Mickey, he comes across the conductor’s baton and decides to work a little magic by donning Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat. But things get out of control fast and Donald is unexpectedly plunged into a 3D dream world of classic Disney animated musical sequences.”
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xns6ZDKxSQ&w=640&h=480]
A nice little behind the scenes look at how Fantasia came together.
If Michial piqued your interest in Marx and his use of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, then Coyle and Ed can guide you further into the political ideology of Marxism and the man behind the thoughts.
If Michial piqued your interest in Marx and his use of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, then Coyle and Ed can guide you further into the political ideology of Marxism and the man behind the thoughts.
Just because neither Michial or I took the time to read Der Zauberlehrling by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t read it.
You can also read the Sorcerer’s source – an ancient work called Philopseudes by Lucian of Samosata. Who knows, it might inspire you to write a fourteen stanza ballad of your own.
“The Sorcerer’s Hat is the former icon of Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.”
episode 3: Fantasia
Curiosities
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Mea Culpa
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L’esprit de L’escalier
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Bibliography
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Letterbox
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It’s not a hagiography. Sorry I butchered your name Mr. Neal Gabler.
If you are interested, you can read the ever expanding list of passages I’ve highlighted on my goodreads profile.
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