The Disney Song Encyclopedia by Thomas S. Hischak; Mark A. RobinsonReview by: Brian CockburnFontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 57, No. 3, Special Topic: Public Libraries (July-September 2010), pp.317-319Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres(IAML)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23512155 .

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REVIEWS

pedagogical and etude works to meet identified

needs of users; collect materials to meet local

research and performance needs; collect mate

rials documenting local and regional music; col lect anything else necessary to fulfill obliga tions in consortial or cooperative agreements;

provide for removal of superseded editions if desired. Although still very close to the original model, Fling has done two things: he has up dated and interpreted the principles and added comments and examples — which to me seem

to relate quite strongly to the specific back

ground of his former library — and he has put more emphasis on the collection of current ma

terials, going as far as to omit any reference to

collecting original materials. Fling clearly states that the objectives are aimed at larger music libraries and that "smaller libraries may be able to modify these objectives to meet more modest local needs" (p. 80). I would say that

yes, smaller libraries will indeed need to mod

ify, as would quite a few large libraries, the latter mostly because of the comments and ex

amples added. I can imagine that some conser

vatoires, for example, might frown when read

ing that "a library should not be expected to

purchase performance materials for a school's

large ensembles". The rest of the chapter is

devoted to useful tips on keeping current, on

selection tools and on possible factors deter

mining selection decisions (composer, editor, publisher, edition, format, audience, language,

date, reissue/reprint, sets/series and price).

The book ends with chapters on "Associa

tions and Societies" (partly internationally relevant), "Awards and Prizes" (very USA focussed) and "Getting Help" (which includes

everything that Fling found hard to fit in else

where). Those whose library collection devel

opment policy includes provisions for purchas

ing antiquarian music might by now have noticed this book won't provide any answers on

that level. It is really aimed at staying current with and selecting new materials. If you want to know how to select a reprint of a score, this

book is for you. If you need originals or gener ally out-of-print items, you'll have to look fur ther (but not that much further because yes, the topic is discussed in Library Acquisition of Music, although admittedly from an acquisitions

rather than a collection development angle).

317

As in any publication that provides selec tions of resources, part of the information will

get out of date pretty quickly and there will al

ways be some inexplicable omissions and de tails that one doesn't quite agree with. My per

sonal one for this book is why-o-why is the International Association of Music Information Centres (IAMIC) only mentioned under

"Getting Help" and not under "Associations and Societies" — or perhaps it would even deserve

a little mention in the chapter about music pub lishing? It is impossible to please everyone and

Fling has on the whole provided an excellent and useful cross-selection of resources, infor

mation and advice, all placed very efficiently in a relevant context. A must-have for any music

library and music library trainees.

Anna Pensaert

University of Cambridge

The Disney Song Encyclopedia. By Thomas S. Hischak and Mark A. Robinson. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2009. [xvii, 349 p. ISBN 978-0-8108-6937-0 ($49.95); 978-0-8108-6938-7

(e-book, $36.67)]

I readily admit it (although I shouldn't). I love

Disney. Not the person, but the creative idea

that IS Disney—the relentless optimism. I rel ish Disney movies and cartoons and Disney television shows. I grew up on the Wonderful World of Disney, Mickey Mouse Club reruns, and

the Disney movies and TV shows of the 1960's

and 70's. My kids have grown up on the great

new animated movies. My family plays Disney trivia games, and wears Disney merchandise. I

have been to both Disneyland and Walt Disney

World multiple times. So, with great anticipa tion, I watched my mailbox for The Disney Song

Encyclopedia by Thomas S. Hischak and Mark A. Robinson.

In this volume, Hischak, author of 18 books and professor of theatre at the State University

of New York College at Cortland, and his co

author, a high school film and theatre teacher, recreate the format (and success) of many of

Hischak's previous efforts like The Tin Pan

Alley Song Encyclopedia (2008), The American Musical Film Song Encyclopedia (1999), and The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia

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318 FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE 57/3

(1995). The Disney Song Encyclopedia lists 940 dated with the Disney brand. Neither the

songs in alphabetical order and provides a Ultimate Disney Trivia Book (Hyperion, 1993), "Brief History of Disney Music." Additionally, nor Disney A-Z (3rd. ed., Disney Editions, 2006) there are five appendices (1. Alternate Song provide song information at the depth or

Titles, 2. Songwriters Directory, 3. Sources and breadth of the present volume. A richer and

Songs, 4. Guide to Recordings, Videos, and more expansive accompanying essay on this

DVDs, and 5. Academy Awards for Disney genre of Disney music from what are clearly

Songs and Scores), a Glossary of Song Terms, passionate and knowledgeable authors would

a Bibliography, and an Index. For each entry, be both entertaining and informative,

the authors offer a brief paragraph providing So what's to love? The quality/price ratio

title, alternate titles, songwriters/lyricists, orig- is excellent. Scarecrow has produced a well

inal singers, the source of the song, other bound, well-printed book for the library refer

venues in which it has been used, and notable ence shelf. The binding and covers are sturdy

recordings, along with interesting tidbits that and the pages laid out well and printed on qual make the song memorable. ity paper. The typeface is readable and the

After spending time with the volume, I must cover attractive enough to be placed comfort

say that there is a lot to love, but, if I had ably on a coffee table. No, it's not a coffee table

Aladdin's genie, I would wish for a few things. picture book—it's a coffee table conversation

For my first wish, I would like a more exhaus- starter. At least, that's what has happened in my

tive list of songs. The authors define a Disney office—what a wonderful thing,

song as "any new song written for a Disney Another reason to love this title is the nos

product, be it a feature or short film, a Broad- talgia evoked by the songs themselves. Walt

way musical, a television show or special, a Disney said, "Music has always played a very

made-for-video production, a record, or a theme important part since sound came into the car

park" (Preface, p.vii). They choose 940 songs toon." This is made viscerally apparent when

from within that defined set. Now 940 songs is thumbing through this book. In 1995,1 moved a lot of songs—no doubt. However, I was hop- my wife and two very young daughters from

ing for something more comprehensive that south Texas to the Shenandoah Valley —

would include both Disney-created songs and twenty-three hours of driving! Fortunately, my

songs covered within Disney productions and in-laws bought us a small portable television/

venues. The present volume does not do that VCR combination that I mounted just behind

and so we are left using multiple sources to the driver's seat. The speaker was about six

cover the topic "songs in Disney venues or pro- inches from my left ear. I am sure I have hear

ductions." This shortcoming makes it only a ing loss, but I can sing every song and recite

good, not definitive, reference work. every word of Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty For my second wish, I would like a more tab- and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The

ular format to more easily locate the objective Lion King (1994). And while I counted down data like composer, lyricist, venue, etc. As it is, every mile until we could turn the blasted thing it is necessary to read the entire paragraph in off, as I flip through this volume, I can still pic order to extract the data. Maybe it's the refer- ture, in my rear view mirror, the sun setting ence librarian in me, or maybe I haven't spent behind my two smiling daughters happily mes enough time on social networks and tweeting, merized by song and story and empowered but I still like my metadata easily locatable for by the strength of willful heroines. (Little did I email or phone reference questions. know what havoc strong-willed daughters

For my third and last wish (we all know could wreak — but let's not rub that lamp.) On wishes come in three's), I would like a longer page after page, old memories are evoked—

"History of Disney Music." With interest in memories of time and place beyond the movie

Disney songs increasing due to the popularity or production. of recent television shows, movies, and Certainly, this volume is recommended

Broadway productions, there is a growing ap- for libraries with any kind of performing arts

petite for information on songs and music asso- collection. But because of its informal tone,

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REVIEWS

interesting stories, and useful appendices, I rec

ommend this to future princesses, princes, and

the menagerie of Disney fans. In addition to

buying one for my library's reference collec

tion, I'm also getting one for my oldest daugh ter's twentieth birthday. Please don't tell her -

it's a secret!

Brian Cockburn

James Madison University

After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance. By Kenneth

Hamilton. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2008. [xv, 304 p. ISBN 978-0-19-517826-5.

$29.95]

Here is a title that raises many more questions

than it answers, although that is not necessarily

a criticism. Scottish keyboardist and Liszt scholar Hamilton presents an engaging, rather

dense exploration of pianists, piano pedagogy, and piano performance ranging chiefly from the early 1800s to the 1940s, with a few excur

sions further afield at each end of the time

period. Making exceptional use of contemporary

sources in original languages, and at times in

cluding his own translations, the author seeks

to determine what constitutes this "golden age" and whether it is now extinct or if it indeed ever existed at all. He traces the development of pi

anistic culture from Frederic Chopin through

Franz Liszt to Ignaz Paderewski, with intrigu ing sojourns into the careers of figures as

diverse as Anton Rubinstein, Sigismond Thal

berg, Vladimir de Pachmann, Theodor

Leschetizky, Josef Hofmann, Moriz Rosenthal,

and Ferruccio Busoni, along with possibly less

remembered names such as Friedrich Kalk

brenner and Malwine Bree. Chapters cover top

ics such as "interpretive fidelity" (p. 182) to the

composer's intent; asynchronization, arpeggia

tion, pedaling; producing a singing tone; and the now little-used concept of preluding as well as more general improvising. Each major figure has his/her birth/death dates included at first

mention, which is helpful in placing them

chronologically. Along the way Hamilton uses copious musi

cal examples to illustrate his points and refers

319

to piano rolls, acoustic, and electric recordings to buttress his views. Of course, the earliest ex

ponents did not have recordings for us to hear,

so it is hard to assess their actual performance

on the instrument. Relying on contemporane

ous accounts, they, especially as exemplified by Franz Liszt "striding" the nineteenth century "like a colossus", seemed to be initiated into a

pantheon of "pianistic god[s]" (p.229), some times exhibiting egotistical tendencies; at the same time most were aware of their own inade

quacies (p.6-7) A main advantage of the title is Hamilton's

unquestioned expertise in this milieu. He sets

up a nice contrast between the "reverential dis

interring of musical masterpieces" (p.vii), by those claiming fidelity to Urtexts, and the "sad

catalog of corruption" (p.280), exemplified by those who added their own (sometimes not par

ticularly relevant or gratifying) flourishes to

compositions. He briefly touches on the devel

opment of pianos and various makers. Al

though for the most part he eschews opinionat

ing, he singles out some modern pianos for

particular opprobrium: as opposed to those of

yore, these evoke a "standard metallic crash"

(p. 140) or "strident cacophony" (p.vii). He does

readily admit that many a talented player con

fronted with such challenges has overcome

these obstacles to bring some measure of en

joyment to audiences. The evolution of the concert format and cod

ification of recital types such as historical sur

vey, single composer, or complete "something"

(p.70) are discussed within the larger frame work of etiquette and allowing for alternate

programming options. Earlier generations' con

certs extended for hours and piano pieces were

only one of many genres included, but once its

primacy as a solo instrument became para

mount, for some performers the "orchestra

[became] just a distracting noise in the back

ground" (p.43). Although substantiated by doc

umentation, it is hard to believe that there were no public solo piano sonata performances in

Vienna between 1760 and 1810 (p.54). Historical context brings us revealing asides re

garding Beethoven's view of Mozart's "choppy" playing (p. 14 & 168) as well as how audience behavior shifted from rambunctious in the eigh

teenth century to more sober in the nineteenth

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