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[THREAD] Last week, I tweeted some infographics about rising & falling gestures in #Disney music. Gestures don't always work in isolation; they often combine to tell stories. Here are some examples from Disney’s #Tangled and #Frozen!
[1] I See The Light from #Tangled is about her emotional journey from dream to reality. But she admits she’s afraid of a let down. Her singing expresses that conflict, like in that RISING sequence of FALLING gestures in line 2!
blue = sadness • green = joy • cyan = in between
![[1] I See The Light from #Tangled is about her emotional journey from dream to reality. But she admits she’s afraid of a let down. Her singing expresses that conflict, like in that RISING sequence of FALLING gestures in line 2!blue = sadness • green = joy • cyan = in between](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ed2cb98WoAA7ERX.png "[1] I See The Light from #Tangled is about her emotional journey from dream to reality. But she admits she’s afraid of a let down. Her singing expresses that conflict, like in that RISING sequence of FALLING gestures in line 2!blue = sadness • green = joy • cyan = in between")
blue = sadness • green = joy • cyan = in between
[2] "I See the Light" ends with a melody that repeats the words “now that I’m with you” two times. They are identical, except… the 1st time, “with you” is down an octave (subdued), and the 2nd time "with you" is up an octave (bliss).
Did you notice these things before? So cool!
![[2] "I See the Light" ends with a melody that repeats the words “now that I’m with you” two times. They are identical, except… the 1st time, “with you” is down an octave (subdued), and the 2nd time "with you" is up an octave (bliss).Did you notice these things before? So cool!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ed2ccNQWsAAlW85.png "[2] \"I See the Light\" ends with a melody that repeats the words “now that I’m with you” two times. They are identical, except… the 1st time, “with you” is down an octave (subdued), and the 2nd time \"with you\" is up an octave (bliss).Did you notice these things before? So cool!")
Did you notice these things before? So cool!
[3] "Let it Go" from @Disney's #Frozen obviously shows Elsa's transformation from fear to confidence. But not just in the lyrics / visuals – the music expresses this, too!
For starters, compare the long downward melodies in the intro with the long rising melodies in the bridge:
![[3] "Let it Go" from @Disney's #Frozen obviously shows Elsa's transformation from fear to confidence. But not just in the lyrics / visuals – the music expresses this, too!For starters, compare the long downward melodies in the intro with the long rising melodies in the bridge:](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ed2ccaYWoAAHUB1.png "[3] \"Let it Go\" from @Disney's #Frozen obviously shows Elsa's transformation from fear to confidence. But not just in the lyrics / visuals – the music expresses this, too!For starters, compare the long downward melodies in the intro with the long rising melodies in the bridge:")
For starters, compare the long downward melodies in the intro with the long rising melodies in the bridge:
[4] After the intro's descending melodies, Let it Go's pre-chorus is full of upward leaps, a sign of Elsa's hope and excitement, building tension toward the chorus. Then the chorus features not only upward leaps, but also small, stepwise gestures indicating confidence and relief.
![[4] After the intro's descending melodies, Let it Go's pre-chorus is full of upward leaps, a sign of Elsa's hope and excitement, building tension toward the chorus. Then the chorus features not only upward leaps, but also small, stepwise gestures indicating confidence and relief.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ed2cckNXYAE8jcO.png "[4] After the intro's descending melodies, Let it Go's pre-chorus is full of upward leaps, a sign of Elsa's hope and excitement, building tension toward the chorus. Then the chorus features not only upward leaps, but also small, stepwise gestures indicating confidence and relief.")
[5] Though Elsa's confidence is building, it's not until the end that she fully lets go of her trauma (or so she thinks). At the end of each chorus, when she sings "let the storm rage on," she ends with a drop in the melody. But the final chorus ends with a super high leap. Yay!
![[5] Though Elsa's confidence is building, it's not until the end that she fully lets go of her trauma (or so she thinks). At the end of each chorus, when she sings "let the storm rage on," she ends with a drop in the melody. But the final chorus ends with a super high leap. Yay!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ed2ccudXsAE0jGW.png "[5] Though Elsa's confidence is building, it's not until the end that she fully lets go of her trauma (or so she thinks). At the end of each chorus, when she sings \"let the storm rage on,\" she ends with a drop in the melody. But the final chorus ends with a super high leap. Yay!")
[6] Of course, the tragedy of "Let it Go" is that Elsa *hasn't*, in fact, let go of her trauma. She thinks she has, because she's no longer worried about hurting people... but she IS still worried about hurting people, because why else would she hide herself in isolation?
[7] Nevertheless, the lyrics, visuals, AND musical gestures guide us as her confidence and excitement grow from the intro to the final chorus. To really get that full experience, we can't just focus on the lyrics and visuals – the music itself is part of the storytelling, too.
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And if you'd like to support this blog with a small donation, I invite you buy me "a cup of tea" over at Ko-Fi:
http://www.ko-fi.com/DisneyMusicTheory
Thank you!
