Music Land
Encyclopedia
Music Land is a Silly Symphonies
animated Disney short released in 1935.
and jazz
, the short features music from Beethoven's Eroica
and Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries as well as various popular classical, jazz and miscellaneous tunes. The film contains no actual speech, but has the characters instead communicate with musical tones, with each 'speaking' through use of the sound of the particular instrument upon which they are based.
The genesis of the film's story was the genuine dilemma of American society. Just as some of today's parents are perplexed by the music their children listen to, so it was in the 1930s when some people viewed jazz as the end of civilisation. Incidentally, the tenor saxophone character is designed to resemble bandleader Paul Whiteman
, who was known back then as "The King of Jazz".
The film was edited into Disneyland: Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom in 1959, and was featured in Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition II: The Disney Dream Factory
(1985), The Best of Disney: 50 Years of Magic (1991), Songs of the Silly Symphonies (2001), and The Making of 'Pinocchio': No Strings Attached (2009).
In an exhibition of "some of the most inspired and memorable uses of classical music in animation", the film was screened in its entirety at 'What’s Opera, Doc? – Animation and Classical Music' as part of the 'Marc Davis Celebration of Animation' hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
in Beverly Hills in May 2010.
) grows bored with the slow ballroom dancing and sneaks out.
Across the Sea of Discord, the Isle of Jazz is alive with hot music and dancing, but the prince (an alto saxophone
) takes little interest in it. Sneaking out, he spots the princess across the sea with the aid of a clarinet
-telescope
. He quickly traverses the sea on a xylophone
boat to meet her.
Their flirting is interrupted, however, when the queen (a cello
) of the Land of Symphony sends her guards to lock him in a metronome
prison tower. To escape this predicament, he writes a note for help (the melody of The Prisoner's Song
) and passes it to a bird, which brings it to his father (a tenor saxophone
), who raises the battle cry (a jazz version of the military Assembly (bugle call)
).
The Isle of Jazz deploys its multi-piece band as artillery
, bombarding the Land of Symphony with explosive musical notes to a jazz/swing number. The Land of Symphony returns fire via organ pipes that rotate into cannons, launching volleys to the refrains of Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries.
The princess intervenes to stop the war, but falls into the sea. The prince struggles to escape his cell, but an explosive note help him via landing next to it and blowing it up, and he rush to save her, but ends up struggling as well. Both parents see what is happening, and quickly cease fire to rescue their children. The story ends on a happy note with a double marriage, as the citizens of both lands dance on the newly-built Bridge of Harmony.
writes that as one of the earliest of the Silly Symphonies, "Music Land is a place fraught with tension, with the Sea of Discord lying between the Isle of Jazz and the Land of Symphony", and that the action is as dramatic as in Saving Private Ryan
. It is noted that "It is the first glimpse, as well, of a critical aspect of animating inanimates: how to use an object's structural particulars -- the tuning peg on a cello, the mouthpiece on a saxophone -- to best effect."
In Dictionary of films by Georges Sadoul and Peter Morris, it is offered that the film has "an extraordinary range of graphic design and an imaginative use of sound."
Silly Symphonies
Silly Symphonies is a series of animated short subjects, 75 in total, produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939, while the studio was still located at Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles...
animated Disney short released in 1935.
Production
In an attempt to bridge the gap between classical musicClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, the short features music from Beethoven's Eroica
Eroica
The name Eroica may refer to:*The Eroica Symphony, by Ludwig van Beethoven;*The Eroica Variations for piano, also by Beethoven;*The Eroica Piano Trio, an American chamber ensemble;...
and Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries as well as various popular classical, jazz and miscellaneous tunes. The film contains no actual speech, but has the characters instead communicate with musical tones, with each 'speaking' through use of the sound of the particular instrument upon which they are based.
The genesis of the film's story was the genuine dilemma of American society. Just as some of today's parents are perplexed by the music their children listen to, so it was in the 1930s when some people viewed jazz as the end of civilisation. Incidentally, the tenor saxophone character is designed to resemble bandleader Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
, who was known back then as "The King of Jazz".
The film was edited into Disneyland: Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom in 1959, and was featured in Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition II: The Disney Dream Factory
Walt Disney Cartoon Classics
Walt Disney Cartoon Classics was a series of cartoon compilations from Disney. It was their first attempt to put cartoons on home video. The first 14 volumes, from 1983–1986, came with 6 or 7 cartoons and ran from 30–60 minutes...
(1985), The Best of Disney: 50 Years of Magic (1991), Songs of the Silly Symphonies (2001), and The Making of 'Pinocchio': No Strings Attached (2009).
In an exhibition of "some of the most inspired and memorable uses of classical music in animation", the film was screened in its entirety at 'What’s Opera, Doc? – Animation and Classical Music' as part of the 'Marc Davis Celebration of Animation' hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Samuel Goldwyn Theater
The Samuel Goldwyn Theatre is a movie theater in Beverly Hills, California named after Samuel Goldwyn.Currently, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences uses the theater in January to announce the nominations for their Academy Awards....
in Beverly Hills in May 2010.
Plot
The Land of Symphony is a classical-themed kingdom, where the princess (an anthropomorphicized violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
) grows bored with the slow ballroom dancing and sneaks out.
Across the Sea of Discord, the Isle of Jazz is alive with hot music and dancing, but the prince (an alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
) takes little interest in it. Sneaking out, he spots the princess across the sea with the aid of a clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
-telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
. He quickly traverses the sea on a xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
boat to meet her.
Their flirting is interrupted, however, when the queen (a cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
) of the Land of Symphony sends her guards to lock him in a metronome
Metronome
A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
prison tower. To escape this predicament, he writes a note for help (the melody of The Prisoner's Song
The Prisoner's Song
"The Prisoner's Song", is a song copyrighted by Vernon Dalhart in 1924 in the name of Dalhart’s cousin Guy Massey, who had sung it while staying at Dalhart’s home and had in turn heard it from his brother Robert Massey, who may have heard it while serving time in prison.The Prisoner’s Song rates...
) and passes it to a bird, which brings it to his father (a tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
), who raises the battle cry (a jazz version of the military Assembly (bugle call)
Assembly (bugle call)
Assembly is a bugle call used to call in a group of soldiers or scouts. It is also sometimes referred to as "Fall in"....
).
The Isle of Jazz deploys its multi-piece band as artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, bombarding the Land of Symphony with explosive musical notes to a jazz/swing number. The Land of Symphony returns fire via organ pipes that rotate into cannons, launching volleys to the refrains of Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries.
The princess intervenes to stop the war, but falls into the sea. The prince struggles to escape his cell, but an explosive note help him via landing next to it and blowing it up, and he rush to save her, but ends up struggling as well. Both parents see what is happening, and quickly cease fire to rescue their children. The story ends on a happy note with a double marriage, as the citizens of both lands dance on the newly-built Bridge of Harmony.
Recognition
The Austin ChronicleAustin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
writes that as one of the earliest of the Silly Symphonies, "Music Land is a place fraught with tension, with the Sea of Discord lying between the Isle of Jazz and the Land of Symphony", and that the action is as dramatic as in Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944....
. It is noted that "It is the first glimpse, as well, of a critical aspect of animating inanimates: how to use an object's structural particulars -- the tuning peg on a cello, the mouthpiece on a saxophone -- to best effect."
In Dictionary of films by Georges Sadoul and Peter Morris, it is offered that the film has "an extraordinary range of graphic design and an imaginative use of sound."
External links
- Music Land at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...