The Bells of Notre Dame
Encyclopedia
"The Bells of Notre Dame" is a song from the 1996 Disney film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
, composed by Alan Menken
and Stephen Schwartz
. It is sung at the beginning of the film by the clown-like gypsy, Clopin
. It is set mainly in the key of D minor
. The song bears some similarity to the poem The Bells
by Edgar Allan Poe
, especially the repetition of the word "bells" during the cresendo.
The song details about Quasimodo
's origin and is the film's opening credits
. During the song, Clopin tells young children about the mysterious bell-ringer of Notre Dame
. He then talks about a story that goes back twenty years where a group of gypsies attempted to ferry their way into Paris
, but a trap had been laid and they are captured by Judge Claude Frollo
and several soldiers. When the woman amongst the gypsies is seen carrying a bundle, a guard attempts to confiscate it prompting her to flee.
Frollo pursues her on his horse, believing her to have stolen goods, in a brutal chase that comes to a head on the steps of Notre Dame Cathedral. Here Frollo takes the bundle out of her hands but in doing so strikes a blow to her head with his boot causing her to fall down onto the stone steps, breaking her neck and killing her. Frollo then learns that the bundle is actually a deformed
baby. He sees a well and attempts to drown the baby as he thinks it is a demon
from Hell
but is stopped by the Archdeacon, who tells Frollo that he has killed an innocent woman and that if he wishes for the survival of his immortal soul, he must raise the child as his own. Frollo reluctantly does so and raises the baby in the bell tower of Notre Dame, and gives him a cruel name; Quasimodo, which, according to Clopin, means "half-formed". It is quickly learned that Quasimodo is the mysterious bell-ringer.
for them to guess whilst being told the rest of the story, that being: "Who is the monster and who is the man?". What is meant by these words is to get behind what often are merely appearances, and by doing so we get to the actual truth. This aspect of the story can be related to real life because people often make the error of mistaking appearances (that also may be false) for the real thing or for something else entirely. In this case, it would seem that Quasimodo is the monster whilst his master Frollo is the man. It is implied by the end of the film, however, that it is now indeed a paradox
and reversal of the statement attributed to the two personalities.
The film itself, like most Disney Renaissance
films, contains valuable moral information and so, in a way, can be called a "teaching story
", besides being entertainment. This is one function of stories that are told to children: to give them, at least, the basic understanding of attitudes and behaviors encountered in the real world.
for them to guess whilst being told the rest of the story, that being: "What makes a monster and what makes a man?" Quasimodo is a man inside for defeating Frollo, who's a monster inside for attempting to kill Esmeralda, who's good instead of evil.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released to theaters on June 21, 1996 by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fourth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, the film is inspired by Victor Hugo's novel of...
, composed by Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards...
and Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
. It is sung at the beginning of the film by the clown-like gypsy, Clopin
Clopin
Clopin Trouillefou is a fictional character first created in the 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by French author Victor Hugo, and subsequently adapted.-In the novel:...
. It is set mainly in the key of D minor
D minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....
. The song bears some similarity to the poem The Bells
The Bells
"The Bells" is a heavily onomatopoeic poem by Edgar Allan Poe which was not published until after his death in 1849. It is perhaps best known for the diacopic repetition of the word "bells." The poem has four parts to it; each part becomes darker and darker as the poem progresses from "the jingling...
by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, especially the repetition of the word "bells" during the cresendo.
The song details about Quasimodo
Quasimodo
Quasimodo is a fictional character in the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death. The role of Quasimodo has been played by...
's origin and is the film's opening credits
Opening credits
In a motion picture, television program, or video game, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There...
. During the song, Clopin tells young children about the mysterious bell-ringer of Notre Dame
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
. He then talks about a story that goes back twenty years where a group of gypsies attempted to ferry their way into Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, but a trap had been laid and they are captured by Judge Claude Frollo
Judge Claude Frollo
Archdeacon Claude Frollo is a fictional character and the anti-hero from Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.-In the novel:In his youth, Claude Frollo was a highly knowledgeable but morose young man who was orphaned along with his infant brother Jehan when their parents died of the plague...
and several soldiers. When the woman amongst the gypsies is seen carrying a bundle, a guard attempts to confiscate it prompting her to flee.
Frollo pursues her on his horse, believing her to have stolen goods, in a brutal chase that comes to a head on the steps of Notre Dame Cathedral. Here Frollo takes the bundle out of her hands but in doing so strikes a blow to her head with his boot causing her to fall down onto the stone steps, breaking her neck and killing her. Frollo then learns that the bundle is actually a deformed
Deformity
A deformity, dysmorphism, or dysmorphic feature is a major difference in the shape of body part or organ compared to the average shape of that part.Deformity may arise from numerous causes:*A Genetic mutation*Damage to the fetus or uterus...
baby. He sees a well and attempts to drown the baby as he thinks it is a demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
from Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
but is stopped by the Archdeacon, who tells Frollo that he has killed an innocent woman and that if he wishes for the survival of his immortal soul, he must raise the child as his own. Frollo reluctantly does so and raises the baby in the bell tower of Notre Dame, and gives him a cruel name; Quasimodo, which, according to Clopin, means "half-formed". It is quickly learned that Quasimodo is the mysterious bell-ringer.
Indirect Message
Through the story of the song, Clopin tells the children that it is a tale of "a man and a monster". Towards the end he gives them a riddleRiddle
A riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and...
for them to guess whilst being told the rest of the story, that being: "Who is the monster and who is the man?". What is meant by these words is to get behind what often are merely appearances, and by doing so we get to the actual truth. This aspect of the story can be related to real life because people often make the error of mistaking appearances (that also may be false) for the real thing or for something else entirely. In this case, it would seem that Quasimodo is the monster whilst his master Frollo is the man. It is implied by the end of the film, however, that it is now indeed a paradox
Paradox
Similar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
and reversal of the statement attributed to the two personalities.
The film itself, like most Disney Renaissance
Disney Renaissance
The Disney Renaissance refers to an era beginning roughly in the late 1980s and ending in the late 1990s, during which Walt Disney Animation Studios returned to making successful animated films mostly based on stories that were known to many, restoring public and critical interest in Disney.The...
films, contains valuable moral information and so, in a way, can be called a "teaching story
Teaching stories
Teaching stories is a term used by the writer Idries Shah to describe narratives that have been deliberately created as vehicles for the transmission of wisdom...
", besides being entertainment. This is one function of stories that are told to children: to give them, at least, the basic understanding of attitudes and behaviors encountered in the real world.
Reprise
Singing the reprise of the song, Clopin gives a girl a new form riddleRiddle
A riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and...
for them to guess whilst being told the rest of the story, that being: "What makes a monster and what makes a man?" Quasimodo is a man inside for defeating Frollo, who's a monster inside for attempting to kill Esmeralda, who's good instead of evil.