The Disney Song Encyclopedia - fieldi

316 GLOSSARY OF SONG TERMS
chorus A group of characters that sing or dance together is the definition of
chorus as used in this book. A musical number can be performed by a vocal
chorus of singers or a dancing chorus of dancers. A chorus number is
one that emphasizes the group over the individual, though many songs are
sung by principals accompanied by a chorus. In many films, an omniscient
chorus can be heard on the soundtrack, sometimes reflecting the thoughts
of a character or providing exposition. This often occurs during the opening
credits of a movie. Chorus is also another term for the refrain of a song, although,
for the sake of clarification, that definition is not used in this book.
dubbing The adding or replacing of an actor’s singing and/or speaking
voice on a live-action film or television soundtrack is known as dubbing.
All voices in an animated production are, in a sense, dubbed. Even when
a performer does his or her own singing in a filmed or videotaped production,
the songs are usually recorded beforehand, so in a way most
actors are dubbing on screen, even if it is their own voice. The parenthetical
phrase “singing voice of” is used throughout the book to indicate
when one person dubbed the singing for another actor who provided the
speaking voice for a character.
“I am” song Often a solo, but any song that introduces a character or a
group of characters by revealing their wishes, dreams, confusions, and
so on, is termed an “I am” song. These songs usually occur early in a
production, helping to establish major characters by letting them express
themselves. Sometimes called an “I wish” song, they became requisite in
musical theatre with the advent of the integrated musical in the 1940s.
The “I am” song has been very important and memorable in many stage
and screen works over the decades, as in the Disney songs “Go the Distance”
and “Part of Your World.”
interpolation A song added to a production that was not written by the
songwriters who wrote the rest of the score is said to be interpolated
into the show. More common in films and television than in the theatre,
interpolations serve the same purpose in all media: to improve a weak
score or take advantage of a popular song by adding it to the production.
Throughout the book, interpolations are included if they were written for
a Disney product. Classical music, such as those used in the two Fantasia
films, and song standards, such as the 1918 favorite “After You’ve Gone”
interpolated into Make Mine Music (1946), are not included.
list song Any song, whether serious or comic, that is structured as a list of
examples or a series of items is termed a list song. They are sometimes
called “laundry list” songs, although the result is intended to be much
more interesting than that. Memorable Disney list songs include “The
Bare Necessities,” “When I See an Elephant Fly,” and “Under the Sea.”