The Disney Song Encyclopedia - fieldi

GLOSSARY OF SONG TERMS 317
lyric A line from a song (or the entire set of lines written for a song) is considered
a lyric. A lyric is written by a lyricist, as opposed to the author, who
writes the unsung words in a script. The plural form lyrics refers to the
words to all the songs a lyricist has written for a score; one writes a lyric
for a song and the lyrics for a score. In this book, when a songwriter is not
referred to specifically as a lyricist or a composer, it can be assumed that he
or she wrote both music and lyric for the song. When a song is listed as being
written by two or more songwriters with no distinction made about who
wrote what, it means that the artists wrote both music and lyrics together,
as in the case of all the songs by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman.
pastiche song Any musical number that echoes the style, either musically
or lyrically, of an earlier era is said to pastiche the past. Such songs can
be written to spoof the past, as in “Prince Ali” (which spoofs a Las Vegas–
like production number) and “Happy Working Song” (poking fun at the
famous song “Whistle While You Work”), or to recapture the period for
the setting of the new work, as with “Step in Time” (which pastiches
British music hall) and “Be Our Guest” (a delightful version of a French
Folles Bergère number).
refrain The main body of a song is the refrain. It is the section that follows
the verse and repeats itself with the same melody and/or lyric. The most
familiar part of a popular song is usually the refrain. The refrain is sometimes
called the chorus, but the latter term is too often confused with a
group of singers, so it is not used in this book.
release A section of the refrain that departs from the repeated melody is
said to be a release from the expected and explores a new musical line
that may or may not have been suggested in the main melody. The release
(also sometimes called the bridge) helps keep a song from being too
predictable or monotonous.
reprise When all or part of a song is repeated later in a production, it is said
to be reprised. Reprises may be sung by the same characters who sang the
number originally or by different ones, and often a reprise has a different
lyric from the first. A song that is reprised in a film, theatre production,
or television show is more likely to be remembered by an audience, so
songwriters often try to have their best numbers reprised in a musical.
soliloquy A solo in which a character is alone and reveals his or her thoughts
and concerns in the form of a song is considered a musical soliloquy. The
most effective soliloquies are songs that show a character debating two sides
of an issue or trying to come to a decision, as in “Reflection” and “The Madness
of King Scar.” A later development of the soliloquy on film and television
is having the character’s thoughts only sung on the soundtrack. Thus, it
is possible to have a soliloquy when the character is with other people.