"Whose Daring Deeds Are Great Theatre?"
Alan Menken is a brilliant composer with a wide body of work, but he is most commonly associated with his compositions for many of the most beloved Disney films. In Hercules, Menken uses and blends a number of different genres throughout the movie, creating a unique soundscape that proves entertaining and accessible.
Most of the main characters’ songs are in a standard musical theatre style, as is Disney’s way; Hercules’s “I Want” ballad “Go the Distance,” as well as Phil’s upbeat “One Last Hope” are great examples of these. Musical theatre is a text-driven style of music that is meant for both driving plot and entertainment, so it is fitting that Disney often uses this style throughout its movies.
The Muses, whenever they appear, are the one exception to this rule in the film. Instead of applying the standard musical theatre lens to composing the pieces for the Muses, Menken combines gospel music and Motown to create a unique sound. These genres are historically tied to African American performers and music innovators, and while many may see Menken as playing into a stereotype by using these genres for the Muses, it does not act in that way. Gospel and Motown both had been working their influence in popular music at the time of the film’s release in the late 1990s, in R&B and pop most particularly. The pieces would have a style comparable to the audience's own playlists at the time, and therefore are—just like the animation and use of pottery (see “Reanimation”)—accessible to the common people. Menken diverges from popular musical theatre, once known for its elitism and high-class, high-cost entertainment, to bring a more diverse and accessible music option to the crowds.