The Music of Treasure Island
This article was first published in Film Music Notes (September-October 1950).
The music for Treasure Island, produced by Walt Disney at Denham Studios, England, may be divided into two sections. First came the question of sea shanties, to be sung in the film. Under the general supervision of Muir Mathieson [music director to the production], Mrs. Buck, his personal assistant, conducted research during which over three hundred sea shanties and old maritime songs were examined before a final selection was submitted to the production chief, Perce Pearce. It was essential that the songs chosen should not only be correct for the period (1765) but also that they should be suitable in lilt and tempo to the scenes involved. Walt Disney himself heard a number of test recordings before the final selection was made.
The first of the shanties, “Johnny, Come Down to Hilo,” will be heard sung to the accompaniment of a guitar, while “Tom’s Gone Down to Hilo” has been recorded by a solo voice, accompanied by a group of pirates humming, and a guitar. The third sea song to be heard in Treasure Island is not a traditional number as such, but was specially set by Marcus Dods, of Cambridge University; it is the old number “Yo-Ho-Ho, and a Bottle of Rum.”
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Parent contents
- Parent entry
- 1 - Bill Cottrell (Bob Thomas)
- 2 - Bill Justice and Bob Broughton (Bob Thomas)
- 3 - Ken OConnor (Bob Thomas)
- 4 - Ken OConnor (EMC West)
- 5 - Armand Bigle with Betty Bigle (Bob Thomas)
- 6 - Betty Bigle and Gérald Bigle on Armand Bigle (Didier Ghez)
- 7 - Dominique Bigle on Armand Bigle (Didier Ghez)
- 8 - Pierre Nicolas (Didier Ghez, 1991)
- 9 - Pierre Nicolas (Didier Ghez, 2008)
- 10 - Antonio Bertini (Bob Thomas)
- 11 - To the Top in Ten Years with the Family Formula (Kinematograph Weekly)
- 12 - Disney in the Scandinavian Countries 1928-1945 (Are Myklebust)
- 13 - Andy Thewlis (Bob Thomas)
- 14 - Gunnar Mansson (Bob Thomas)
- 15 - Horst Koblischek (Bob Thomas)
- 16 - Dan Gonzales on Manuel Gonzales (François Willot, Armando Botto)
- 17 - Irving Ludwig (Bob Thomas)
- 18 - The Music of Treasure Island
- 19 - Herb Hughes (Didier Ghez)
- 20 - Royal "Mickey" Clark (Jim Korkis & Didier Ghez)
- 21 - Royal "Mickey" Clark (Bob Thomas)
- 22 - Marvin Davis and Marjorie Davis (Bob Thomas)
- 23 - Marty Sklar (Bob Thomas)
- 24 - Dick Nunis (Bob Thomas)
- 25 - Jack Lindquist (Bob Thomas)
- 26 - Craig McNair Wilson (Jim Korkis)
- 27 - Kym Murphy (Didier Ghez)
- 28 - Chris Runco (Didier Ghez)
