Remembering Richard Sherman
I wanted to take some time to honour the composer and lyricist Richard Sherman, who sadly passed away at the age of 95 last week.
Richard, along with his brother Robert Sherman, were the legendary Disney Songwriters, who penned classics such as 'I Wanna Be Like You' and 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' (I hope I've spelt that right!).
One quote from a tribute on the Walt Disney website in particular caught my eye:
'He was one of the most prolific composer-lyricists in the history of family entertainment'.
Richard, along with his brother, were responsible for some of Disney's most loved musical moments, including 'A Spoonful of Sugar', 'Feed The Birds', 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' and 'It's a Small World'.
I find it is really important for me, to look back at composers like Richard Sherman, listening to the intricacies of some of their most beloved pieces and taking in how they conjured up some of the most memorable songs ever written - the fact they also wrote lyrics too blows my mind!
Richard was also writing in recent years, collaborating with Fabrizio Mancinelli on a song for a Disney animated short Mushka entitled “Mushka’s Lullaby”.
I came across this video on YouTube and had to share as well. It opens with Richard and Robert Sherman around the piano with Walt Disney, this fantastic mini documentary takes us inside the creative process for the various musical aspects of Disney, including putting together music for their various attractions, a drone show, as well as recording instruments for a new score.
At around 20 minutes long, I was glued to my screen for the whole time - I thoroughly recommend watching, if you are a fan of Disney!
If you haven't already, feel free to check out my free training on how to write rich, cinematic music. I cannot promise you will become Richard Sherman but you will be able to write music that you will be proud of and want to show off to your family & friends!
