Tale As Old As Time

In 2017, Disney released a live action production of Beauty And The Beast. This film is based on the cartoon film that was released in 1991. Bill Condon directed this film. The music in this movie is very rich. The story has been a favorite of mine for my whole life, and I have enjoyed dissecting what makes the music in this film so enchanting!
The Plot
The setting of the musical takes place in a small town in France. The story begins as an enchantress disguised as an old beggar enters a ball and offers the cold-hearted host (who is a prince) a rose. He rejects her, and then she reveals her beauty and puts a curse on the whole castle. The prince turns into a beast, and all of the people living in the castle turn into household objects. Her curse will only be lifted if the prince learns to love and accept love in return. The enchantress’s rose remains in the castle, and the spell will remain forever once the last pedal of the rose falls.
Fast forward many years, and we are introduced to Belle, who is a village outsider. She is admired by her beauty, and continues to be pursued by an arrogant former soldier named Gaston (whom she consistently refuses). Belle’s single father, Maurice, gets lost when he leaves town one night. He finds the Beast’s castle and desires to stay there, but instead the Beast traps him as his prisoner. Soon Belle discovers her father and chooses to take his place as the Beast’s prisoner. Belle soon befriends those who live in the caste as household items: a candlestick named Lumiere, a clock named Cogsworth, and teacups named Miss Potts and Chip. The Beast scares Belle into the wolf-infested woods after she discovers his enchanted rose. Yet the Beast saves her from the wolves, and Belle chooses to remain in the castle to take care of him. The two end up falling in love, and all of the castle’s residents hope that Belle will be the one to lift the curse.
Meanwhile, in the village, Maurice is terrified of Belle being trapped in the castle. Gaston chooses to try to rescue her so that he can marry her. But once Maurice insults Gaston, he abandons him in the cold woods. Belle discovers her father’s terrible state through the Beast’s magical mirror, and the Beast releases her so that she can save her father. Eventually, the whole town discovers about the Beast’s castle, and Gaston leads them to kill the Beast. A battle occurs in the castle, and the Beast and his servants ultimately win. Gaston dies tragically in his attempt to kill the Beast. Belle confesses her love to the Beast, and then he and the rest of his servants return to their human form. The movie ends with the Beast (who is now a prince again) hosting an extravagant ball for the kingdom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(2017_film)
The Plot
Although Beauty And The Beast is considered a musical, there is not singing throughout the entire movie. Instead, there is music playing almost the entire time by the orchestral score, and there are multiple musical numbers placed consistently throughout the movie. There is a good mixture between solo songs (“Forevermore” and “Beauty and the Beast”), ensembles (“Something There” and “Days In The Sun”) and choruses (“Belle,” “Gaston,” and “Mob Song”).
The musical is mainly characterized by different “themes” or melodies that represent a specific part of the plot. For example, Maurice sings “How Does A Moment Last Forever” early on in the musical. He is accompanied by a music box. This is the melody that either Maurice or Belle sing whenever they are reminiscing on Belle’s mother (who died of the plague when she was a baby). Here is a snippet of this melody:
The lone harpsichord also first introduces the “Be Our Guest” melody when Maurice is wandering through the castle. This melody becomes a much greater song later on in the musical, but the tune is representative of the servants in the castle and their kindness towards their guests. In the same way, the “Days In The Sun” melody is heard whenever the castle servants are together and talking about how they long to be human again.
The orchestra plays a significant role as an accompaniment for the different musical numbers in the movie. It is mostly used as a tool for adding drama and evicting emotions. However, there are little visuals that are placed here and there to show how the orchestra “paints” the scene. For example, in the “Beauty and the Beast” song, there is a solo violin part, and it is represented by a coat hanger who is playing the violin while Belle and the Beast dance. There is also a harpsichord named Cadenza, and he is seen and heard in “Be Our Guest.” Lastly, there is a small violin section and harpsichord present in the “Beauty and the Beast” finale at the very end of the musical, although the rest of the orchestra is not present. There are orchestral introductions to several of the bigger musical numbers, such as “Belle,” “Be Our Guest,” “Days In The Sun,” and “Something There.” The orchestra plays a subtle part in the plot. There are characters such as Cadenza (the harpsichord) and Madame de la Grande Bouche (the dresser) that long to return to making music again once the curse is lifted.
Gaston Scene
[LEFOU]
Gosh, it disturbs me to see you Gaston
Looking so down in the dumps
Every guy here’d love to be you, Gaston!
Even when taking your lumps
There’s no man in town as admired as you
You’re everyone’s favorite guy
Everyone’s awed and inspired by you
And it’s not very hard to see why
No one’s slick as Gaston
No one’s quick as Gaston
No one’s neck’s as incredibly thick as Gaston
For there’s no man in town half as manly
[BIMBETTES]
Perfect, a pure paragon!
[LEFOU/MEN]
You can ask any Tom, Dick, or Stanley
And they’ll tell you whose team they’d prefer to be on
Who plays darts like Gaston?
Who breaks hearts like Gaston?
Who’s much more than the sum of his parts like Gaston?
[GASTON]
As a specimen, yes, I’m intimidating!
[ALL]
My, what a guy, that Gaston!
[GASTON]
I needed encouragement
Thank you, LeFou
[LEFOU]
Well, there’s no one as easy to bolster as you!
Too much?
[GASTON]
…Yep
[ALL]
No one fights like Gaston
Douses lights like Gaston
[LEFOU]
In a wrestling match, nobody bites like Gaston
[GASTON]
When I hunt, I sneak up with my quiver
And beasts of the field say a prayer
First, I carefully aim for the liver
Then I shoot from behind
[LEFOU]
Is that fair?
[GASTON]
I don’t care
[ALL]
No one hits like Gaston
Matches wits like Gaston
[LEFOU]
In a spitting match, nobody spits like Gaston
[GASTON]
I’m especially good at expectorating!
[Spits]
[ALL]
Ten points for Gaston!
[GASTON]
When I was a lad, I ate four dozen eggs
Every morning to help me get large
And now that I’m grown, I eat five dozen eggs
So I’m roughly the size of a barge!
[LEFOU/MEN]
Who has brains like Gaston?
Entertains like Gaston?
[GASTON]
Who can make up these endless refrains like Gaston?
I use antlers in all of my decorating
[ALL]
Say it again
Who’s a man among men?
Who’s the super success?
Don’t you know? Can’t you guess?
Ask his fans and his five hangers-on
There’s just one guy in town
Who’s got all of it down…
[LEFOU]
And his name’s G-A-S…T…
I believe there’s another T…
It just occurred to me that I’m illiterate
And I’ve never actually had to spell it out loud before…
[ALL]
Gaston!
Lyrics from: (http://lyricstranslate.com/en/beauty-and-beast-ost-2017-gaston-lyrics.html)
I have chosen to further analyze my favorite scene from my favorite movie, and that is the scene where the song “Gaston” is sung. It takes place in Gaston’s pub. The characters present in this scene are Gaston, LeFou (his sidekick), and a fair amount of citizens. Gaston is an arrogant man who most likely “peaked” when he was young and fighting in the war. He is distressed because Belle will not accept him as her husband. LeFou then sings a song in order to cheer Gaston up. The mood is humorous, as it is obvious that LeFou has rehearsed this song with the town citizens before. He prances around the room and is motioning to the citizens on what they should be doing. He also is throwing out money to them so that they keep up the good work.
I would consider this scene as a set, with the action on a single stage. The entire song takes place in a room in the bar. The bar setting is used to shape Gaston’s rough character and masculinity. It is made known that Gaston is not a pleasant man to be around. He is extremely self-centered and violent. Yet the scene is so easy to enjoy — mostly because LeFou is such a humorous character.
The song starts off in a minor key, because Gaston is distressed. LeFou sings the introduction, but once the introduction passes, the tempo quickly picks up. Gaston ends up singing along with him, and then all of the townspeople chime in as well. The song starts off as a solo, and by the end, it is a full ensemble with incredible choreography. My favorite part of the song is when everyone stops singing and starts clapping and banging the tables. It is a powerful rhythmic moment, and the tempo of the clapping starts slow and builds more and more. Then, once LeFou hands out swords, everyone starts dancing and reenacting different war scenes that Gaston may (or may not) have taken part in.
I found the musical very emotionally satisfying. Of course, I may be biased, because I chose to write about my favorite musical of all time. Since the movie is based on an animated Disney film, the plot is very straightforward. The music added even more to the plot by providing several distinct themes that related back to specific characters and situations. I am very familiar with the Classical music genre, and it helps me in making these specific orchestral connections. Certain instruments are used to portray different situation. For example, Belle is associated with upper woodwind instruments and pitched percussion, while Gaston is associated with low brass. The orchestral score is key in heightening the emotions that already come naturally through the plot. The result is a product that is extremely well crafted and gorgeous.