that's how you know alan menken

alan menken

ladies and gentlemen, presenting ALAN MENKEN...or maybe you guys already know about him, ako lang ang hindi. i've always wanted to find out about the people behind a production, especially something that i liked, and i felt that i was especially lucky to have found out about this man, who is the composer behind so many disney songs and movies that have formed a magical part of my life.

i uncovered him while foraying the internet regarding Enchanted that featured songs such as 'that's how you know' and 'ever ever after'...

if i only kept tabs with the Oscars, i would have discovered menken earlier...

but anyway, this post serves as a tribute to the person behind so many inspiring and beautiful songs that form part of the soundtrack of my life (especially before i came of age) and also to record, remember and celebrate people who inspire me. alan menken is one of them. a great many thanks.

alan menken was born july 22, 1949 and he is an american composer and pianist. interestingly, menken was born to a jewish family (another Jewish great, huh) to parents judith and norman menken (his father is a dentist). he developed a love for music very early in childhood and learned to play the piano and violin. he enrolled in new york university originally as a pre-med student but eventually changed his major to music.

he is the composer behind The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Enchanted...he has won a total of 8 Oscars, and has an additional ten more nominations tucked under his belt. amazing and inspiring, ain't it? :) say it is.

as of this year 2009, menken is 60 years of age. he has a wife named Janis, a ballet dancer, and they are blessed with two children lucky to have them for parents: anna and nora. (are they jewish too, i wonder).

anyway, i'm considering having a menken weekend...to celebrate him and his music...(this reminds me of that film - Mr. Holland's Opus starring richard dreyfuss, glenne headly, and that lovely girl who played rowena jean louisa kelly).

oh, and menken has two projects to watch out for: rapunzel and the snow queen. yey!

so, to start off, let me post here another youtube video of my 'song' for my provincial life...hehe...hmmm...i should make a version of this in visayan...=)

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