Fanmade Friday | Jonathan

It’s time for another Fanmade Friday! I love hearing from you and getting to know you. Not all Haunted Mansion fans/collectors are inspired by the spirited decor, or the southern architecture. Some of us are attracted to the haunting refrains of the music of the mansion, myself included. Grim Grinning Ghost, composed by Buddy Baker and lyrics written by ‘X’ Atencio, is one of my all time favorite songs. Throughout the ride you can hear several different arrangements. My personal favorite is the foyer, followed by the exit crypt. I just love the spooky tones of song. So I’m quite excited to introduce Jonathan, who offers something unique to our Fanmade Friday repertoire .

 When I was 6 years old, I saw the film Fiddler on the Roof. From that time on, I knew I wanted to play the violin. I began violin lessons and I have been playing ever since. When I was 13, I realized that I could also sing. At that point, I was asked to join two choirs at the same time. One was at my school and the other one was at my synagogue. Singing in the choir at school led to me becoming involved in the theatre program and becoming an actor as well. Singing in my synagogue choir led to me becoming the choir director and conductor and eventually the cantor of that synagogue. Now, I am a senior at the University of Miami Frost School of Music and I plan on pursuing a Masters in Sacred Music in order to become a professional cantor. Right now, I sing at a local synagogue part time and I also teach piano, voice, and violin privately. In terms of the Haunted Mansion, I have always been a fan of “villain music” or “creepy music” and Grim Grinning Ghosts definitely falls into that category within it’s different forms throughout the ride. I came across the transcription of the music online and became inspired to write the orchestral suite to it. Other than the orchestral arrangement used in Phantom Manor, I do not think there is another arrangement out there. So I am trying to spread the love! Of course, I would not expect my suite to be used in any of the rides. It’s for concert purposes only.

To hear Jonathan’s arrangement of Grim Grinning Ghosts, click the player below…

 
Tell us a little more about working on your adaptation of Grim Grinning Ghosts. How long did you work on it?

I began conceptualizing an orchestration of GGG when I stumbled across Doombuggies.com about 2 years ago. But I didn’t do anything about it until recently. Back in April, I was getting back into the HM phenom and Doombuggies. I found the orchestrations that John Debney wrote for Phantom Manor and I loved them. That inspired me to begin work on my adaptation. However, I wanted to write mine for a smaller ensemble and possibly make it playable for kids too. That is why I didn’t write it cinematically like Debney did. That same night I wrote the opening line to my adaptation which is an orchestrated version of the foyer organ played by the double basses and tubular bells. That opening line took all of 60 seconds to put into the computer. Unfortunately I couldn’t continue finishing the piece that night and I didn’t pick it up again until back in June. I had decided to omit a brass section in order to avoid the cinematic sound. All in all, it took about an hour to write.

A little more about the format of the piece for those musicians and music buffs reading: I have different sections of the orchestra represent different scenes from the attraction. The basses are the foyer scene. The woodwinds right after them are the loading area up to the ballroom. The string section is the ballroom waltz. I then wrote a fugue like section with fast movement to represent the escape and fall from the attic. The reason I did not write an orchestrated version of the GGG/Wedding March/Attic scene is because I did not want to deal with copyright issues. After the fugue I wrote an orchestrated version of the singing busts using the full orchestra. I actually sat at my computer with the notated version on Doombuggies of how the Phantom 5 sing that section.

Jonathan, do you have a favorite character from the Haunted Mansion?

I have more than one favorite Mansion character. And of course they are all musically related. The first would be the Phantom Organist in the ballroom. He seems to be a dedicated musician since he never stops playing. Next would be the two opera singers in the graveyard (for obvious reasons). Another favorite would be the lead singing bust of Thurl Ravenscroft. My singing voice is a higher version of his, so naturally he is a favorite as well. However, the one that tops them all is the head hancho in charge, the Ghost Host voiced by Paul Frees. Mr. Frees adds a creepy yet seductive sound to this character that makes freaks like myself so attracted to it. It shows an aura of control and power which is rarely seen to this magnitude in a Disney character.

Do you remember your first Haunted Mansion collectible?

Being as my collection spans over the material and virtual worlds, I have two 1st HM pieces that I received. The first one would be digital which is a scan of Buddy Baker’s original transcription/lead sheet for Grim Grinning Ghosts. This led to finding more digital stuff and eventually my little sister (who owned the film)

saw I was collecting HM stuff, gave me her copy of the film. Therefore, the film was the first physical piece that I received.

Thanks so much, Jonathan, for sharing your orchestral adaptation of Grim Grinning Ghost. Keep up the good work. You have a bright future ahead of you.  

And thank you readers for stopping by. Be sure to leave Jonathan some feedback love by leaving a comment!  If you would like to be featured for a Fanmade Friday segment, fill out that contact form.  I’m just dying to meet you! 

Hurry baaack!