Musical Theatre Performing Arts (Performance)
Genres of musical theatre Opera* Operetta* Musical Comedy* Variety (can include vaudeville and revue)* Broadway Musical* British Musical* Pantomime* Music Theatre
Structure of a musical Book Music Lyrics Song structures Function Types Sung through versus book musicals Character and plot development
What is musical theatre? A musical is a stage, television or film production utilizing popular-style songs and dialogue to either tell a story (book musicals) and/or showcase the talents of varied performers (variety/music hall and/or revue).
Opera An introduction History Claudio Monteverdi Two main components of opera 1: Recitative (dialogue set to music) 2. Aria (emotionally invested songs)
Terms used in classical music and Oratario opera Cantata Overture Male and female singer classifications
Developments in opera 1756-1791: influence of Mozart Beethoven: Fidelio Late 1700s: two sub-genres: Seria (grand, serious opera) Opera buffa (comic opera lower working classes and precursors of operettas a precursor for the modern musical) Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi
French opera Importance of the text Standard construction of opera Opera Comique becomes more popular than opera seria
Venetian Opera 1637: Teatro di San Cassiano Popular appeal Love duet
Italian Opera Scarlatti Neapolitan opera Showcase for singers virtuosity
German Opera Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759) The Beggar s Opera Beethoven
Developments in Opera Opera seria versus opera buffa, opera comique, ballad opera and Singspiel Influence of Gluck (integrated music with drama) Mozart ane the grand finale Influence of Wagner Influence of Debussy
Operetta Little opera Spoken and not sung through Precursor of the modern musical comedy La Belle Helene (1864) by Jacques Offenbach Die Fledermaus (1874) by Johann Strauss Jr. Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan Pirates of Penzance The Mikado
Other famous operettas Bitter Sweet by Noel Coward Candide by Leonard Bernstein King of Vagabonds Romberg Ivor Novello
French Revolution French revolution and growing romantic spirit The rescue opera, i.e. Beethoven s Fidelio (1805) (also termed as Romantic Operas) Typical plot: principal character is in prison as a result of political act; rescue achieved by ordinary characters in credible way. Music is fused with words and action, rather than a series of arias. Claude Debussy Pelleas: first modern opera. Debussy used exact words of a medieval play by Maeterlinck and not a libretto.
The Grand Opera Les Vestale (1807) Les Huguenots Visual spectacle
Opera Bouffe Equivalents: opera buffa, opera comique ballad opera singspiel
Realistic opera Verismo (verita = truth) Real life characters and not classical Greek mythological themes. Wagner orchestra becomes part of the whole drama
The Musical Definition Musical components Composer Lyricist Book writer (script)
Comic Operas Early developments Comic Operas Seven Sisters
Musical Comedy Early developments Farcical musical comedy Cole Porter
History of musical theatre The Black Crook The roaring twenties The Gershwins / Cole Porter / Irving Berlin Show Boat Al Jolson Jerome Kern
Twentieth Century British imports Floradora (1900) The Wizard of Oz Schuberts and commercialism George M Cohan The Merry Widow (1907)
History of Musical Theatre Ziegfield and the Follies Black musicals Developments in the thirties Rodgers and Hart
Burlesques and Pantomimes Burlesques Pantomime Burlesque Extravaganza
Variety Theatre Music Hall Vaudeville The Revue Irving Berline Tacky revues Noel Coward and the British Revue
The Golden Age of Musicals 1940s/1950s/1960s
Oklahoma Defining a new genre Integrated music, dance and singing New age of the composer, lyricist and book writer all serving one dramatic purpose.
Broadway Musicals changing Rock Operas Concept musicals Corporate Musicals Stephen Sondheim
British Musicals Ivor Novello Noel Coward Gilbert and Sullivan Oh What A Lovely War! Andrew Lloyd Webber Cameron Mackintosh
Music Theatre What is it?