Musical Theatre The Process of Putting Together, and Being in a Musical
Research:
Music
Song Writing
There are many different ways for writing a song. Often this varies depending on the type of song the writer is composing.
Sometimes the lyrics will be written first then a vocal melody written to accompany the lyrics.
Often the chorus will be written before the verses so the general mood of the song can be established and repeated through the chorus.
Instrumentalists
Usually the orchestral part of a song is not written with the first copy of a musical (Book) it is most often written when the musical has been chosen by a producer and the type of orchestra has been decided.
However if the composer has a firm view of the music – say he/she wants the brass/percussion/woodwind/strings or other instruments to be the focus of the orchestral pieces - that he/she wants in the musical the score will be written before hand.
Vocalists
To be a vocalist in the musical theatre industry you must be in peak fitness so your instruments (vocal chords) are healthy and sounding as good as possible.
It is preferred the cast –women especially- can belt and a higher range is more commonly sought after as it provides contrast to the low men’s voices
The resonance of a voice is incredibly desirable and good vibrato is vital.
Types Of Songs
There are different types of songs to fit different types of situations and moods:
Ballad – Expressing strong emotion. Moderately slow tempo with expressive lyrics and melody. E.g. “If I Loved You” (Carousel)
Comedy Song – Lyrics main focus, not melody. Encourage the audience to laugh out loud. E.g. "I Cain’t Say No” (Oklahoma)
Charm Song – Gives Characters appeal. E.g. “If I Only Had a Brain” (The W...
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...ine]. http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0767430077/student_view0/chapter9/
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John Kenrick. 2003. The History Of Musicals. [Online]. http://www.musicals101.com/musical.htm Accessed: 5/5/10
eHow. 2010. How To Get Cast In a Broadway Musical. [Online]. http://www.ehow.com/how_5074371_cast-broadway-musical.html Accessed: 22/4/10
John Kenrick. 2003. How To Put on a Musical. [Online]. http://www.musicals101.com/puton11.htm. Accessed: 29/3/10.
Macmillan. 2008. Writing Musical Theatre. [Online]. http://us.macmillan.com/writingmusicaltheater. Accessed: 17/4/10
Allen Cohen & Steven L. Rosenhaus. 2006. Writing Musical Theatre. 175 Fifth Ave, New York, N.Y. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN.
The song does have good rhyme scheme, which is a very important poetic element. Zac Brown band writes, “Well I was raised up beneath the shade of a Georgia Pine / and that's home you know / sweet tea, pecan pie, and homemade wine, where the peaches grow…” (5-7). Every other line rhymes with the previous. This is a good poetic element to have, considering rhyme is commonly related to many great songs and poems. This does not make up for the lack of other poetic elements, and the simplicity of the writing. The differences between the two pieces is still very vass. The two pieces have two totally different objectives, which makes them have different writing styles. Claire Dederer writes “Song lyrics do a fine imitation of poetry, but they’re not quite the same thing. Lyrics are a vessel, designed to hold a singer’s voice. Poetry is its own solid object” (Bad Poem, Great Song). To some, the dilemma is cut and dry, songs just can’t be poetry.
Poems are unique in that there are no set rules for how they are formatted (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). Poems may rhyme, or not. They can be presented in a narrative or lyrical format. The use of proper punctuation can be omitted such as periods, commas, or question marks (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). The use of punctuation or lack there of, brings into play the use of enjambment, which is another term for what is commonly known in poetry as run-on lines (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). If a poem is considered more proper and the author wants the reader to clearly understand how a line in the poem is read, the use of punctuation such as commas and periods are used to stress this point. This style is commonly known as end-stopped lines. (Kirszner
People have dreams of what they want to do or accomplish in life, but usually musical theatre is just pushed into the non-realistic void. It isn’t a dream for me. In the past four years, musical theatre has been clarified as my reality. Musical theatre has been the only thing I have seen myself wanting to do. My first love was The Phantom of the Opera, seeing how I watched it almost every day and it was one of the first shows I saw. Of course, I started doing all of those cute shows in middle school and making a huge deal about it to my family and friends, but I have never felt so passionate about something. The minute I get up on that stage I throw away Riley for two and a half hours and it’s the most amazing feeling! Being able to tell a story
The second piece comes from George Gershwins "Cuban Overture" performed by the pianist Ivan Davis and the Cleveland Orchestra. This song is a mix of Cuban rhythms with George Gershwin's own thematic material. The result of this is a symphonic overture with cuban beats. The next song is a suite from Girl Crazy, great song, i can even imagine the dance sequences in my head through this piece. All the rest of the songs on this cd, are taken out of Gershwin's musicals.
the film, and talks to the director about what sort of music (styles, themes, etc.) should be used — this process is called "spotting.". The director might even have a “temp score”(a score of pieced ol...
So that I don’t have to explain to them what it is about. Because I will not be describing nor will I explain what the artist meant from, when he was writing the song. I will be putting my own twist and thought about it. My main purpose is to make the audience think outside the box, and see how a totally different experience or event can relate somehow back to the song. That you can take something like “love you”, and somehow connect it back to a war or a celebration. The only limitation is your own
rhyme and rhythm is because it is a "Ballad" as it says in the title.
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world” (Lewis, 1996). This quote written by C.S Lewis was the base for the songwriter Brooke Fraser to compose the C.S Lewis song. As a case of analysis, it was decided to find the different elements of the music inside this piece. As a result of this analysis, it is necessary to divide the song in five remarkable stanzas.
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
I think that writing a part like that of the chorus into a play, which
A written work, whether it is a story, a poem or a song, can be as vague
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding
music only. I believe instrumental music can be just as powerful as music with lyrics put to it.
Lyrics in a song factor more into the theme than any other portion of the song. The lyrics exist so the artist can tell a story or convey a message. For the song Happy Pharrel Williams uses his lyrics to convey a feeling of happiness to his audience. First the obvious attempted to convey happiness is the use of the word “happy” repeatedly throughout the entire song. In its entirety, the word “happy” is said exactly 70 times in the 3 minute and 53 second long song. To back up this repetition of happy other lyrics such as “Because I’m happy, clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do”, further increase happiness by sending a message of doing what a person wants to do, a certain act that is generally accompanied with happiness. (azlyrics 2013) Lyrics in a song control what the song is about and the feeling the audience has after they hear the song, and Pharrel Williams uses his lyrics to create a feeling of pure joy in his song Happy.
The core structure for a ballad is a quatrain, written with either a-b-c-b, or a-b-a-b rhyme scheme. "a" stands for one line ending, "b" for another, and "c" for another s...