Musicals vs Operas
Mon, 10 Sept 2001, 12:39 amWalter Plinge26 posts in thread
Musicals vs Operas
Mon, 10 Sept 2001, 12:39 amJust to kick-start this brand-spanking new section (thanks Granty!), I thought I'd pose the toughest question there is in this area..... just what the hell is the difference between a musical and an opera?
Given that we are all eargerly awaiting the arrival of "Les Miserables" at the Regal (some more eagerly than others though, I have to say), and that that production features opera-type dudes like David Dockery and Justin Freind right alongside your more musical-theatre-type broads like Amanda Chesterton and Gillian Binks, I was wondering where people drew the line.
Is "Les Mes" an opera? Is "Threepenny Opera" a musical? Or vice versa? Or neither?
Thoughts, people!
D.M.
Given that we are all eargerly awaiting the arrival of "Les Miserables" at the Regal (some more eagerly than others though, I have to say), and that that production features opera-type dudes like David Dockery and Justin Freind right alongside your more musical-theatre-type broads like Amanda Chesterton and Gillian Binks, I was wondering where people drew the line.
Is "Les Mes" an opera? Is "Threepenny Opera" a musical? Or vice versa? Or neither?
Thoughts, people!
D.M.
RE: Moron Musicals vs Operas!
Tue, 2 Oct 2001, 05:05 pmNo. I don't think it would be a musical, although my jury's still out as to whether it could be passed off as opera.
The words in musicals consist mainly of songs, which implies that LYRICS are written. Lyrics are different to the text of a play, in that they are written with the intention of being sung. They therefore use techniques like rhyme, and repeated phrases to emphasize the musicality of the words.
Of course, there are many songs with little or no rhyming, and the "sung through" musicals have many lines that are like dialogue put to music, but they were still written to be sung, rather than simply putting music to natural dialogue. (In fact, that would apply to opera as well - a concious choice in the writing for the material to be sung.)
There are probably exceptions to the rule, but I think this thread is still trying to figure out what the rule IS.
crgwllms
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The words in musicals consist mainly of songs, which implies that LYRICS are written. Lyrics are different to the text of a play, in that they are written with the intention of being sung. They therefore use techniques like rhyme, and repeated phrases to emphasize the musicality of the words.
Of course, there are many songs with little or no rhyming, and the "sung through" musicals have many lines that are like dialogue put to music, but they were still written to be sung, rather than simply putting music to natural dialogue. (In fact, that would apply to opera as well - a concious choice in the writing for the material to be sung.)
There are probably exceptions to the rule, but I think this thread is still trying to figure out what the rule IS.
crgwllms
<8>-/====/--------
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