Americas Musical Pioneers 1700s Showboat 1700s The ancient

America's Musical Pioneers 1700’s - Showboat

1700’s The ancient Greeks had plays with songs, and Roman comedies included song and dance routines. But the music of these eras disappeared long ago, so they had no real influence on the development of modern musical theatre. The Middle Ages brought traveling minstrels and musical morality plays staged by churches, but these had little if any influence on the development of musicals as an art form. Although there were many musical stage entertainments in the 1700 s, none of them were called "musicals. " The first lasting English-language work of this period was John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (1728), a ballad opera that reset popular tunes of the day to lyrics that fit a satirical spoof of respectable citizens who are no better than common thieves. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=TW 2 GIYQTt. IY

The Beggar’s Opera, and other British ballad operas, burlettas and pantomimes, formed the majority of musicals offered on American stages right into the early 1800 s. • pantomimes - one act works which replaced spoken dialogue with wordless clowning and interpolated songs. • ballad operas - comic plays peppered with popular ballads reset to new satirical lyrics.

Roots of the Musical French and Viennese Operettas of the 1800 s. The satiric works of Jacques Offenbach (Paris) and the romantic comedies of Johann Strauss II (Vienna) were the first musicals to achieve international popularity. The earliest American musicals were mostly comic operas (satirical operas with original scores and libretti), but sources differ as to which was the first.

Mid- 1800 s onward… While the contemporary Broadway musical took its form from operetta, it got its comic soul from the variety entertainments that delighted America. Crude American Variety and Minstrel Shows eventually gave way to the more refined pleasures of Vaudeville -and the rowdy spirit of Burlesque.

Minstrel Shows The American musical has one shameful chapter in its history –minstrel shows. The most popular musical stage shows of the early and mid 19 th Century, minstrelsy embodied racial hatred. Both white and black performers donned blackface, and audiences of all colours loved it. Hateful as their content was, minstrel shows were the first form of musical theatre that was 100% American-born and bred.

Vaudeville Theatrical entertainment consisting of a number of individual performances, acts, or mixed numbers, as by comedians, singers, dancers, acrobats, and magicians.

Burlesque Most people think that "burlesque" means female strippers walking a runway to a bump and grind beat. But that only fits the form in its declining years. At its best, burlesque was a rich source of music and comedy that kept America, audiences laughing from 1840 through the 1960 s. The Primary attraction of burlesque was sex. . in the form of ribald humour and immodestly dressed women. Although many dismissed burlesque as the tail-end of show business, its influence reaches through the development of popular entertainment into the present.

The First Muscial? The success of The Black Crook (1860) opened the way for the development of American musicals in the 1860 s, including extravaganzas, pantomimes, and the musical farces of Harrigan & Hart. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=h 0 Uihq 7 a. SG 8 (watch from 1. 29 - 3 ish)

Gilbert & Sullivan (1871 -1896) G & S wrote comic operettas that were witty, tuneful and exquisitely produced – leading to new standards of theatrical production. Some of their works included • H. M. S. Pinafore • The Pirates Of Penzance (https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Z 2 Ocbe. Gqbp. U) • Iolanthe • The Mikado (https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Vy. EJZ 9 y. ODB 8) After Gilbert and Sullivan, theatre in Britain and the United States was redefined – first by imitation, then by innovation.

During the early 1900 s - Imports like Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow (1907) had enormous influence on the Broadway musical - George M. Cohan (Watch Clip) Ref - Little Jonny Jones - Irving Berlin (Watch Clip)

- Victor Herbert –” During his career as a cellist, Herbert was composing music that undoubtedly was a mixture of European romanticism and American tradition. He is arguably the greatest influence on American theater, transitioning it from vaudeville and variety acts to operatic and storybased entertainment. ” (The song Writers Hall of Fame) https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=AUn 0 l. OY 8 Hk - Jerome Kern, Guy Boulton and P. G. Wodehouse took this a step further with the Princess Theatre shows, putting believable people and situations on the musical stage. During the same years, Florenz Ziegfeld introduced his Follies, the ultimate stage revue.

1920’s The American musical comedy gained worldwide influence. Broadway saw the composing debuts of – Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, The Gershwins Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the innovative Showboat (1927) the most lasting hit of the 1920 s. http: //broadwayscene. com/broadway-history-the-golden-age-of-the-american-bookmusical-part-3 -show/

Showboat (1927) Show Boat established the template for the standard book musical. Drama and song was used to move the plot along By choosing to adapt a work of literature to the stage and turn it into a musical, Hammerstein and Kern had basically committed to creating a musical with a strong plot, realistic characters and important themes. . Show Boat was a serious novel that dealt with large issues such as – dysfunctional romantic relationship Alcoholism gambling addiction prejudice against interracial marriage

Showboat continued Of course Kern and Hammerstein knew what they were doing when they decided to base a musical on the sprawling novel. At least, they understood that they were attempting to raise the bar when it came to utilizing musical theatre to create a serious work of art. Show Boat would include elements from the minstrel show, vaudeville and burlesque, but it in no way fit into any of those genres. It was in a genre of its own- the book musical. Well know songs from Showboat – "Ol' Man River, " "Make Believe, " "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man, " "Bill”

Questions Name three styles of theatre that preceded the book musical Name three composers that influenced the American musical song book. Why was Showboat considered the first book musical? What was innovative about the book musical?