Songs from Musicals Popular Song in Context part

Songs from Musicals Popular Song in Context part 4 This presentation summarises the information which can be found in the Student’s Guide to GCSE Music (Rhinegold)

The Musical – what is it? A theatrical work in which music plays a central function. Music is usually in a popular style – jazz/rock etc Structures and devices are borrowed from opera Music has to tell a dramatic story and create convincing characters

…. A musical will have: Solo songs Duets Choruses Ensembles Recitative All of the above is usually separated by sections of dialogue.

Sources of musicals Usually books, plays, could be the Bible … or original storylines. Can you name the musicals from which these are the sources? . .

A Charles Dickens novel?

A Victor Hugo Novel?

Shakespeare plays?

A TS Eliot collection of poetry?

The book of Exodus?

The story of a President’s wife?

Background Started in America – one of the first successes was Show Boat (1927) by Jerome Kern. Rodgers (music) and Hammerstein (words) was one of the great collaborations in the 1940 s and 50 s

Rodgers and Hammerstein

1950 s The musical declined a bit in popularity in the 50 s and 60 s – probably because of the onset of rock and pop music However Bernstein’s West Side Story was one exception – and one of the greatest musicals ever written. We will be looking at it later.

Lloyd Webber and Rice Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (words) were another famous partnership of the 1960 s and 70 s, though ‘Joseph’ (1968) was originally written for a school.

Lloyd Webber and others!

Other hit shows Lionel Bart had one major hit show – Oliver! Grease and Saturday Night Fever were major shows of the 70 s, though they started out as films Anderson and Ulvaeus – the guys from Abba – had a hit in the 80 s with Chess

Schonberg and Boublil A major partnership in the 80 s and 90 s

The musical today Some new musicals are being written, but the major hits are either revamps of older musicals – such as The Producers – or musicals which are collated from songs with a loose (often very dodgy!) storyline written around them – see over for examples…

‘Hotch potch’ musicals

Case study – West Side Story Up to date version of Romeo and Juliet set in 1950 s New York’s violent West Side. The ‘two households both alike in dignity’ become two rival street gangs – the Jets (locals) and the Sharks (Puerto Rican immigrants). Tony becomes Romeo and Maria becomes Juliet. The masked ball becomes a gym dance, and the balcony scene is played out on a rusty fire escape (‘Tonight’). The theme remains the same – love across the racial divide. The story – as in the play – ends in tragedy.

Types of ‘number’ in WSS Solo/duet character number (‘Maria’, ‘I have a love’ – solos; ‘Tonight’, ‘One hand, one heart’, ‘Somewhere’, ‘A boy like that’ – duets) Action song – ‘Something’s coming’, ‘Tonight’ (quintet) Chorus – ‘Jet song’, ‘Officer Krupkie’, ‘America’ – lots of dancing All these types of song have been borrowed from opera – Bernstein was essentially a ‘classical’ composer

Two more songs from musicals ‘Consider Yourself’ (Oliver) ‘Cabaret’ (Cabaret)