Elements of musical drama
The musical drama is an opera in which dramatists tell their stories through singing, dialogue, choreography as well as through acting. The musical theater defined by both the elements of music as well as the elements of drama. The musical theater combines both the action song that moves forward and the character song that enables the characters in the musical theatre to express their emotions while performing their roles in the stage. The following elements derived from Aristotle’s elements of drama define musical theatre; plot, theme, characters, dialogue, music, and stage spectacle. In addition to this, other aspects of musical theater orchestra, beguiling music, and choreography sequences.
- Plot
In a musical drama, there is a storyline, which are the actions as the story unfolds. The singer and other characters in the play follow the plot of the act. The plot of a musical drama reveals the first incident in the musical scene. Tension grows and intensifies around the preliminary event, and a conflict arises. The conflict reaches its climax as the story unfolds, and as the story in the music continues, the characters try to resolve the dispute, which decreases the tension. The musical drama also presents a plot that shows the unfolding of events through the music.
- Theme
A musical drama has a prominent theme. It thrives on enabling the audience to learn something from the scene. In many cases, musical scenes carry messages that tend to reflect the contemporary issues in our current society, such as politics, nuclear energy, and love. For instance, Dr. Atomic, by John Adams, is an opera that reflected the problems associated with the usage of atomic energy. Atomic energy used in nuclear bombs in the opera Dr. Atomic had harmful effects on the environment. A musical drama can have a significant theme and other themes. Some topics can be easy to capture in the play, while others need a keen analysis of the musical drama to understand them.
- Characters
In a musical drama, just like any other drama, some characters perform different roles in the play. There are different characters in a musical theater; protagonist characters, antagonist characters, flat characters, round characters, static characters, dynamic characters, stereotype characters, archetype characters, foil characters, and stock characters. The characters have a unique role in the music drama, as their names suggest. The actors sing to the lyrics of the song and, at the same time, act to express emotions. The libretto taken by each character reveals his/her traits. The traits of the character then tell which category of characters he/she belongs to in the scene. Roles are critical in the development of the plot of the musical drama.
- Dialogue
Dialogue in a musical drama is in the form of a song. The characters exchange ideas and talk in the scene through a song. The conversation can be a monologue, that is, a speaker is on the stage alone, singing and acting to express his sentiments. It can also be aside, a form of dialogue in which a character talks to another speaker. Conversation in the musical drama is vital in moving the plot forward.
- Music
It is not the rhythm created by the actor’s voices when they speak, according to Aristotle. Music in a musical drama is the actual song sung in a musical theatre. The dramatic actions accompany the beguiling song. The song music can be a combination of an action song and a character song. The song has an opera, that is, the part that will be sung and the spoken part. The type of song in a musical drama is significant in identifying themes.
- Stage spectacles
They are the optical elements of a musical drama, and it includes the splendid costumes, the distinctive setting of the scene, and the extraordinary sound effects. They are the things the audience can see as the actors are performing. The actors in musical drama can paint their faces, wear remarkable attires, and the stage decorated to conform to the setting of the musical theatre.
- Orchestra accompaniments
Bands accompany many musical dramas. The orchestra accompanies performers in musical theatre. The number of members of the group varies.it is a distinctive element that defines a musical theatre.
Work Cited
Bordman, Gerald (1978). American Musical Theatre: a Chronicle. New York: Oxford University Press. 749 p
Freytag, Gustav (1900) [Copyright 1894], Freytag’s Technique of the Drama, An Exposition of Dramatic Composition and Art by Dr. Gustav Freytag: An Authorized Translation From the Sixth German Edition by Elias J. MacEwan, M.A. (3rd ed.), Chicago
Krasner, David. A Beautiful Pageant: African American Theatre, Drama and Performance in the Harlem Renaissance, 1910–1927, Palgrave MacMillan, 2002, pp. 263–67