What defines an opera?!
Question: I don't agree with Legend that Dreamgirls is an opera. Compare that with Gerswhin's Porgy and Bess. But the rest of the information he posted I agree with. That was very well explained.
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/review...
"There are, though, useful musical differences between the two genres. The simplest and most concise distinction I can come up with is that in an opera the drama is largely generated by the music, while in a musical it is largely defined by the text, with the music taking an illustrative and expressive supporting role. I'm sure there are exceptions to both definitions (Bernstein's Candide and Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, perhaps), as well as works that seem to be crossbreeds (such as Kurt Weill's Street Scene), but that is as precise as one - well, this one - can get."
Dreamgirls is very text based.
~Lisa
Edit: This is very true Suhwak
Answers: I don't agree with Legend that Dreamgirls is an opera. Compare that with Gerswhin's Porgy and Bess. But the rest of the information he posted I agree with. That was very well explained.
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/review...
"There are, though, useful musical differences between the two genres. The simplest and most concise distinction I can come up with is that in an opera the drama is largely generated by the music, while in a musical it is largely defined by the text, with the music taking an illustrative and expressive supporting role. I'm sure there are exceptions to both definitions (Bernstein's Candide and Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, perhaps), as well as works that seem to be crossbreeds (such as Kurt Weill's Street Scene), but that is as precise as one - well, this one - can get."
Dreamgirls is very text based.
~Lisa
Edit: This is very true Suhwak
Basically, opera is a story set to music and mostly or entirely sung.
If you saw the musical Dreamgirls, it was nearly entirely sung and a story. It is, to me, a modern day Motown opera. Why not? I'm comfortable with that classification.
Sometimes, there are dances. Sometimes, between musical Numbers, or arias as they are called
( for Solo voice), or duets
( two voices), or Trios ( three voices...and so on, plus chorus), there Can be recitatives, or sung narratives, not a song, but which though singing keep the story line moving ahead. recitatives are throughout baroque, classical and romantic era operas.
( 1600-1900), Even renaisance operas had lots of them ( pre 1600) . MOntervdi's operas were the highlight.
The first in history which we know of is around 1000 years old. Robin and Marion ( Story of Robin Hood). The first modern opera was Don Giovanni, (Don Juan) by Mozart in the late 1700s.
Handel wrote many operas, but people mostly sung and stood around the stage. IN fact, if there were no costumes, and no action, but sung, it would be classified an oratorio. Handel also wrote numerous of these, especially on biblical themes. His oratorio The Messiah is actually classified A Passion, because it deals with the life, death, resurrection of Christ.
During the 1800s, we were flooded with many wonderful operas, many of which have filled cartoon and movie scores...everything from the William tell overture by Rossini to the great opera of Verdi Carmen. Wganer's music was Elmer Fudded when he sang Kill The Wabbit...
Gershwin's 1900s musical
Porgy and Bess is really a longer piece than the movie version...It was an opera, which he shortened for the Broadway stage. Scott Joplin wrote a Ragtime opera called Trimonisha, and it's very entertaining and lively.
Modern day opera houses have finally come to their senses and often have the foreign langaues suing, but a scree over the stage for all to see the translation. THis has been a wonderful thing for audiences, who now know everything sung and what's going on.
For beginners, I'd tell all to see Carmen, with Bizet's fabulous musical score, so famous that everyone knowns at least 20 percent of all the music.
Some operas deal with low points in human existence. Not all is Love and flowery.
Gilbert and Sullivan from England were Kenon as collaborators on light operas, or operettas. These were operas on lighter themes, which had a lot of dialog mixed in. Toge were pt he precursors to the modern day Musical.
I read somewhere that the European people do not understand why a musicale isn't an opera.
The article said that the European opera houses perform
Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, and West Side Story.
We can also debate whether or not The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, since that movie is sung in its entireity.