Music for the theatre
In theatre music, music and drama work together. The audience sees a stage, hears a story told partly or wholly through music, and listens to an orchestra in the pit.
- Opera: the whole story is sung, with an orchestra. It began in Italy about 400 years ago.
- Ballet: the story is told by dancers and an orchestra, with no words. Famous ballets: Swan Lake, The Nutcracker.
- Operetta: a lighter, funny opera with spoken parts between songs.
- Musical: songs, speech and dance, usually with modern popular tunes.
Words used in opera and ballet
- Aria: a solo song that shows a character's feelings.
- Chorus: a group of singers.
- Libretto: the words of an opera.
- Overture: the orchestra piece that opens an opera or ballet.
- Choreography: the planned dance steps.
The symphony orchestra
An orchestra has four families:
- Strings: violin, viola, cello, double bass. The biggest group.
- Woodwinds: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon.
- Brass: trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba.
- Percussion: drums, cymbals, xylophone, timpani.
A conductor keeps everyone together with a baton and shows the speed and mood.
Symphony and concerto
- Symphony: a long work for the full orchestra. It has usually four movements: 1) fast, 2) slow and songlike, 3) dance (minuet or scherzo), 4) fast finale.
- Concerto: a work for one soloist and orchestra. The soloist plays the showy parts, and the orchestra answers.
- Symphonic poem: a one-movement orchestra piece that paints a story or picture.
Try it: in the 3D, move the sliders and see what genre appears.
Key formulas and definitions
- Opera = story told in singing + orchestra
- Ballet = story told in dance + orchestra
- Operetta / Musical = songs + speech + dance
- Orchestra = strings + woodwinds + brass + percussion
- Symphony = orchestra work, usually 4 movements; Concerto = soloist + orchestra
Worked examples
1. No one speaks or sings; dancers tell the story to an orchestra. Genre?
Ballet.
2. Every word is sung with an orchestra in the pit. Genre?
Opera.
3. Name the four orchestra families.
Strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion.
4. What are the usual four movements of a symphony?
Fast, slow, dance-like, fast finale.
Common mistakes
- Thinking opera and musical are the same. Opera is sung throughout; a musical mixes speech, songs and dance.
- Thinking ballet has singing. It is danced, usually with no words.
- Thinking a symphony is a song. It is an orchestra piece without words.
- Putting the piano in the strings family. In the orchestra it is usually grouped with percussion or kept apart.