From monody to modernity| An examination of the connection between early Baroque opera and contemporary musical theatre

Description

<p> Monody in musical dramatic presentations emanates from an early Baroque opera genesis and exists in multiple forms in the musical theater of today. By examining the Baroque characteristics of monody within the opera genre, a direct comparison between Monteverdi's opera <i>Orfeo</i> (1607) and Sch&ouml;nberg's musical <i>Les Miserables</i> (1985) can be established. This correlation becomes pronounced upon the exploration of four specific examples: through the implementation of recitative and aria, the interdependent use of duet and chorus with the solo voice, the innovative incorporation of atypical tonalities within the melodic line, and the inventive application of instrumentation to enhance vocal expression in each work. Just as Monteverdi designed his recitative to express the emotion of the libretto, so Sch&ouml;nberg composes dynamic, emotional songs to enhance the epic story of <i>Les Miserables.</i> Though composed centuries apart, both works employ similar melodic, rhythmic, harmonic and orchestral constructs, confirming a similar genesis.</p>

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1. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1525619

Tags

Music|Theater|Theater History

Additional Fields

Identifer	oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1525619
Date	25 July 2014
Creators	Miller, Lorin
Publisher	California State University, Dominguez Hills
Source Sets	ProQuest.com
Language	English
Detected Language	English
Type	thesis