This is the introduction to an excellent article on adopting new musical styles on musicianwages.org. The rest of the article goes on to set up some ways you can go about properly learning a new musical style. Whether its true or not, Broadway music is largely seen as a derivative art form among the Broadway… Continue reading Learning Musical Styles with Transcription
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Music at the RSC
Two short but excellent videos from the Royal Shakespeare company about the composition and preparation for music for the stage. Enjoy.
Diegesis
What is diegesis? Diegesis is a term used in film music to discribe the way in which the elements of film relate to the narrative the film is telling. In film music, it is simple way of describing the function of music: if it occurs within the world of the characters (i.e. someone could hear it) it… Continue reading Diegesis
Who does what?
So, what does everybody do? When you read a programme you can see all sorts of music related jobs, many of which sound like the same thing. I’ve provided a brief outline of the most common roles below. Of course, many of these will be done by the same person in a smaller production, and… Continue reading Who does what?
Sunday Silliness: Vuvuzela
People seem to have forgotten how big the vuvuzela was for the few short weeks in June 2010. I particularly loved this veideo because of: The novel use of instruments in a musical setting. The completely deadpan delivery. The calibre of the musicians involved. Enjoy!
History: The Orchestra Pit
The orchestra ‘pit’ is clearly the major feature of the theatre musician’s career: the musician will spend the entire show in this place, usually in the dark. De rigueur in early theatre, and still found in many opera houses, the orchestra ‘pit’ was simply an area at the front of the stalls at floor level… Continue reading History: The Orchestra Pit
Making Ghosts
Ghosts are one of the most enjoyable things to create in the world of technical theatre, as they allow you to merge a live performance with technological enhancements to create something impressive and other-worldly. Ghost Onstage These are a lot of fun, as you get to turn an actor essentially a classy cyborg. For me… Continue reading Making Ghosts
Feature Pieces
Feature pieces are pieces which stand apart from the fabric of the performance in some way, often contributing traditional musical structures and thematic writing to provide some variation to the musical score. When suites or albums are made of theatrical scores (Peer Gynt, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) they are usually drawn from the feature pieces,… Continue reading Feature Pieces
Live and Kicking
Live musicians vs recording The theatre provides an arena for the latest developments in musical and theatrical technology to be used in a practical context. This technological integration has both advantages and disadvantages for the development of live performance. Moving away from the traditional roles of amplification and reinforcement, advances in electronic and digital technology have allowed designers… Continue reading Live and Kicking
Music would be better without audiences…
The New York Philharmonic, the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, and also the orchestra with historically the most restive audience members, has announced the planned installation of a new “Listener Speedy Exit Ramp” which will enable to patrons to leave their seats either during or after a performance in less than 2.5 seconds.… Continue reading Music would be better without audiences…