Function of Music in Theatre Essay

QUESTION 1 Discuss the loosenesstic functions of medicinal drug in two works of medicinal drug Theatre, including some go outation of the kind between medicament and other elements of the performance event.Music and drama charter the capability of non only integrating to create spectacular opthalmic and aural events in theatre, provided they take for a distinct strength to support each other to heighten whiz-another to innovative, intrepid and even ebullient levels. These levels reached be rarely paralleled in real life eon, at least not as effortlessly as they are in euphonyal theatre. It seems that in some cases, the two elements arent complete unless they form a kinship just as hydrogen and oxygen bond to produce water.Music is created from sound as life is created from matter (Reti, 1961). Music in drama is somewhat a broad topic, as this communicates the infinite range of subtleties of unison in drama, just the approach to evaluating this form of theatre is incidently valuable is the instruction upon the effect of the symphony upon the drama, or the drama upon the music? Is the boil down upon the unity of the two, or their distinctions? This report will focus upon the use of music in theatre as an amplifier. The aim of this document is to hold a metaphorical magnifying glass over two individual pieces of drama Li wizl baronets music in Oliver and Elliot Goldenthals music in final fancy The Spirits Within.The two pieces of drama are poles asunder when relating the plots, themes, settings and a great many others, but although the two works fork out over 30 years between them in production, there are particular conventions to be found within the constitution of their music scores, which both illustrate the effectiveness of the basic systems in music to develop the drama, and the revolutions occurring in the naked genesis of drama for todays new generation of audience.Although the music analyzed in this report heap be comfo rtably disregarded by the audience as backdrop music, there is a much deeper and arousing basis to the composers production of this music, which is there for much to a greater extent thansimply saying to the audience This is where the character is. The great composers were fully cognizant both of the thematic principle and of the technique by dint of which they materialized it. (Reti, 1961) The music use in these examples were not used simply for a pleasing auditive spanner in the works, but to achieve a new level of understanding especially from the point of view of particular characters. The music of the composers Bart and Goldenthal, successfully achieves a more intense portrayal of their characters featured, by the use of both subtlety and supplement.Oliver will be the main focus for the initial component of this report, so that the two pieces of drama depose be analyzed chronologically. Oliver is a musical interpretation of Charles Dickens Oliver Twist and is a fond accoun t of an orphan boy who runs a modality from the orphanage and journeys to capital of the United Kingdom. He endeavors to pick-a-pocket-or-two for his new lodger Fagin, but gets caught. As Fagin tries to save him, Oliver decides that all he wants now is go to his newly discovered uncle, and live a pricy life. Oliver premiered on Broadway in January of 1963 and ran for 774 performances. It was converted into a contract later that disco biscuit and subsequently won 6 academy awards including best picture for 1968. throughout the duration of the Musical, the audience is drawn into Olivers world hauled into his story through the use of melody and song.The initial injection where Oliver Twist frontmost enters London is a defining component of the Musical, where (in film version) you see him gaze adoringly out at the clock tower above from underneath a dozen cabbages the symphony slowly building as he pulls unneurotic the impulse to jump out form the basket and then lunge out int o the middle of the street to view this living, breathing city in the lead him. The music now escalates at this point and creates a gruelling rapport whilst he gawks with innocence and naivety at e very moving spectacle around him. A brass fanfare erupts in unison with Olivers flack from the basket and strongly accompanies the other sounds of the city such as the seethe and bustle of loaded carriages, trains blasting their whistles, people rich and poor too scurrying about busily like ants oblivious to the music remote Oliver.This face captures almost every conceivable aspect of the city from Olivers eyes and packs it tightly into song with The Artful Dodgers spry introduction, reception and invitation in the song Consider Yourself, at which point he takes Oliver on an excursion around the busy city. A humorous production line is provided here in this scene where Dodger sings the lines Consider yourself at home, consider yourself one of the family whilst at the same tim e, both he and Oliver are organism scrutinized by policemen and chased by merchants as they weave and bob their way through the immeasurable stream of dancing butchers, grocers, paperboys, fishmongers, etc.Soon aft(prenominal) this scene, Fagin gives Oliver a lesson on how to Pick a Pocket or deuce. The music in this scene is lighthearted and comedic but offers many subtleties to be investigated, such as the deep brass used to convey the reek of danger, the sense of capture or discovery, but the underscore of flutes happily tooting aside at Olivers new found conception that the art of larceny is all just a game not something evil or punishable at least.Interestingly, when you meet up with the character Bill Sikes (a darned henchman with a violent and deadly temper) there is an immediate call down in music, just as if his entrance creates a wind that pushes the high-spirited music out of the room to make space for his deep, rich and peril score.Although Oliver is a high-spir ited production, there are strong hints of the dilemmas of poverty and effect brought into three dimensions with song, but more contemporary dramatic works have required more than these fundamental methods to bring the characters and scenes to life literally. utmost Fantasy The Spirits Within was released as a full-length feature film in 2001. This feature however was different to any other as the entire film was animated. The story of Final Fantasy is set in the year 2065 where the remaining inhabitants of earth are locked in a dispute to take back the Earth from marauding alien invaders. Led by a strange repeating dream, Dr. Aki Ross may be the only one who enkindle save the human race from extinction. Elliot Goldenthal was provided the gainsay of bringing the celluloid characters to life through his musical composition.There seemed to be only one logical answer for me, which was to amplify the humanness in any part that was dramatically possible. I wanted to treat the char acters ruttish interactions, for example, as one would treat them in normal drama, with a melodic sweeping melody. (Goldenthal, 2001).Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, Goldenthals music for Final Fantasy attempted at every point to bring life to the characters in the story both emotionally and physically. This is evident in the very first scene of the film where the audience is introduced to Aki, when she is having her repeated dream. The introduction of the consequent piece is led by the sound of a glass mouth organ to convey the potential sensitivity and fragility of Akis character.She wakes from the dream and finds herself on her spacecraft, revolving across the surface of the earth. In the next scene, she descends to earth accompanied by an almost military fanfare of brass and strings coming together on a strong Eb chord, giving a feeling of direct and decision to this descent. Her ship touches down on the desolate, empty streets of New York, and the music instant ly stops in a parallel with the apocalyptic vacuum cleaner of the long-dead city.Further on in the movie, Akis love interest immemorial Edwards becomes critically infected by one of the aliens and is given only a matter of minutes to live unless treated immediately. Aki is forced to work against time in an attempt to save rusty, The dramatic tension in this scene is heightened by Goldenthals Score Code Red, composed fundamentally of intense strings and strong percussion symbolizing a clock, and as well signifying the value and importance of time. The music steadily builds in pitch, volume and colour as the timer next to the operating table nears 000, but the tempo remains the same due to the fact that the time on the clock cannot speed up or slow down. At the end of the scene, Aki saves Gray with only seconds to spare and as soon as the deed finishes the music abruptly ends, leaving the audience somewhat temporarily suspend in a moment of heightened tension.In a later scene, Gray and Aki are engaged in a private conversation where Aki speaks of a terminally ill eight-year-old girl she once spent time with onward her death. In this scene where Aki reveals her emotional vulnerability for the first time, Goldenthal chose for this to be the first moment in the film where a piano is used. He determined on this due to the fact that the characters are so far remote from any type of home in a desolate land, instead of going high-tech, a more earthy instrument is needed, something not basic, but elementary in musical design. The piano in this scene reminds the audience of home and connects the animated characters with images of a soft and sympathetic reality.A scene later in the film shows commonplace Hein, (the villain of the film) in his posture speaking of how his wife and child were killed by the aliens. Throughout the earlier scenes of the movie, the General is composed in a gloomy light, but in this particular scene, he is viewed musically in a sympa thetic light. The music is tender and wistful as he unconsciously shows why his contempt for the aliens proves to defame his judgment. There is a reference in the music that although there is leniency within this character, it is somewhat suppressed to an almost dormant state, overshadowed by nauseate and resentment.We must always rely on the music as our turn over toward our understanding of the composers conception of the text. It is this conception, not the bare text itself that is authorized in defining the ultimate meaning of the work. (Kerman, 1989).The function of this music cosmos strategically used in drama is for the benefit of the audience not only because it has the ability to paint a scene, but it also opens up the dialogue and opens up the characters and lets the audience see what is going on in spite of appearance of them. The function is to supply certain kinds of meaning to the drama, meanings that enrich immeasurably, and enrich dramatically, and that cannot be presented in any other way (Kerman, 1989).Drama alone can hopelessly attempt to convey some of the aspects of life thatmusic can convey in just a few notes, and music can ridiculously hope to fulfill all the needs of a leger without any real actions or dialogue, but in the end, the two combine provide an infinite array of possibilities and interpretations to be searched.In conclusion, if the composer is faced with the challenge of creating music to accompany drama, there is no unambiguous method of composition that one has to follow, but the impartiality between the two elements requires a strong correspondence at every point where they meet, or else the implication, sensation or meaning you are trying to convey will become caught in some redundant crossfire and the audience will lose the chance of gaining something particular(a) from a piece of theatre capable of reaching outside of its three dimensions. B. Daly ClarkREFERENCESGoldenthal, E. (2001) The Composers Challenge. Fi nal Fantasy The Spirits Within, New York Marca RegistradaKerman, J. (1989) opera house as Drama, London Richard Clay Limited.Lippman, E. A., Hatch, C. (1999) The philosophy & Aesthetics of Music, neon University of Nebraska PressReti, R. (1961) The Thematic Process in Music, London Faber and Faber Limited.