NSMA · Ovation Performer · Music history
Ovation music history
Study the development and musical language of the American Broadway musical.
The American Broadway musical
Broadway musical theater combines spoken drama, song, dance, orchestration, design, and staging. Its songs advance plot, reveal character, or establish atmosphere.
The form grew from operetta, revue, vaudeville, jazz, popular song, and European theatrical traditions before developing a distinctly American voice.
- Book — the spoken story and structure
- Score — music and lyrics
- Overture — instrumental introduction
- Reprise — return of earlier musical material
- Production number — large integrated scene using music and movement