nPostednon February 8, 2015
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| Most opera houses are…um…a bit on the fancy side. |
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nDonyou enjoy the opera?
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nInwas wondering if, indeed, I had ever even experienced opera (letnalone enjoyed it). For sure, I have seen and heard and enjoyed a lotnof musicals, including Jesus Christ, Superstar, The LionnKing, Oklahoma!, and Phantom of the Opera (whichnhas the word “opera” right there in the name!).
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| This musical is sometimes called a rock opera. |
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nButnwhat is the difference between operas and musicals? And what aboutnfolk opera, jazz opera, rock opera, and pop-art opera?
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nBothnoperas and musicals have stories, characters, costumes and sets, andnmost importantly music. n
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nInnoperas, there tends to be continuous singing, but in most (not all)nmusicals, there are dialogues that are spoken separate from the songsnthat are sung. However, some musicals have an awful lot of dialoguenthat is sung, not spoken (Jesus Christ, Superstar is annexample), and some are sung straight through (Les Miserables is annexample). If a musical fudges this spoken-sung line, it is oftenncalled a popular opera or rock opera or other, similar name.
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nOperasntend to be more difficult to understand and more serious. (However, Inask you, what could be more serious than Les Miserables?)
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Musicalsntend to have more dancing.
Musicalsntend to have more dancing.n
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| Hmm…easy to understand, spoken dialogue separate from songs, often light-hearted, and a popular movie was made from it… Definitely a musical! |
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nInget the impression that there really isn’t a hard-and-fast rule ofnwhat makes something a musical rather than an opera. Defining operanis a bit like defining art;nsome people might say, if you have to ask, you won’t get it, anyway.
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nHerenare some short and funny answers from some British folks:
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nWhatnis the difference between opera and musical theatre?
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Aboutn 50 pounds ($76) per ticket. – John Peniketn
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nSnobbery.n – Art Butler
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nWhenn someone starts singing after being stabbed, it’s an opera. –n Michael Whooley
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nEars.n – Steven Thomson
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nHerenis a website dedicated to helping kids learn about opera.
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nHerenis a short “children’s opera.”
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nHerenis a video of a then-seven-year-old girl singing a song from Phantomnof the Opera. (Hey, it has the word “opera” right there in thentitle!)
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nAlsonon this date:
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nSciencenfiction author Jules Verne’s birthday
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nScientistnDaniel Bernoulli’s birthday
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nXeroxninventor Chester Carlson’s birthday
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nCulturenDay in Slovenia
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nFebruaryn holidays
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nFebruaryn birthdays
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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