analysing sound finished
TRANSCRIPT
Lauren Benson
ANALYSING SOUND
MUSICAL THEATRE COMPONENTS• Contains a prelude and encore
• Follows conventional/traditional approach
• Includes motifs and motif development
• Live orchestra
• Sound effects
• The audience is spoon fed
• Includes diegetic and non diegetic sounds
• Underscores the action
CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPONENTS• Contains original scores
• New commissioned works
• Can work in direct correlation or be completely disassociated
• Can provide form and structural devices i.e. climax, time frame using rhythm and repetition
• Can suggest place, mood, time
• Contemporary is a more experimental approach, there are no rules, whereas ballet is a more traditional, conventional approach
• Love Never Dies is a musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, and is set in 1907 in Coney Island, New York. It’s music is played by a live orchestra.
• The musical is set in a freak show, “Phantasma” on Coney Island, where the Phantom lures Christine. Strange events and blackmail lead up to Christine singing once more for the Phantom, and she returns to the Phantom for good.
BENEATH A MOONLESS SKY• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC7YO3MkT3A
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a musical which premiered in 1973 and was written by Richard O’Brien.
• The show centres around a newly engaged couple who happen upon a mansion in the woods. As they enter the mansion the find out that all is not as it seems, and a Frankenstein type creation, Rocky, is being born within its very walls.
THE TIME WARP• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmQgICDxGEQ
• Revelations is the signature choreographic work of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.
• Revelations tells the story of African-American faith, from slavery to freedom through dance, which is set to spiritual and blues music.
• Swan Song was first performed in 1987, and was choreographed by Christopher Bruce.
• It tells a story of a victim or criminal being interrogated by two officers. The dance contains only 3 dancers, and can be performed with an all female or all male cast, or mixed, although the victim must never be the single sex.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST • Whilst musical theatre pieces spoon feed the audience with motifs, and underscore the
action, contemporary dance can juxtapose the action and is open to audience interpretation. There are also sound effects in musical theatre and the music works in direct correlation with the action, whereas although contemporary dance can do this, it can also be completely disassociated. We see evidence of this through comparing Love Never Dies and Revelations. Love Never Dies contains minor chords combined with a vibrato which spoon feeds the audience, informing them they are supposed to feel tension, shock and fear. The layering of the sound in the beginning of the clip builds tension in the scene, as it combined the musical box which is childlike and innocent with a darker sounding violin. Revelations leaves the audience to interpret what they are seeing, and to question whether the music is in direct correlation – are the man and woman in love? Or is it disassociated – is the man controlling the woman and is she trying to get away?
COMPARE AND CONTRAST• Whilst musicals spoon feed the audience, it is also encouraging an audience to suspend
their disbelief and be captivated by hyper-reality. This is shown by using sound effects. Contemporary dance often uses microphones near the stage to capture found sounds, so the audience doesn’t have to suspend their disbelief, because the sounds are actually happening. We see evidence of this in The Time Warp and Swansong. In The Time Warp, Columbia’s steps when she is tap dancing are pre-recorded and are the main sound in that section of the song, which draws attention to the sound effect and what the audience is supposed to be hearing in that situation. However in Swansong, sounds of the guard’s feet are found sounds, picked up by the ambient mics placed on the stage. This is to make the sounds realistic and obvious. The taps are also a low frequency which could be to show the guard’s power against the victim, which is just one interpretation of this contemporary dance.