Oral Presentations
Location
Sydnor Performance Hall, Schewel Hall
Access Type
Campus Access Only
Entry Number
75
Start Date
4-10-2019 11:15 AM
End Date
4-10-2019 11:30 AM
College
Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Music
Abstract
The origins of modern musical theatre are influenced by the Greek drama. With the intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to investigate musical theatre in Ancient Greece. The particular problems of this study were to examine musical theatre during Ancient Greece; to define contemporary musical theatre practices; and to create a musical adaptation of Pandora’s box using Pythagoras’ music of the spheres.
With the utilization of musical lines sung by the chorus or actors, the Greeks became the first to incorporate music into theatre, and a model in how musical theatre could work all over the world. The modern musical typically had many visual stimuli, staging, and dance numbers making billions of dollars off their classic story performed. Combining the concepts of the music of the spheres and modern musical theatre pieces, a composition of the myth “Pandora’s box” was developed. The study of Greek musical theatre allowed for deeper understanding of the progression and history of musicals. Continuing research to find fragments of Greek music would be beneficial in order to fully understand the origins of musical theatre and how that affects music today.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Cynthia Ramsey
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An Investigation of Greek Musical Theatre
Sydnor Performance Hall, Schewel Hall
The origins of modern musical theatre are influenced by the Greek drama. With the intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to investigate musical theatre in Ancient Greece. The particular problems of this study were to examine musical theatre during Ancient Greece; to define contemporary musical theatre practices; and to create a musical adaptation of Pandora’s box using Pythagoras’ music of the spheres.
With the utilization of musical lines sung by the chorus or actors, the Greeks became the first to incorporate music into theatre, and a model in how musical theatre could work all over the world. The modern musical typically had many visual stimuli, staging, and dance numbers making billions of dollars off their classic story performed. Combining the concepts of the music of the spheres and modern musical theatre pieces, a composition of the myth “Pandora’s box” was developed. The study of Greek musical theatre allowed for deeper understanding of the progression and history of musicals. Continuing research to find fragments of Greek music would be beneficial in order to fully understand the origins of musical theatre and how that affects music today.