Music in the United States

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Music in the United States

For years, music has been dominant in our society, changing with the times, and definitely the locations. It has been used for entertainment, and the past century in film production including plays. The South Pacific is a musical that was composed and premiered in 1949. Musicals are forms of theatrical performances that incorporate songs, spoken dialogue, and acting. More often than not, this style tends to overlap with the opera theatrical form, with the only difference in the importance of spoken dialogue being placed in the musical. The musical style infused in this performance has elements of the opera, which is a form of art that is as the musical but has more of songs, and less of spoken dialogue.

It is evident that the fusion of musical styles gives productions an allure that keeps the viewers entertained. For instance, Into the Woods, a musical produced in San Diego in 1986 bears similar characteristics to South Pacific in terms of music and production. The musicals are closely related to the opera art form, which also includes dance. The opera closely relates with the orchestra musical ensemble (Kerman 23). The 1989 film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is an excellent example of the fusions of the musical styles. The soundtracks in the film are great examples of music played in operas and orchestras. A keen ear will capture the cello, violins, double bass, and the percussion instruments in the orchestra ensemble (Meier 14). Moreover, it is important to note that the soundtracks also have an element of opera music fused into it. From these examples of artistic productions, it is evident that the fusion of musical styles is in fact more entertaining and important in portraying the themes in the plot.

Works cited:

Kerman, Joseph. Opera and the Morbidity of Music. New York: New York Review Books, 2008. Print.

Meier, Gustav. The Score, the Orchestra, and the Conductor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.