Style of music
Show boat had a great influence on how the musical was written. It gave away to the book musical, which is a musical presentation with a well-written script, and a score which is achieved through the use of leitmotif and themes whose aim is to enhance the storyline and the character. Hammerstein and Kern used the work of literature on their stage and turned it into a musical performance for its audience. (“The Show Boat Musical – Google Search“)
According to the article College Music Symposium by Rumbley et al (2014). The show boat also introduced the use of both the whites and black cores on their musical performances where they all worked in harmony and they had equal time and structure. They created strong plots with realistic characters and themes that were a reflection of the society like racism, addiction, abandonment, gambling, abusive relationships, and homelessness.
Show boat also adopted the use of musical comedy, as one way of addressing societal issues like racism. Theatre was used to create strong work of art. Kern in his musical presentation, made sure that all the elements in his production played major roles. This aspect made sure that, the desired plot moved forward thus offering the audience a dramatically sound musical. In the show boat, the musical presentation revealed true character with a dramatic progression, overall in form and with appropriate style. The performers freely expressed their deep and important character aspects.
(“The Original “Game Changer” Of Musical Theatre – Behind The Scenes”)
According to (“How Oklahoma! Birthed The Modern Musical | Udiscover”) Oklahoma was a musical Broadway written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Oklahoma is among the first musical performances that used their music, lyrics, book, dance, and acting in their performance to tell out a story. All this was integrated to bring out an outstanding performance. It revived the art form, where their stage performances integrated plot, character, and themes into the score. The dance was used to provide an element that was dramatic and integrated while reflecting unspoken emotions and thoughts of the character.
Oklahoma was the first of its kind to have an album of show tunes, performed by its original cast, as a marketing skill. The structure of music changed, and with technological advancements, they adopted the Technicolor and the use of widescreen formats. Their story was adapted to the big screen. In Oklahoma, the musical lyrics were used for additional dialogue, than being used as vocals. (“Oklahoma! | The Encyclopaedia Of Oklahoma History And Culture”)
Oklahoma was sort of an American story that was able to connect with the audience with their past, which made it a huge success. It was able to capture the American vision. The Oklahoma musical had the best choreography that had ever been seen. Music was integrated into the musicals thus marking a revolutionary in American music. The musical was composed of lyrics, libretto, dancing, and staging, bringing up a structure of drama which unlike before was only present in the straight non-musical plays. The dance members began to be integral in moving the story and helping in the development of the characters. It became the first musical to have a complete cast album, and it was the first to be released on CD.
(“Oklahoma!” A Historical Perspective – The Georgetowner”)
The west side story is theatre music which was written by an American composer Leonard Bernstein. The story is an adaptation of Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet.
The west side story produced one of the greatest scores in the musical production. All forms of dancing were adopted to push the storyline forward. The dance was used to tell a story of what was happening in society. It depicted the ongoing conflict between rivalry groups which were the warring fans, the Jets, and the Shirks, which could be made on stage to seem to be real. Even though the dance had been used before, it was one of a kind that had never been seen.
The west side story used the tragic tone and sophisticated style of music and extended dance sequence which are were vital to the show. The music used elements of jazz, opera musical, and Latin American dance music. The West Side story used narrative dancers with bold innovations to tell a story, and the most exciting dance music ever written for the stage.