Composers of the Musical on Stage and Screen

Catalog description

This course is meant to provide students with an introduction to the history, reception, and popularity of the Broadway and Hollywood musical, with a particular focus on the creators--composers, lyricists, orchestrators--and the widely varying contexts in which these works were created and in which they succeeded... or not. We will survey the early history, going back to 19th century experiments, revues, and the origins of the "book" musical, going through the golden age of the 1930s to the 1950s, the nadir of output in the 1960s and 1970s, the revival in the 1980s with the rise of the megamusical, all the way to today's rock music-driven puppet extravaganzas and online experiments. In class discussion will include topics such as ever-shifting genres and styles of music, new approaches to songwriting, and changes to what qualifies as "acceptable" music. There's also the structure of the stories to consider, as well as gender roles, racial stereotypes, ethnic under/overtones, and camp. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.