A Brief History – Part 1 Early Influences Musical Theatre A Brief History – Part 1 Early Influences

Early Influences - English ballad opera   The Beggar’s Opera – 1728; Flora – 1735 No historical scenery or costumes Spoken play with preexisting popular songs amid dialogue Musical parody - Late 18th, early 19th century Satire of famous story or performer – burlesques Pantomime with songs and dances for entertainment and variety 1828 – Hamlet 

The Beggar’s Opera – 1728 by John Gay & John Christopher Pepusch Music Clip "Fill Every Glass"

Early Influences - Minstrel Show First major contribution to theatre by blacks in America Product of black slave culture mingled with white colonial potpourri Dan Emmet, composer “Old Dan Tucker”, “Blue-Tail Fly”,1843, brought Virginia Minstrels to NY – touring show Three part show performed in “blackface” 1- Fantasia - The Walkaround (Cakewalk) singing & dancing 2 - Olio – snappy banter, jokes, solo musical (banjo, fiddle, tambourine, singing, bone castanets) 3 - Burlesque (parody) – one-act vignette; satire of plays or carefree life on the plantation

Blackface performer The Cakewalk 1929 audio recording that follows the classic format of a minstrel show “Camptown Races” by Stephen Foster - Al Jolson performing

Early Influences - Minstrel Show Ed Christy Minstrel Show – featured Stephen Foster, composer “My Old Kentucky Home” – touring show Olio grew into variety or vaudeville show Fantasia became Broadway Revue Satire became used as themes for later musicals

Christy Minstrels - 1847 Part 2 – The Olio

Early Influences – New York City Shift from rural to city life created a demand for permanent theatres and pleasure gardens 1866 – The Black Crook – used theatrical effect and sensual pleasures to become a theatre extravaganza Showed producers and investors that frivolity could substitute for dramatic and musical substance (as in European opera) 1874 – Evangeline was first to use an original musical score – first musical comedy 1879 – The Brook used a common locale or event to interweave stories (like a sitcom/serial) – first desire for meaningful story Mulligan Shows – 1880’s was a burlesque on the common people of NY – tales of the ordinary became important

First American Acting Troupe Using Women - 1893 The Black Crook – 1866 First American Acting Troupe Using Women - 1893

Early Influences - Operetta 1890’s – 1920, European Operetta was an instant success as it toured U.S. Gilbert & Sullivan’s satirical operetta was especially popular Gave way to American imitations (Sousa) HMS Pinafore “Captain of the Pinafore” 9:30

A Brief History – Part 2 American Influence Musical Theatre A Brief History – Part 2 American Influence

American Influences – 1918-1929 U.S. was the economic world leader U.S. was victorious after WWI Optimistic society – an American not European culture was developing Development of American Writers and Performers Women and Black performers allowed onstage Revues/Follies were dominant form of entertainment

American Songwriters Wrote for major music publishing houses in New York City (“Tin Pan Alley”) – before the phonograph, people used to purchase sheet music to sing around the piano The rise of Tin Pan Alley—as music and institution—depended on the mass immigration of East European Jews to New York beginning in the early 1880s Tin Pan Alley 1910

Birth of American Songwriters Also the historical shift of America's black population from South to North where cultures interacted informally in neighborhoods, music halls and businesses created a new American sound Wrote swinging optimistic melodies – “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, “In the Good Old Summertime”, “By the Light of the Silvery Moon”

Songs of Tin Pan Alley 1911 George M. Cohan 1919 George Gershwin 1911 Irving Berlin

Early Composers Victor Herbert – Irish/German - continued American Operetta style – Babes in Toyland 1903 George M. Cohan – Little Johnny Jones 1904 Irving Berlin – Russian/Jewish songwriter George Gershwin – American born songwriter Rudolf Friml – Austrian - brought European Opera style – Rose-Marie 1924, The Vagabond King 1925

American Revues – the Follies Featured stars of the day and a chorus of beautiful women in elaborate costumes and scenery such as in the Ziegfeld Follies (1907-1931) and George White’s Scandals (1919-1939)

American Musical Comedy Showed a picture of contemporary America Had a shallow insubstantial look Had happy endings Music and plot were not integrated - Songs were recycled and moved from one revue to another In 1924, ASCAP (co-founded by Herbert, Cohan, Berlin, Kern and others) won a long battle to give American composers creative control over their stage scores.

Vincent Youmans 1898-1946 Influenced by popular music; worked as a rehearsal pianist for many songwriters Wrote the most produced musical in the 1920’s “Tea for Two” and ” I Want to Be Happy” from: No, No Nannette - Opened 1925 on Broadway – 321 performances!