1. The Sound of Music

2. The Sound of Music
Students will prepare to watch the musical, The Sound of Music, by taking notes on the composers, historical information and discovering voice and ensemble types they will hear in the musical.

3. The Musical
based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
The original Broadway production opened in November 1959
Written by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II

4. Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers
Oscar Hammerstein
Rodgers – music
Hammerstein - lyrics
Created a number of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940’s and 1950’s
Considered the “Golden Age” of Broadway Musicals
Their shows (and film versions) won 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize and two Grammys.

5. Richard Rodgers Born June 28, 1902 Died December 30, 1979
American composer
Wrote more that 900 songs for 43 Broadway Musicals
Also wrote music for film and TV
Before he worked with Oscar Hammerstein he wrote music with Lorenz Hart

6. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

7. Oscar Hammerstein Born July 12, 1895 Died August 23, 1960
American writer, producer and director
He wrote 850 songs
He always wrote the words (lyricist) to the music and worked with composers Jerome Kern, Vincent Yourmans, Rudolf Friml and Sigmund Romberg

8. Their Collaboration
Hart was becoming more difficult to work with for Rodgers, and Jerome Kern had turned Hammerstein down, so the two worked together for the first time on Oklahoma!
Before Rodgers and Hammerstein arrived on the Broadway scene, musicals were largely built around a star and had fantastical or unrealistic stories.
Rodgers and Hammerstein changed that by writing shows that had a story that was easy to follow, was realistic or made you think.
All the parts of the show: the dancing, singing and music all worked together as a whole.

9. Formula Musical Some people call this a “formula musical.”
In a formula musical there is always a male lead, a female lead, a male supporting role and a female supporting role.
These are usually by voice type, too: Baritone, Soprano, Tenor and Alto.
There is typically a predicable plot and all the music and dancing and singing go together.

10. The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music was Rogers and Hammerstein’s last musical.
Hammerstein died of cancer just 9 months after the show opened on Broadway.
The last lyrics that Hammerstein wrote were the lyrics for “Edelweiss”
Edelweiss, Edelweiss Every morning you greet me Small and white clean and bright You look happy to meet me Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow Bloom and grow forever Edelweiss, Edelweiss Bless my homeland forever.

11. The Movie
1965
Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer

12. Voice types Soprano – highest female voice
Mezzo-Soprano – “medium” female voice
Alto – low female voice
Tenor – highest adult male voice
Baritone – mid-range adult male voice
Bass – lowest adult male voice

13. Ensemble (musical group) types
Solo – one person
Duet – two people
Trio – three people
Quartet – four people
Chorus – the entire cast or everyone
Orchestra – the instruments that accompany the show. In Rogers and Hammerstein shows these instruments would include: violin, viola, cello, string bass, percussion, flute, oboe, clarinet, maybe bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, maybe tuba, French horn

14. The Sound of Music
Students will prepare to watch the musical, The Sound of Music, by taking notes on the composers, historical information and discovering voice and ensemble types they will hear in the musical.