Rock Opera – Opera on the Rocks?

Author: Martina Elicker

Source: Word and Music Studies, "Essays in Honor of Steven Paul Scher on Cultural Identity and the Musical Stage Edited by S. M. Lodato, S. Aspden, and W. Bernhart" , pp. 299-314(16)

Publisher: Rodopi

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Abstract:

This paper provides possible definitions of the term 'rock opera' and places the genre in its musical, historical, and socio-cultural and -political context. Parts 1 and 2 are concerned with defining the genre and briefly discussing its main works, pointing out similar traits and characteristics of individual rock operas on both the textual/content and the musical levels. The concise case study in part 3 serves to illustrate the role of rock operas in the music production and perception in general. Together with part 4 of this paper it shows how rock operas influence, draw on, and reflect trends in society. The study further highlights the most important mechanisms at work in both the creative process of writing and performing a rock opera and its reception by critics and the public.

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Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2002-10-01