Assignment:
Music and Drama Worksheet
Music and Drama Worksheet Important: Late worksheets lose points!Music and Drama Worksheet:
For this assignment, you will compare an opera with contrasting theatrical or entertainment form with music (a dramatic or theatrical entertainment form that includes music).
PART ONE: Choose an opera on which to complete the first part of the worksheet assignment. Before making your final choice, be sure you can locate a video or (less likely) a performance available to you. You can download the drama worksheet by clicking on the link in the Assignment folder, or by going to the Assignment Tool, Music and Drama Worksheet.
PART TWO: Choose another, different type of entertainment that uses music, such as one of the following: Broadway musical, movie with music, documentary with music, television show with music, animated film with music, ballet, video game with characters/storyline, kabuki theater, wayang kulit theater, or any other type of theatrical performance from anywhere in the world and from any time period that includes music. NOTE: you must be able to locate a video recording of a performance or segment in order to complete this assignment.
Opera resources:
Refer to the Opera Resources for a list of pre-approved operas. If you wish to write on another opera, you must get approval from your instructor before proceeding.
The Auraria Library has provided access to Opera in Video, a valuable resource that allows you to view over a hundred opera performances. Much of the information requested on the opera worksheet is available in this database. Also, the individual music types (recitative, aria, duet, chorus, etc.) are identified by title in a list that you can easily navigate. You can access the database from off-campus with just your name and 900 (MSU student I.D.) number.
The Auraria Library also has a large selection of complete video recordings (VHS, DVD) from which to choose. These videos may not be checked out but may be viewed in the library. Opera videos are also available at the Denver Public Library and some other libraries in the Denver area. Many times the video will include a pamphlet with a plot synopsis included in the package.
If you're concerned about not knowing what to choose, there is a list of suggested "quick picks" for opera novices, complete with brief descriptions.
NOTE 1: If you select an opera that is discussed in the textbook, you must use an act other than the one discussed therein and other sources of information besides the textbook.
NOTE 2: If your chosen opera is based on a pre-existing play, such as one by Shakespeare, remember that you are writing about the opera, not the play. In some cases, the story of the opera based on a play varies from the story told in the play itself. Just relating the plot of the play does not suffice; you must write about the opera and its librettist and composer, not the play and its author.
You will select an aria (a solo song) from your chosen opera and describe it in specific music terms, as well as describe how it relates to the characters and story line. The goal is for you to use your listening skills and write a descriptive analysis that enables the reader to clearly imagine what the music sounds like and how the composer used the music to support the drama and/or characters in the opera.
Books containing the plots of operas are available in the library as well, e.g.,
Kobbé, Gustav. 1963. Complete opera book. Edited and rev. by the Earl of Harewood. London, New York: Putnam. MT95 .K52 1963.
Cross, Milton. 1955. The new Milton Cross complete stories of the great operas. Edited by Karl Kohrs. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. MT95 .C76 1955
(For more resources, please refer to the Opera Resources.)
NOTE 3: You may NOT rely solely on Wikipedia for information.In fact, you should never use Wikipedia as a research source for an academic assignment. Look for other websites and/or printed sources and include these in your opera worksheet.
The Music and Drama Worksheet will guide you to locate and organize information concerning your chosen opera. NOTE: The opera plot summary must include the main characters and the key events that occur in the opera in two to three paragraphs. Submit the completed worksheet in the Assignment area of the class site by the due date.
Your worksheet will be graded according to the following expectations:
• You selected an approved opera or got approval for your selected opera.
• You selected an appropriate and contrasting type of drama that includes music
• Responses are provided for all areas on the worksheet (no blank items)
• Refer to as many sources as necessary to find the requested information;
• In the very unlikely event that you cannot locate a piece of information, state "could not find" or something similar; do not leave items blank.
• Both story synopses are descriptive and at least two to three paragraphs in length each.
• Music descriptions effectively describe the features of the music and how they relate to the character(s) and/or stories/situations.
• Music descriptions are written as paragraphs, not typed into the description prompt table(s)
• Description and comparison of opera and other music drama includes similarities and differences in the ways music is used.
• Good use of spelling, grammar and punctuation; ideas are stated clearly.