Listen as we are joined by Drs. Kori Hill and Kristy Swift, two professors of musicology (the academic study of music) at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. We will learn the definition of opera and how it is different from musical theatre. We will also talk about how musical theatre was invented and why musical theatre is so much more popular than opera in the United States today.
Key Vocabulary:
- Libretto/Librettist: A libretto is like the script for an opera. A librettist is the person who writes the libretto. The composer of the music is not always the librettist.
- Vaudeville: a type of variety show that was popular in the early 1900s in America and Canada. Vaudeville shows included acts like comedians, dancers, live animals, magicians, and singers. Some vaudeville shows included minstrelsy, racist performances that showcased stereotypes of African-Americans.
- Richard Wagner: A German opera composer from the 1800s. You’ve probably heard his Ride of the Valkyries.
Dr. Swift focuses her research on social justice, music history, and American opera. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Florida and her doctorates in organ performance and musicology from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Hill specializes in American music, Black composers, and music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Her degrees come from Miami University (Ohio) and West Virginia University, with a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
