Whats the difference between a musical and an opera?
Opera and Musical Theatre are two very different and distinct artforms. I’m going to try to answer the question by contrasting the two. Due to it’s history and time of existance, opera is considered a classical artform. Musical Theatre is considered a contemporary art form. Opera is also a European art. Musical Theatre is something that is very American. Due to the fact that Opera is European, it does not have quite the appeal to the average Joe in America. Opera is still thriving in Europe. The general assumption is that there is no dialogue in Opera. That is not completely true. Dialogue is expressed in recitative which is basically sung speech. It’s not necessarily in song quite yet, but dialogue is exchanged on pitch. During an aria (a song), the aria is used to express an emotion or a moment that is going on. By contrast, Musical Theatre uses song to further the plot. Musical Theatre basically functions like a play. It has to be well written. Musical Theatre is basically setting d
