Music for Stage and Screen: Wicked

Musical

Strong acting and comedic value are prioritized over singing prowess.

Opera

Prioritize the music more, so singing has to be over acting.

Musical

The singing is accompanied by movement, such as dancing.

Opera

The singing does not tend to be mixed with dancing.

Opera

Dance scenes tend to incorporate more of ballet dancers, not the cast members themselves.

Opera

People mostly remember the music and not the words.

Musical

Foreign languages like French, Italian, German, and more are just as prominent as English.

Musical

People rely on words, not entirely on music.

Pit Band

Live band accompanies singing in musicals, known as the ________

pit orchestra

Pit band or _________ does not only exist in musicals but also in operas, ballets, and other shows that involve music. 

Wicked

Based on the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, premiered in 2003 with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. It features the iconic song Defying Gravity.

Elphaba

Wicked is a story told from the perspective of two witches, _________ (green) and Glinda (pink).

Wicked Witch

In the Wicked, Elphaba defies the Wizard, leading to her being labeled the ________ of the West.

Synthesizers

In the Wicked’s pit band, _________ are crucial for storing patches and creating various sounds like strings, tremolo strings, etc.

Defying Gravity

A pivotal song where Elphaba stands up against the Wizard.

Stephen Schwartz

____________ has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame because of his successful career.

power, friendship, and morality.

Wicked explores complex themes of ______________.

2005

Wicked won the ______ Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album

Glee

Defying Gravity was featured in this TV show.

Idina Menzel

Singer of “Defying Gravity”

4/4

Wicked’s Rhythm is generally in ___, except for three spoken bars

Set

The furniture, props and background images or paintings used in the staging of a show.

Pit Band

The collection of instrumentalists that sit below the stage to provide the live music in a musical or play.

Synthesizer

A device for generating a unique sound or imitating an acoustic instrument.

Patch

A sound that can be downloaded to a synthesizer. This can be a new instrument sound or sound effects.

Tremolo

A trembling sound created by fast repetition of the same note.

Contrabass

An instrument of very low pitch.

Broadway

A prominent area for plays and musicals in Manhattan, New York, with many theaters in a small area.

Melody

The arrangement of notes into a musical sequence - the main tune.

Chest voice

The lower range of a singer's voice.

Leitmotif

A recurring musical theme representing a person, place, mood or emotion.

accompaniment

A type of texture where there is only one clear melody and an __________ that plays different notes and rhythms but is supporting the melody.

Leaps

Melodies that move by an interval of more than a second.

Monophonic

A texture consisting of a solo musical line.

Cross-rhythm

An effect created when two or more conflicting rhythms are heard at the same time. E.g. one may be in simple time and another in triple time.

Dynamics

The volume of the music.

Timbre

The tonal quality or sound of an instrument that distinguishes it from others.

Overdrive

A type of sound effect that distorts the original sound signal.

Accent

Note played with a stronger attack.

Staccato

Notes played detached.

Crescendo

A gradual increase in volume.

Colla voce

Follow the solo voice.

Andante

At a walking pace.

Allegro

Lively and fast.

Moderato

moderate pace.

Maestoso

Music performed in a majestic manner.

Timbre and Dynamics

Wicked’s important musical elements are tempo, melody, tonality, structure, texture, metre and rhythm, and ________________

Andante

Tempo of Defying Gravity in verse 1

Maestoso

Tempo of Defying Gravity in coda

Moderato

Tempo of Defying Gravity in introduction reprise

Allegro

Tempo of Defying Gravity in chorus 1 onwards