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broadway music

Broadway Music

United States · 1910s
HappyEpicRomanticSentimentalDancing

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Description

Broadway music is the musical style associated with Broadway musicals—stage productions mounted in New York City’s Broadway theater district—where songs are written to advance story, reveal character, and energize dance.

It blends the craft of Tin Pan Alley song form (especially the 32‑bar AABA standard) with elements of operetta, vaudeville, ragtime, early jazz, and later pop and rock idioms. Orchestrations favor pit‑orchestra color (woodwind doublers, brass, strings, and a rhythm section), clear melodies, memorable hooks, and dramatic key changes that support staging and choreography.

Vocally, Broadway favors clear diction, character‑driven delivery, legit and belt techniques, and ensemble harmonies. Its songs—overtures, “I Want” numbers, comic patter songs, love duets, ensemble finales, and “11 o’clock numbers”—have entered the broader canon of American popular song as “show tunes.”


Sources: Spotify, Wikipedia, Discogs, RYM, MB, user feedback and other online sources

History

Origins (late 19th–early 20th century)

Broadway music coalesced in New York’s commercial theater world as impresarios combined European operetta and revue formats with American vaudeville, minstrel traditions, ragtime, and the song‑plugging industry of Tin Pan Alley. Early shows often strung together popular songs and skits, but composers like Jerome Kern began integrating character and plot with music in the 1910s (e.g., the Princess Theatre shows), paving the way for the “integrated musical.”

Interwar and the Integrated Musical (1920s–1940s)

Landmark works such as Kern & Hammerstein’s "Show Boat" (1927) demonstrated how music could carry serious narrative themes. The era also absorbed jazz harmony and dance rhythms, while Broadway songs simultaneously circulated as mainstream American popular music via sheet music and radio.

The Golden Age (1940s–1960s)

Rodgers & Hammerstein systematized the integrated form with "Oklahoma!" (1943), followed by "Carousel," "South Pacific," and "The Sound of Music." Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Leonard Bernstein contributed sophisticated songcraft and orchestral color. Cast albums, mass media, and touring cemented Broadway music as a national style.

Concept and Contemporary Voices (1960s–1970s)

Stephen Sondheim advanced lyrical complexity and the concept musical (e.g., "Company," "Follies"), while rock, R&B, and vernacular idioms entered the pit (e.g., "Hair," "Jesus Christ Superstar"). The focus broadened from linear plots to thematic structures with innovative staging and underscoring.

Megamusicals and Globalization (1980s–1990s)

Spectacle‑driven “megamusicals” (often West End–originated but Broadway‑defining in the U.S.) like "Cats," "Les Misérables," and "The Phantom of the Opera" emphasized power ballads, lush orchestration, and global marketing. Broadway music absorbed contemporary pop production while retaining theatrical storytelling.

21st Century Diversity and Hybridity (2000s–present)

Broadway embraced hip‑hop ("Hamilton"), gospel and R&B ("The Color Purple" revivals), Latin idioms ("In the Heights"), and film‑to‑stage adaptations. Diverse authorship, amplified sound design, flexible pit sizes (including synths and click tracks), and streaming cast albums have carried the Broadway sound into new media while preserving its core: character‑driven songs built for the stage.

How to make a track in this genre

Core Forms and Dramaturgy
•   Think in character and function: opening numbers to set the world; the “I Want” song to state a protagonist’s desire; comic patter for pace; conditional love duets; act climaxes; and an “11 o’clock number” that gives a late cathartic lift. •   Use clear song architecture (AABA 32‑bar, verse–chorus–bridge) with dramaturgic pacing. Write singable melodies with memorable hooks that land on strong emotional beats.
Harmony, Melody, and Modulation
•   Favor diatonic foundations enhanced by secondary dominants, borrowed chords, and chromatic approach tones; sprinkle jazz extensions (9ths/13ths) where style permits. •   Employ setup–payoff key changes (often a whole‑step or semitone up) near finales for theatrical lift; use “button” endings for applause.
Lyrics and Prosody
•   Prioritize intelligibility and character voice: internal rhymes, wordplay, and scansion that matches natural speech stress. Every lyric line should move plot, reveal motive, or deepen subtext. •   Keep rhyme schemes tight (e.g., AABB, ABAB, or Sondheim‑style intricate patterns) while ensuring clarity on first hearing.
Orchestration and Pit Practice
•   Typical pit: woodwind doublers (flute/clarinet/sax), brass (2–3 trumpets, 1–2 trombones), strings (often reduced), keyboard(s) with synths, guitar, bass, drum kit plus percussion. •   Arrange with dance in mind: steady grooves for choreography (swing, jazz, Latin, pop‑rock), vamps and safeties to cover dialogue and staging, and underscoring for scene transitions.
Vocal Writing and Ensemble
•   Write for legit and belt: sopranos/mezzo belters, tenors/baritenors; craft ranges that project over orchestration without strain. •   Use SATB textures in ensembles; layer counter‑melodies and reprise motifs to create continuity.
Rehearsal and Stage Integration
•   Provide piano‑vocal scores that cue dialogue and stage directions. Build in click or conductor cues for complex choreography. •   Think visually: musical buttons, dance breaks, and reprises aligned with blocking and lighting for maximum theatrical payoff.

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Influenced by
Operetta
Operetta is a light, theatrical form of musical drama that blends spoken dialogue with tuneful, dance-inflected numbers and comic plots. It favors memorable melodies, witty wordplay, and a buoyant orchestral palette over the heavy dramatic weight of grand opera. Emerging in mid-19th-century Paris and quickly flourishing in Vienna and beyond, operetta draws on popular dance rhythms (especially the waltz and march), satirical or romantic storylines, and clear, lyrical vocal writing. It serves as a bridge between opera and modern musical theatre, balancing classical technique with popular appeal.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville is a late‑19th to early‑20th‑century American variety stage tradition whose musical side blends comic songs, patter numbers, novelty tunes, sentimental ballads, ragtime interludes, and ensemble finales. It emphasized catchy melodies, memorable refrains, and clear diction so songs could land immediately with live audiences. Typical accompaniment was piano (often with a small pit ensemble of strings, reeds, and light percussion). Song forms favored verse–chorus and 32‑bar AABA structures, with simple diatonic harmony embellished by secondary dominants and ragtime‑style syncopation. Lyrics leaned into topical humor, character monologues, dialect turns (now recognized as historically problematic), and direct audience address. Unlike bawdier burlesque, vaudeville marketed itself as “family entertainment,” integrating music with comedy, dance, specialty acts, and novelty performance. Its stages and circuits incubated the American popular song, connected sheet‑music publishers with performers, and supplied early film and radio with talent and repertoire.
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley refers to the late‑19th- and early‑20th‑century New York music‑publishing hub that industrialized the creation and promotion of American popular song. Centered around West 28th Street in Manhattan, publishers and song pluggers churned out catchy tunes for mass sheet‑music sales and vaudeville performance. Musically, Tin Pan Alley songs favored memorable melodies, clear hooks, and singable ranges, often set in 3/4 waltz time or 4/4 with light syncopation picked up from ragtime. The prevailing 32‑bar AABA form became a defining template, with diatonic harmony enriched by secondary dominants, circle‑of‑fifths motion, and occasional modulations. Culturally, Tin Pan Alley fed Broadway revues, vaudeville circuits, and later radio and film, laying the foundation of the Great American Songbook. Its output ranges from romantic ballads to novelty numbers and uptempo dance songs, shaping the language of American popular music for decades.
Ragtime
Ragtime is an African American–rooted piano style that flourished from the 1890s to the 1910s, characterized by lively syncopation in the right hand against a steady, march-like “oom‑pah” accompaniment in the left hand. Typically written in 2/4 or 4/4 time and notated with straight (unswung) eighth notes, classic rags unfold in multiple 16‑bar strains, often in the form AABBACCDD. The music draws on cakewalk rhythms, marching-band forms, and popular song, and it became a sensation through sheet music, piano rolls, and parlor performance. Scott Joplin, known as the “King of Ragtime,” helped codify the genre’s refined, compositional approach, calling for moderate tempos and a clear, singing melody. Beyond solo piano, ragtime was arranged for small ensembles and orchestras, found a home in vaudeville and dance halls, and laid essential groundwork for early jazz, stride piano, and much of 20th‑century American popular music.
Jazz
Jazz is an improvisation-centered music tradition that emerged from African American communities in the early 20th century. It blends blues feeling, ragtime syncopation, European harmonic practice, and brass band instrumentation into a flexible, conversational art. Defining features include swing rhythm (a triplet-based pulse), call-and-response phrasing, blue notes, and extended harmonies built on 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths. Jazz is as much a way of making music—spontaneous interaction, variation, and personal sound—as it is a set of forms and tunes. Across its history, jazz has continually hybridized, from New Orleans ensembles and big-band swing to bebop, cool and hard bop, modal and free jazz, fusion, and contemporary cross-genre experiments. Its influence permeates global popular and art music.
Revue
A revue is a plot-light, multi-act stage entertainment that strings together songs, dances, comedy sketches, and specialty acts around a loose theme or topical satire. Unlike a book musical, a revue prioritizes spectacle and variety over narrative, showcasing chorus lines, star turns, witty patter songs, and lavish costumes and sets. Its musical numbers often reflect popular styles of their day (e.g., Tin Pan Alley, jazz age foxtrots) and can be easily excerpted as standalone songs.
Minstrelsy
Minstrelsy is a 19th‑century American theatrical music genre centered on variety shows that combined songs, dances, comic banter, and skits. It is historically associated with blackface performance and traffic in racial caricature, which makes it a profoundly problematic yet influential part of U.S. popular music history. Musically, minstrel troupes favored a small, lively ensemble built around banjo, fiddle, bones (clappers), tambourine, and occasionally concertina or guitar. Songs typically used simple, memorable melodies and strong chorus hooks in verse‑chorus form, often with call‑and‑response patterns and danceable rhythms. The repertoire drew on Anglo‑Celtic balladry and parlor song while adopting syncopations, timbres, and participatory practices that originated in African American music.
Has influenced
Show Tunes
Show tunes are songs written for stage musicals and revues, designed to advance plot, reveal character, or provide memorable set‑piece moments. They favor strong, singable melodies, clear structures (often AABA 32‑bar or verse–chorus), witty and narrative lyrics, and orchestrations that support drama and choreography. While rooted in the Great American Songbook, show tunes draw on operetta, vaudeville, ragtime, jazz, and popular songcraft, and they are typically performed by stage voices (from legit to belt) with pit orchestras. Because many became popular standards beyond the theater, show tunes occupy a central place in American popular music and are frequently adapted for cabaret, big band, and vocal jazz.
Musical
Musical (musical theatre) is a narrative stage form that integrates songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance to tell a story. Its core aim is dramatic storytelling in which music advances plot, deepens character, and shapes emotional arcs, often through recurring motives and reprises. Developed primarily on Broadway (New York) and later the West End (London), the genre blends operetta’s melodic lyricism, vaudeville’s variety entertainment, revue’s song-driven showcase, and Tin Pan Alley’s popular songcraft. Musicals range from intimate chamber pieces to large-scale "megamusicals," and from traditional book musicals to rock, hip‑hop, and concept-driven works. The musical’s songbook has fed the Great American Songbook and popular music at large, while the stage craft has influenced film, television, and concert performance.
Jukebox Musical
A jukebox musical is a stage or film musical in which most songs are well‑known, pre‑existing popular music rather than newly composed material. Instead of writing an original score, creators curate a catalog (often from a single artist, era, or label) and build a book (script) that either tells the artist’s biography or uses the songs to drive a fictional plot. Numbers are typically rearranged, re‑orchestrated, and stitched together with narrative dialogue and dance in the tradition of Broadway/West End musical theatre.
Traditional Pop
Traditional pop is the pre–rock and roll mainstream of American popular song, centered on the Great American Songbook and the crooner/orchestral style that dominated radio, records, and film musicals from the 1930s through the 1950s. It favors memorable melodies, elegant lyrics (often about romance), and lush arrangements for strings, woodwinds, and big band rhythm sections. Singers use close‑mic "crooning" to deliver expressive, legato phrasing over jazz‑tinged harmonies and steady, unhurried grooves. Typical forms include the 32‑bar AABA standard, with sophisticated but accessible harmony (secondary dominants, ii–V–I cycles, tasteful modulations) and an emphasis on interpretation—how the vocalist shades timing, dynamics, and diction to make a familiar song feel personal.
Adult Standards
Adult standards is a song-based popular style and later radio format centered on the Great American Songbook and pre-rock era pop. It emphasizes sophisticated vocal performances, memorable melodies, and lush arrangements drawn from Broadway, Hollywood musicals, big bands, and jazz-influenced traditional pop. Typical recordings feature rich orchestration (strings, woodwinds, and brass), a polished rhythm section, and crooner-style vocals delivered with close-mic intimacy. Harmonies often include jazz chords, secondary dominants, and modulations, supporting elegant, urbane lyrics that focus on love, longing, and everyday romance. Although it predates rock ’n’ roll in repertoire, adult standards also encompasses later revivals and reinterpretations by contemporary singers who keep the classic songbook alive through modern recordings and live performances.
Soundtrack
Soundtrack is music created to accompany and enhance visual media such as film, television, and video games. It includes original scores (instrumental or vocal music composed specifically for the picture) and, at times, curated compilations of pre-existing songs. Stylistically, soundtrack is a meta-genre that can encompass orchestral symphonic writing, jazz, electronic and synth-driven textures, choral forces, popular song, and experimental sound design. Its defining trait is functional storytelling: themes, motifs, harmony, rhythm, and timbre are shaped by narrative needs, character psychology, pacing, and editing. Common features include leitmotifs for characters or ideas, modular cues that can be edited to picture, dynamic orchestration for dramatic range, and production approaches that sit well under dialogue and sound effects. Because it must synchronize to picture, soundtrack often uses clear dramatic arcs, tempo maps, and hit points.

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