Music’s Dramatic Functions In Musicals And Their Manifestation In Man In A Box

From the angle of composition techniques I used in the musical Man in a Box, this thesis aims to comprehensively classify, summarize and analyze the dramatic functions of music in musicals. And based on these, I further explore how musical composers can correctly use the medium of music to better express drama and to achieve the best theatrical effects in the current era which is characterized by the coexistence of multiple cultures around the world, colliding of the Chinese and Western cultures, and fusion between traditional concepts and modern techniques.This thesis consists of four chapters.Chapter1expounds the concept of drama.Chapter2investigates the fundamental differences between pure drama and musicals from three aspects:characterization, operation participation and atmosphere creation.Chapter3explains how music carries the function of drama in musicals at two different levels-the overall play level and the more detailed plot level. The play level factors determine the musical’s overall style. I analyze these factors from three aspects:how the style of the music can embody or reflect the era, cultural and geographical background of the play; how music differentiates the different types of drama; and how music dictates the play’s dramatic structure. The plot level factors are those that decide detailed musical development. I analyze these plot level factors from three key aspects:characterization, operation participation and atmosphere creation.Chapter4analyzes how I composed the music in Man in a Box with consideration of these three key aspects:characterization, operation participation and atmosphere creation.