Knowra Incidental music Incidental music Music written or selected to accompany a dramatic work, such as a play, film, or radio drama. It may underscore dialogue, mark transitions, or be performed between scenes.
The Tempest (incidental music) : Music composed by Matthew Locke for a Restoration-era production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. A landmark example of music written to accompany a play.
Underscoring : Music played beneath dialogue or action to shape mood, tension, or continuity. It is the form of incidental music most closely integrated with a scene.
Ancient Greek theatre : The performance tradition of ancient Greek tragedy and comedy, combining speech, music, dance, and spectacle. Music and choral song were integral to drama long before modern incidental scores.
Opera : A staged dramatic work in which singing is central to the text and action. Unlike incidental music, opera makes music the primary medium of dramatic expression.
Rosamunde : Franz Schubert’s incidental music for Helmina von Chézy’s play Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus. Its entr’actes and ballet music later became more famous than the play.
Entr’acte : A musical or theatrical interlude performed between acts of a play or opera. An entr’acte fills an interval and can prepare the mood for the next act.
Restoration theatre : English theatre after the monarchy’s restoration in 1660, known for public playhouses and elaborate productions. Restoration productions often used instrumental music between acts and within plays.
Musical theatre : A staged form combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and often dance. Songs in a musical are part of the work’s main action, unlike many incidental cues.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn) : Felix Mendelssohn’s music for Shakespeare’s comedy, including an overture and later theatrical numbers. The Wedding March shows how a stage cue can outlive its dramatic setting.
Cue (theatre) : A signal that prompts a performer or technical operator to begin an action during a performance. Music begins at a cue timed to dialogue, movement, or a scene change.
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