OCG Music Key Terms

Question 1

What is the purpose of music in a theatrical performance?

Answer 1

Enhancing emotional impact and intensifying dramatic moments

Question 2

What is a musical overture?

Answer 2

A musical overture, played at the start of a theatrical performance, introduces the music and themes, setting the tone and building anticipation among the audience

Question 3

What is a musical interlude?

Answer 3

A musical interlude, performed during scene changes in a theatrical performance, ensures seamless shifts between scenes, maintaining engagement and interest

Question 4

What is underscoring and background music?

Answer 4

The use of music beneath dialogue

Question 5

What is a musical motif?

Answer 5

A musical motif in a theatrical performance is a recurring theme or pattern associated with a character, situation, or idea

Question 6

What is a musical director responsible for?

Answer 6

Overseeing the musical aspects of a theatrical performance

Question 7

What music would you use for OCG?

Answer 7

– Traditional Folk Music
– Indigenous Australian
Music
– Sea Shanties
– Classical Music
– Original Score

Question 8

Traditional Folk Music

Answer 8

– Fiddle
– Guitar
– Flutes
These are all instruments commonly played by European settlers in Australia during the 18th century

Question 9

Indigenous Australian music

Answer 9

Incorporate Indigenous Australian-inspired music to honour the land’s rich heritage. Explore traditional instruments like clapsticks and the yidaki.

Question 10

Yidaki (yirdaki)

Answer 10

A wind instrument made from a hollowed-out eucalyptus tree branch known for its deep, resonant, and rhythmic drone notes

Question 11

Clapsticks

Answer 11

Wooden percussion sticks creating rhythmic patterns (similar to a quick and distinct clapping sound)

Question 12

Sea Shanties

Answer 12

Use sea shanties to evoke the harshness and seafaring elements of the story, fitting for a play set in a penal colony

Question 13

What Sea Shanty will you use in OCG?

Answer 13

Roll the Old Chariot Along

Question 14

Roll the Old Chariot Along

Answer 14

This shanty metaphorically speaks about being taken away against one’s will, referencing “rolling the old chariot”. It can be interpreted as reflecting the experiences of individuals forcefully transported during the era of colonisation.

Question 15

What were a popular form of orchestral composition during the late 18th century?

Answer 15

Symphonies

Question 16

Select a symphony from the late 18th century that has enduring popularity and is frequently performed

Answer 16

Symphony No. 94 in G major, “Surprise” - Joseph Haydn

Question 17

Symphony No. 94 in G major, “Surprise” - Joseph Haydn

Answer 17

Composed in 1791, this symphony earned the nickname “Surprise” for a sudden loud chord in the second movement, designed to awaken any drowsy audience members