In the late 19th century the music world was graced by an artist
who would push the boundaries of music and art. Richard Wagner
laid the foundation for performance art. Wagner combined several
art forms into a cohesive unit. One of the primary elements that
Wagner would use to create this holistic creation war music,
which was the driving force for many of his pieces. But he
incorporated other media such as scenic design, costumes, and
intricate themes. The themes of many of his operas explored love
between people and were expressed through mythical elements.
After the passing of Wagner, the collective art would remain
dormant for 30 years after his death. In the early 20th century
collective art was revived through Serge Diaghilav"s Ballets
Russes. His company would explore collective art in a different
direction than Wagner. One of the primary aspects of Wagner"s
operas and Diaghilav"s productions was that the Ballets Russes
never used speech to narrate the story. Wagner on the other hand
used speech and vocals to express and carry the narration.
Additionally, the method of creation between the Ballets Russes
and Wagner was that Wagner primarily produced almost every
aspect of the performance, while on the other hand the Ballets
had a expert in each field to give direction. For example, the
story line to The Rite of Spring was created by Stravinsky, but
the choreography was developed by Vaslov Nijinsky. In contrast
to this piece, almost every aspect of Wagner"s Das Rheingold was
created by Wagner. Wagner created the music, designed the stage
set, instructed the movement of the actors, etc. The primary
difference in the method of between Wagner and the Ballets
Russes is that the Ballets Russes relied on input from one
expert from each media and Wagner used a solo approach. Many of
the above artistic works have been archived through various
means such as scores, librettos, etc. But unfortunately the
methods of creation for these productions have been rarely
recorded and/or available for scholarly inspection. In the two
examples above, one can find a libretto on each, which outlines
the overall story, but does not help the artist to learn how to
create a multi-artistic piece. In this installment of four
articles, the questions that will be addressed and answered
include: What is a libretto? How can a libretto aid in
developing a story line? How does one choose a theme? Should the
story development be linear or abstract? The first issue that a
collective artist must address is theme that will be explored. A
theme the foundation of for a production. Themes can be simple
or complex in design. DeBussey"s Afternoon of a Fawn has a
simple theme in that it explores the end of innocence and marks
the beginning of adulthood. In contrast to this piece, Wagner"s
Flying Dutchman investigates the intricacies of a interpersonal
relationship. In these two examples the themes are fairly
straightforward. On the other hand, The Rite of Spring appears
to be complex at first, but after analysis one will find that in
the very least it explores the various aspects of primitivism.
After a theme has been chosen, the story line must be developed.
The story line in essence brings life to a theme. The question
that an artist must address is how one wants the story to
develop? During this stage one must choose as to whether the
story will develop in a linear or abstract form. A story that is
linear generally has the simple format of a beginning, middle,
and end. In contrast to this format, the abstract method
generally shows various aspects of a whole. Furthermore, the
abstract format can be a brief excerpt of a situation. Afternoon
of a Fawn is an example of this method. It only shows a
encounter of a woman meeting a Fawn in the forest. In relation
to the first description of the abstract method, Act I of The
Rite of Spring, exhibits a collage of ceremonies that are
related to primitive society. Unlike Act I of The Rite of
Spring, Act II follows a linear format. It begins with the
selection of a virgin to be sacrificed. From this selection, the
story progress into the next stage of development where the
honoring of the chosen virgin is made public. Afterwards, the
story ends with the sacrifice. In addition to addressing the
issue of whether a story line will be abstract or linear, the
collective artist must address if dialogue will be used. If
dialogue is used, then it should be created during this stage.
The last part of this stage is to determine how the story will
be divided into sections. The purpose of using sections, for the
most part, is to maintain a clarity of thought. The hierarchy
that a story can be divided into primarily include acts and
scenes. An act, by definition is part of a whole and within each
Act a portion of the theme is explored. Scenes, on the other
hand, are the smallest part of an act and scenes essentially
support the Act"s proportionate theme. After the collective
artist has addressed the questions dealing with the theme and
story line, now the artist needs to create a libretto. A
libretto, in essence, is an outline detailing all of the
elements of the production. It includes the dialogue, scenic
design, stage lighting, and all other things. The purpose for a
libretto gives the creative artist(s) a point of reference when
they begin to produce the production. Some important features of
the libretto include a synopsis of the production both whole and
in part.. Additionally, the libretto will include any dialogue
that is used. The last aspect that one will see in a libretto is
any stage commands, lighting effects, visual elements, and all
other things. These elements usually outline their function and
when they will occur. After an artist has created a theme, story
line, and compiled it into a libretto. Then they move onto the
next stage of the creative process. In the next issue, I will
discuss this process and it relates to the various arts.
Furthermore, I will detail the strengths and weakness of a few
media.

About the author:
Andrew Hanna is the CEO & Production Manager of At Hand
Productions, Inc. At Hand Productions
(http://www.AtHandProductions.com) is a leading Philadelphia
concert and theatrical production company. Andrew Hanna has 20
years of composition experience and 16 years of performance
experience. His compositions range from duets to large
theatrical productions such as My Journal, Requiem for the Now,
and Prophecies of War.

Author : Andrew Hanna
Site : www.goarticles.com

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