Thesaurus: music drama

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1. An opera in which the text and action are not interrupted by set arias, duets, etc., the music being determined throughout by dramatic appropriateness; musical drama of this character, in general. It involves the use of a kind of melodious declamation, the development of leitmotif, great orchestral elaboration, and a fusion of poetry, music, action, and scene into an organic whole. The term is applied esp. to the later works of Wagner: "Tristan und Isolde," "Die Meistersinger," "Rheingold," "Walküre," "Siegfried," "Götterdämmerung," and "Parsifal."
2. An opera in which the text and action are not interrupted byset arias, duets, etc., the music being determined throughout bydramatic appropriateness; musical drama of this character, ingeneral. It involves the use of a kind of melodious declamation, thedevelopment of leitmotif, great orchestral elaboration, and a fusionof poetry, music, action, and scene into an organic whole. The termis applied esp. to the later works of Wagner: "Tristan und Isolde,""Die Meistersinger," "Rheingold," "Walküre," "Siegfried,""Götterdämmerung," and "Parsifal."