musical drama
1
5.4
- noun
- /ˈmjuːzɪkəl ˈdrɑːmə/
:
drama musical
- In her latest production, the director combines humor and emotion in a remarkable musical drama that resonates with viewers.
- Christmas musical drama
- present the musical drama
Examples
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I just saw "Once," the Irish musical drama, and I think it is easily the best film of the year, perhaps of the decade.
Blog text (7) -
Last night, we watched a stunning musical drama that beautifully intertwined its narrative and score.
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The new musical drama features powerful performances and a captivating storyline that keeps the audience engaged.
Synonyms
267
4.2
A staged musical story in which actors sing most or all parts, often with live music
How Integrated
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from combining 'musical' (a theatrical production with singing/dancing) and 'drama' (a staged play), so it denotes a dramatic work in which music is central. This modifier+noun composition is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern and should be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
The term musical drama comes from an idea in opera to make music and drama act as one: the music moves with the story instead of stopping for separate songs. One famous composer, Richard Wagner, used long, continuous music so the story and the sound share 'equal importance' and the music 'follows the action'.