Music, School of
Date of this Version
4-2012
Abstract
Despite the prevalent use of Latin American musical styles in American musical theatre, little research has been done on the subject. Quite often the fact that a musical number even has a Latin beat goes unrecognized. This paper examines the various genres of Latin American music that have had an impact in the United States and in musical shows both on and off Broadway. Exploring a large number of examples from musicals throughout the 20th century has caused trends and tendencies in the way Latin music has been used come to light. These include common thematic content and stereotypes and similarities in mood and atmosphere. This work increases our understanding of how to identify various Latin styles in shows and how to discern why the composer made such a choice.
Adviser: Peter M. Lefferts
Comments
A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Music, Major: Music, Under the Supervision of Professor Peter M. Lefferts. Lincoln, Nebraska: April, 2012
Copyright 2012 John David Cockerill