The notion of an “integrated musical,” traditionally believed to be a twentieth-century development, actually emerged in the second half of the eighteenth century through the work of Charles Dibdin (1745–1814). Dibdin wrote the music, book, and lyrics, as well as the dance music, vocal arrangements, and orchestrations for a series of popular, and innovative British musicals, in which he often performed. The conception of an integrated musical theatre is the subject of this book, and the study of how Dibdin blended musical devices from Italian opera, eighteenth-century galant theories,...
The notion of an “integrated musical,” traditionally believed to be a twentieth-century development, actually emerged in the second half of the ei...
