I'm still relatively new to music theory, apologies if I don't articulate this question well.
This "Black Midi" song has a very theatrical/dramatic feeling to it. I would to know why that is. Is it the Chord progression? Or the instruments used?
At the 0:33 and 1:13 mark the instrumental has a very theatrical/classical feeling to it. Why?
Posted May 3, 2023, 8:11 PM UTC
The answer to these questions is almost never the chord progression. It's the singing style and the instrumentation imo. The singer is doing a kinda talk singing or Sprechstimme if you're feeling fancy. This is very common in theater and opera.
As for the instrumentation it's a lot of instrument you'd see in a pit. Piano, horns, strings, drums. I think there's an accordion around 1:13 too. Which isn't a common pit orchestra instrument, but certainly adds to the whole vibe.
I can't say I know any other music that sounds like this, because it's a subversion of some theater tropes. Most theater music doesn't sound this ominous.
Well the combination between the strings, percussion and spoken word I think make the most difference.
Around the 50 second mark the strings are doing this Ab lydian melody that drops dramatically back into this crunchy A minor 5b / A half diminished kind of sound which is very theatrical to my ears.
We could talk about the harmonic choices, but I feel like the harmony could be totally different and remain just as theatrical given the same orchestration.
A lot could be said about the "shots" the short orchestral punches and the general rhythmic considerations that make the music unpredictable which is what you'd expect from an orchestra especially in a theatrical music score, Broadway-ish
Thank you! Do you have any songs that have a similar theatrical feel to them that you could recommend? Really interested in this sound & vibe