Leo K. Theatre Opus By Michael Hollinger Directed by Braden Abraham October 30 - December 6, 2009
Don’t know your adagio from your asiago? (Hint: one’s a cheese). Don’t worry—you don’t need an understanding of classical music to appreciate the brisk pacing and sharp dialogue that make Michael Hollinger’s Opus such a treat. Playwright Michael Hollinger likens the play to TV show ER: “All we need to know is when a guy comes into the ER and says, ‘I’ve got a GSW blah blah blah,’ is this guy’s hurt.”
Still, it’s fun to feel like an insider. In that spirit, here’s a glossary of some terms that you might hear in the play.
Compositions
Concerto – A musical composition, usually in three parts, in which a solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra
Movement – A self-contained portion of a larger musical composition
Opus – A piece of musical work; most works of classical music are identified by their opus number
Tempos and Notations
Tempo is the pace at which a piece of music is played, and affects the sound, mood, and degree of difficulty of a work. Notations denote how particular notes or sections of music should be played.
Adagio – Literally “at ease,” denotes a piece to be played at a slow, stately tempo
Largo – Denotes a piece played at a very slow tempo
Vibrato – A musical effect that lends character and expressiveness to instrumental music; it is achieved by creating variations in pitch
Forte – Musical notation indicating that a particular note is to be played very loudly
Sforzando – Literally “forcing.” A musical instruction denoting a piece played with an abrupt, strong emphasis
Crescendo – Related to forte, a musical dynamic indicating where a piece of music becomes gradually louder
