Tag: Lin-Manuel Miranda

  • “Enemy” Creates Desire — “Bruno” Fulfills It

    “Enemy” Creates Desire — “Bruno” Fulfills It

    What’s the difference between Imagine Dragons’ “Enemy” and Encanto’s “Bruno”? Not much! But music theory holds the answer…

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  • How ‘Hamilton’ Put the Music Back at the Center of the Musical

    How ‘Hamilton’ Put the Music Back at the Center of the Musical

    It’s been dissected as a runaway commercial success. It’s been analyzed as an incisive commentary on current race relations. It’s even, at times, received its due as an example of complex poetry in rap. But, rather counterintuitively, relatively few trained musicians have talked about this Broadway hit as pure music in and of itself. Leaving the…

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  • Nothing is Perfect: A Guide to Analyzing Musical Theater

    Nothing is Perfect: A Guide to Analyzing Musical Theater

    Musical theater nerds are nothing if not extreme. Some people shamelessly love The Music Man and hate Wicked with a fiery green passion. Some people are moved by the rock anthems of Spring Awakening and left cold by the soaring melodies of South Pacific. This enthusiasm for shows of such variety is wonderful, but some…

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Ryan Lott: Designing Sample-Based Instruments