Rumpelstiltskin

A classroom guide for teachers

Musical genres found in this opera

English Music Hall

English Music Hall tunes have their roots in traditional folk music and is similar to vaudeville in America. This entertainment was inexpensive and most everyone could afford to attend a performance. Many people who had left the country to work in the city found comfort and a cause to celebrate when they could hear and sing along with songs they knew from their homes far away. The songs were often comic and were accompanied by dancing and orchestra. Generally, a soloist would sing the verse alone, then a group of singers and dancers would repeat the chorus and encourage the audience to sing along.

Patter Song

A patter song comes from the tradition of old comic operas and musical theatre like Gilbert and Sullivan. Patter songs are sung fast or very fast! The lyrics are often tongue-twisters or have rhyming words. Many patter songs use alliteration (repeating same sounds or the same kind of sounds in words or syllables) to make the words even funnier.

Polka

The word polka comes from the Czech language and it means a half. This references the half measure or ‘cut time’ meter in the music. Polkas are also a type of dance music, so it makes sense that Rumpelstiltskin would dance to this music!

Tin Pan Alley

Before there was TV, radio or movies, there was a vaudeville circuit that toured all over America providing live performances of songs, comic acts and dance. When vaudeville performers came to New York to perform, they would go to 28th and Broadway which was called Tin Pan Alley. There they could get the latest song or dance music to use in their act. Tin Pan Alley music was sometimes melodramatic, comic or jazzy.

Tango

The Tango is a type of dance music that originated in the West Indies and became a very popular form of dance in South America, especially in Argentina. Tango music always feel dramatic and is often associated with romantic love and passion.

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