Rock operas, concept albums, song cycles and oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each other in terms of storyline. Rock operas, Concept albums Song cycles and Oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each A rap opera or hip-hopera is a series of hip hop songs in the form of an Opera, inspired by the concept of Rock opera. In Popular music, a concept album is an Album which is "unified by a theme which can be instrumental compositional narrative or lyrical" Song cycles in classical music The first generally accepted example of a song cycle is Ludwig van Beethoven 's An die ferne Geliebte (1816 An oratorio is a large Musical composition including an Orchestra, a Choir, and soloists The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the Opera The rock opera style sometimes overlaps with concept albums, song cycles and oratorios. In Popular music, a concept album is an Album which is "unified by a theme which can be instrumental compositional narrative or lyrical" Song cycles in classical music The first generally accepted example of a song cycle is Ludwig van Beethoven 's An die ferne Geliebte (1816 An oratorio is a large Musical composition including an Orchestra, a Choir, and soloists The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the Opera More recent developments include metal opera and rap opera (sometimes also called hip-hopera). Rock operas, Concept albums Song cycles and Oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each A rap opera or hip-hopera is a series of hip hop songs in the form of an Opera, inspired by the concept of Rock opera. The category a particular work falls into is, to some extent, defined by the intent and self-definition of the work by its creator, as long as the creator's interpretation does not stray too far from the accepted definition of what constitutes a rock opera. The formal distinction may be that the rock opera tells a coherent (if sometimes sketchy) story, often with first-person lyrics sung by characters; while a concept album or song cycle sets a mood or maintains a theme. Some albums share characteristics of more than one category. Tommy, one of the best known rock operas, also had a rock musical production. On a technical note, it is often inaccurately stated that the phrase "rock opera" is, in terms of both music and theater, a misnomer. The term is only a misnomer when it is incorrectly applied to a work that has been miscategorized. Opera consists of individual singers acting out a specific character within a drama. The same is also true of a legitimate rock opera. If a work consists of singers who sing a story, but do not act it out, it is not a rock opera, and should not in the traditional sense, be categorized as such.

1960s

The July 4, 1966 edition of RPM Magazine (published in Toronto) notes that "Bruce Cockburn and Mr [William] Hawkins are working on a Rock Opera, operating on the premise that to write you need only 'something to say'. Bruce Douglas Cockburn, OC (ˈkoʊbɚn phonetically "co-burn" (born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian folk/rock Guitarist " Nevertheless, the term rock opera is generally thought of as having originated from an informal gathering of Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, and some friends at some point that same year. Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend (Townshend is said to have played a comedy tape to his friends called Gratis Amatis, and one of his friends is said to have made the comment that the odd song was a "rock opera". Kit Lambert, the Who's producer, is then believed to have said "Now there's an idea!")

Whatever the origin of the term, the earliest completed and recorded example of a 'rock opera' appeared later in 1966 - Townshend's "A Quick One While He's Away" on The Who's second album, A Quick One. Events January 3 - Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It A Quick One is the second album by English rock band The Who, released in 1966 The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend A Quick One is the second album by English rock band The Who, released in 1966 It was a nine-minute suite of short songs telling the operatic story of the seduction of a young girl guide (Townshend) by an engine driver named Ivor (played by John Entwistle). John Alec Entwistle ( October 9, 1944 – June 27, 2002) was an English Bass guitarist, Songwriter, Singer

Then an Alley, also known as The Beat Opera, was conceived and staged by Tito Schipa, Jr. , composer and director, son of the tenor Tito Schipa, at the Piper Club in Rome, Italy, in May 1967. WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> Tito Schipa ( 27 December 1888 &ndash 16 December 1965 Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. While Then an Alley, an adaptation of 18 Bob Dylan songs made to fit into a scenic background, made a moderate splash in its country of origin, it went completely unnoticed elsewhere in the world. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Schipa Jr. later went on to write and stage the work Orfeo 9 at the Sistina Theater in Rome. It became the first ever staged original Italian rock opera when it debuted in January 1970. Orfeo 9 became a double album and a film under the musical direction of future Academy Award winner Bill Conti. A double album is an audio Album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold (especially records and Compact Discs. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Bill Conti (born April 13 1942 in Providence Rhode Island) is an Italian American film music composer who is frequently the conductor at the Academy Awards

In 1968 British rock band, The Pretty Things released S.F. Sorrow, the first attempt by a rock band at a single, narrative-based thematic concept expressed over an album's worth of songs. The Pretty Things are a Rock and roll band from London. They pioneered a raw approach to Rhythm and blues that influenced a number of key SF Sorrow is the title of a 1968 LP by the British rock group The Pretty Things. S. F. Sorrow outlined a coming of age story focused on protagonist Sebastian F. Coming of age is a young person's transition from Adolescence to Adulthood The age at which this transition takes place varies in society as does the nature Sorrow, although the storyline was not as coherent as those to be found in later rock operas.

In 1969 Pete Townshend and The Who released Tommy, the first of The Who's two full-scale rock operas (the other is Quadrophenia), and the first musical work explicitly billed as a rock opera. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Quadrophenia is the sixth album by the English rock band The Who. [In some older publications it is called Tommy (1914–1984). ] The album was largely composed by Townshend, with two tracks contributed by bassist John Entwistle and one attributed to drummer Keith Moon, although actually written by Townshend. Keith John Moon ( August 23, 1946 &ndash September 7, 1978) was the Drummer of the rock group The Who. ^[1] An earlier song by blues artist Sonny Boy Williamson II, "Eyesight to the Blind", was also incorporated. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Aleck "Rice" Miller ( December 5 1899 or March 11 1908 – May 25 1965) a "Eyesight to the Blind" is a Blues standard originally written by Sonny Boy Williamson II (Aleck "Rice" Miller Tommy remains one of the most famous rock operas, with concert, film, ballet, and theatrical productions mounted over the course of four decades. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one The Who would later release another rock opera, Quadrophenia (1973), also made into a film, and a mini rock-opera, Wire & Glass (2006), from Townshend's larger concept of The Boy Who Heard Music, and included on The Who's 2006 album Endless Wire. Quadrophenia is the sixth album by the English rock band The Who. " Wire & Glass " is the first single released from The Who 's 2006 Album, Endless Wire. The Boy Who Heard Music is a rock Opus that began life as an Internet Novella written by musician and songwriter Pete Townshend. Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who.

1970s and later

Townshend's rock opera influenced many, including composer Andrew Lloyd Webber who, with lyricist Tim Rice, composed Jesus Christ Superstar which was first recorded and released as a concept album in 1970. Andrew Lloyd Webber Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948 is a British Composer of Musical theatre, the elder son of William Lloyd Webber Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944 is an English Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award Jesus Christ Superstar is a Rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The money made from album sales was used to fund the subsequent stage production in late 1971, which had been Lloyd Webber and Rice's original vision. Jesus Christ Superstar was explicitly billed as a "rock opera" and though it first appeared in recorded form, it became far more famous as a Broadway musical, leading it to be called a "rock musical", blurring the distinction between the two terms. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located A rock musical is a Musical theatre work with Rock music. The genre of rock musical may overlap somewhat with album musicals, Concept albums Webber and Rice's last collaboration was Evita, which is supposedly considered a rock opera, along with Broadway musical styled songs. Evita is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. The show (like Jesus Christ Superstar) is told entirely in song and, at first, producers thought that it would be a flop on the Broadway stage. However, it won seven Tony Awards, including "Best Musical". The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented

In 1973, The Who released their second full rock opera "Quadrophenia. " It is about a early 1960's teen living with a personality disorder.

Genesis wrote the rock opera The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, about a juvenile delinquent called Rael who lives in New York and enters in the underground world, searching for a missing part of himself, the story rolls into lust, deep creatures, madness and redemption. Genesis are an English rock band formed in 1967 With approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide Genesis are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (sometimes called simply The Lamb) is a double concept album recorded and released in 1974 by the British New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

1n 1975 Queen released the hit single "Bohemian Rhapsody" a mini rock opera composed of three different sections. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist is a Song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album ''A Night at the Opera''.

In 1979, Pink Floyd's rock opera The Wall, written primarily by Roger Waters, sold nineteen million copies. Pink Floyd are The Wall is a Rock opera presented as a Double album by the English Progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in late George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943 in Great Bookham, Surrey) is an English rock musician As with Tommy, The Wall has been staged as an elaborate theatre performance; by Pink Floyd in 1980 and 1981, and by Waters in 1990 (at the Berlin Wall). The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including The plot was also used for the feature film Pink Floyd The Wall, and Waters has been adapting the story for a Broadway-style production. Pink Floyd The Wall is a 1982 Musical film by British director Alan Parker based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album In 1996, John Miner staged the rock opera Heavens Cafe at the Flamingo Theater in Las Vegas, and again in Los Angeles in 2004. John Miner is an American rock guitarist Projects Mantra Sunrise Heavens Cafe Art Rock Circus Heavens Cafe is a Rock opera written and composed by John Miner. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West

Some heavy metal bands have released albums inspired by rock operas; often in a progressive metal framework. Progressive metal (often referred to simply as prog metal) is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music which blends the powerful guitar-driven sound of metal with the complex In some cases they have overlapped considerably with the format of metal concept albums. Considered by many educated musicians the quintessential story-telling band, Queensrÿche's fourth album Operation: Mindcrime expanded the genre from their previous three rock operas by bridging rock opera with real opera and a stage production complete with the story playing on jumbotrons in live versions and DVD releases. Queensrÿche (ˈkwiːnzraɪk is an American heavy metal / Progressive metal band formed in 1981 in Bellevue Washington. Operation Mindcrime is Queensrÿche 's third full-length album which was released on May 3, 1988. Albums by W.A.S.P. (The Crimson Idol, The Neon God: Part 1 - The Rise, The Neon God, Pt. 2: The Demise), Savatage, Dream Theater, Ayreon, Kamelot, Pain of Salvation, King Diamond, and the album Elven Manuscript are a few examples of metal opera albums. WASP is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and emerged with the L The Crimson Idol was the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band W The Neon God Part 1 - The Rise, is the first of two-part conceptual album by W The Neon God Part 2- The Demise, is the second of two-part conceptual album by W Savatage was a progressive Heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1978 at Astro Skate in Tarpon Springs Florida Dream Theater is an American Progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name " Majesty " by John Myung, John Petrucci Ayreon ( is a project by Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Kamelot is an American Power metal band from Tampa, Florida. They incorporate many elements of symphonic and Progressive Pain of Salvation is a Swedish Progressive metal band featuring Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the lyricist chief composer guitarist and lead vocalist King Diamond (born Kim Bendix Petersen, June 14, 1956, Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Grammy Award nominated heavy Elfiyskaya Rukopis' (Эльфийская Рукопись Elven Manuscript 2004 is a Metal opera and Concept album by Russian Power metal band The Italian progressive metal band Rhapsody of Fire (formerly "Rhapsody") released several complementary albums that each continued a single mega-"DragonRock" opera. Progressive metal (often referred to simply as prog metal) is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music which blends the powerful guitar-driven sound of metal with the complex Rhapsody of Fire (formerly known as ThunderCross and - more recently - Rhapsody) is an Italian Symphonic Power metal band led by Punk rock opera is a term coined by the punk band Green Day to describe their 2004 album, American Idiot. Green Day is an American rock trio American Idiot (also known as Green Day presents American Idiot is the seventh studio album by American Punk rock band Green Day, released on September Rock operas have been written in other languages as well, such as Gaia II - La Voz Dormida in 2005 by the Spanish rock group Mägo de Oz. Gaia II - La Voz Dormida is a 2005 Album by Spanish Folk metal group Mägo de Oz. Mägo de Oz (" Wizard of Oz " with a Heavy-metal umlaut) (also known as simply Mägo) is a Folk Rock and Heavy Metal On September 22, 2005 rock band Ludo released a rock opera entitled Broken Bride. Broken Bride is a Rock opera / Concept album by the band Ludo. In 2006, New Jersey rock quintet My Chemical Romance released an alternative rock opera, titled The Black Parade, about a man dying from cancer. My Chemical Romance (often shortened to MCR or' My Chem') is an American alternative / post-hardcore quintet that formed in 2001 The Black Parade is the third studio Album by the rock Quintet My Chemical Romance. Another one is a project by Edguy's singer and main songwriter Tobias Sammet. Edguy is a Power metal band from Fulda, Germany that was formed in 1992. Tobias Sammet (born November 21 1977 in Fulda, Germany) is the Vocalist and primary Songwriter of the German The opera is called Avantasia and features many other well known rock musicians. Avantasia is the self-titled debut single by Tobias Sammet 's side project opera Avantasia. In 2008, Pop/R&B singer ,Ciara, released a "crunk opera" single titled "High Price" from her album Fantasy Ride^[2]. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Contemporary R&B (also known as R&B, urban) is a Music genre of western Popular music (predominantly American and Canadian Ciara Princess Harris (born October 25 1985 professionally known as Ciara, is a Grammy Award -winning American singer songwriter Record producer Crunk is a type of music which originated from Southern hip-hop and EDM in the late 1980s early 1990s. Fantasy Ride is the third Studio album by American R&B / pop singer Ciara.

References

See also

• List of rock musicals
• Concept album
• True Symphonic Rockestra