Editors’ Summary: This post uses data visualizations to analyze the way that musical motifs are used by musicals to further the storytelling. For the purpose of the study, the author defines motifs as melodic motifs that are sung. She demonstrates how musicals rely on motifs to create structure and meaning , especially when there is little to no dialogue. The author identifies different techniques for using motifs in musicals, and provides interactive visualizations to accompany the analysis.
Editors’ Choice: Common Threads
