In an opera, the music carries almost everything, and the singers are heard over an orchestra with no microphones. In a musical, songs and dances are mixed with spoken scenes, and the singers wear microphones. Both tell a story on a stage with singing, and some shows sit between the two.
The differences at a glance
| Opera | Musical | |
|---|---|---|
| Words | Almost all sung | Sung and spoken |
| Microphones | None, as a rule | Yes |
| Voices | Trained to fill a hall without help | A wider mix of styles, close to pop and speech |
| Dance | Some | Often a great deal |
| Orchestra | A full orchestra in a pit | Often a smaller band or orchestra |
| Language | Often Italian, German, or French, with a translation on a screen | The language of the audience |
| Where | An opera house | A theater |
Singing
Opera. An opera singer trains for years to sing over a full orchestra without a microphone. The sound is big and round, and it carries to the back row. Voices are sorted by type, from soprano to bass. Read voice types for kids.
Musical. A singer in a musical wears a small microphone. That allows a quieter, more speech-like sound, and styles from jazz to rock. Many performers in musicals sing, act, and dance in the same show.
Talking
In most operas, the characters sing everything. Even “pass the bread” is sung. The talk-like singing between the big songs is called recitative.
In most musicals, the characters speak, and they break into song when a feeling grows too big for speech.
Words and music
A common way to put it: in an opera, the music comes first. In a musical, the words and the story come first.
The shows in between
The line between the two is not sharp.
- Operas with spoken lines. Mozart’s The Magic Flute has spoken scenes between the songs. So did Bizet’s Carmen when it was new.
- Operetta. A light, funny kind of opera with spoken lines and dancing. The works of Gilbert and Sullivan are operettas.
- Musicals that are sung all the way through. Les Misérables has almost no spoken lines.
- Works that both worlds claim. Gershwin called Porgy and Bess a folk opera. Bernstein’s West Side Story is a musical, and opera companies stage it too.
Read Gershwin for kids and Bernstein for kids.
A short history
Opera began in Italy around the year 1600. It spread across Europe in the centuries that followed.
The musical grew up in the 1900s in New York and London, out of operetta, variety shows, and popular song. The street called Broadway gave its name to the style.
How to tell which one you are watching
- Look for microphones. A thin wire at the hairline or the cheek means a musical.
- Listen for talking. Long spoken scenes point to a musical.
- Listen to the voices. A big, ringing sound that needs no help points to opera.
- Read the program. It will say.
First ones to try with a child
Operas
- Hansel and Gretel, by Humperdinck: a fairy tale
- The Magic Flute, by Mozart: a prince, a bird catcher, and a queen
- Amahl and the Night Visitors, by Menotti: a short opera in English
Musicals
- The Sound of Music
- Mary Poppins
- The Lion King
Read opera for kids: where to start.
Things to do together
Sing your day. For five minutes, sing everything you say. That is how an opera works.
Speak, then sing. Act out a short scene. Speak until someone has a big feeling, and then that person sings. That is how a musical works.
Same story, two ways. Play a song from a musical and an aria from an opera. Ask how the voices differ.
Spot the microphone. Watch a clip of each. Ask your child to look for the microphone.
Questions kids ask
Why do opera singers sing so loud? They have no microphone, and an orchestra is playing. The voice has to reach the last row.
Why is opera in another language? Operas are often sung in the language they were written in. A screen above the stage shows the words in your language.
Which is longer? Either can run for two hours or more with a break. Ask the theater.
Is one better than the other? No. They are two ways to tell a story with songs.
Read more
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.