Rap

I really wanted to modernise Shakespeare to appeal to a contemporary audience and to do this I've tried to play to my strengths and added a rap. This has been proven to work with a Musical Theatre audience with such musicals as Hamilton. To help me look at the impact of rap I researched the opening song called 'Alexander Hamilton' (Wait4It Burr 2016). In this they use swearing to add to the affect of the rap but I feel like this wouldn't be suitable for the character of Ophelia because she is so delicate, naive and feminine. Originally I wanted to take a speech that Ophelia actually says in Hamlet and adapt this so that I could rap it and fit a modern day audience. I also wanted to use more Shakespeare language to still link it back to its roots even further. However I decided this wasn't applicable and would be more comedic if I took lines from different musicals. I wanted to add comedy to what is quite a tragic piece therefore when she ends up committing suicide it makes it more sombre. The comedic element juxtaposes the melancholy mood of the melody and theme by creating a mockery using musical lyrics. I felt like this was more appropriate then my initial idea and worked better.

I'd do anything, for you dear anything

I would give you everything

But you don't want my anything

You just close every door to me

You keep denying love for me

Now all I have are memories now you're no longer around

You can't feel the electricity

But I feel the spark inside of me

And while I'm defying gravity you never move of the ground

I've got 99 problems and Maria ain't one

She doesn't trample on my heart the way that you've done

Ah wella wella wouldn't it be lovely to no longer be alone

But I love him,God I love him but only on my own

But life it is cruel, it is a circle goes round and round

It is the circle of life now and anything goes

And at the end of the day it will leave you in pain

And tomorrow, he won't love ya, and your heart breaks again

Accompaniment wise I want to keep it simple as I will be rapping at the same time as playing. I also want to keep it simple because I want the words to be the focus and if there is too much of a busy accompaniment part it can be distracting. Therefore I will just  change the rhythm throughout. Another musical technique I will also use is a octave swap just to allow me to keep the piano part interesting and engaging yet not making it too difficult and challenging for me. The use of timed pauses at the end of the word add to the emotional intensity to them lines after the comedic use of the rest of the rap.