6 Levels of Overlapping Melodies in Musicals

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0:00 Intro
1:29 Level 1
3:42 Level 2
7:29 Level 3
9:00 Level 4
11:35 Level 5
15:57 Level 6
We Don't Talk About Bruno features overlapping melodies front and center, and I'm here for it. But where does it stack up in all the different levels of overlapping melodies in musical theatre? Let me break down one way of categorizing the 6 types of overlapping melodies and how they work!
Produced by Monica M. Lee
Additional Research by Annika Hoseth
Featuring Robert Fink
"LEVEL" graphic by Scott Kim
/ scottekim
KZbin: @GameThinkingTV
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#MusicalTheatre #LinManuelMiranda #WeDontTalkAboutBruno

[@PenkelyPen33]

My favorite overlapping melody would have to be Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise. An absolute masterclass. I think it would fall on level 3??

[@TiffanyCalverley]

YES

[@leabugmp]

Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron WEASley!

[@vernowietsch]

You just unlocked memories in my head

[@mirandabee2323]

That's definitely a classic.

[@Bemused247]

Dumbledore!

[@RainaEmms]

"Non-stop" is one of my favorite songs ever just for not only the overlapping but the way that themes are brought back and recontextualized "how lucky we are to be alive right now" And, also the movie gets me because of the brilliant use of the roundabout when Angelica leaves and Eliza comes in.... but that's another subject...

[@sydposting]

I adore the subtleties of Alexander parroting "Look Around, Look Around" (an Eliza motif) and "They Are Asking Me To Lead" (a Washington motif,) as representations of the influences of the things that go into an argument - legal or personal!

[@winwinnie4905]

non stop has been my favorite song off the musical forever... i just had such a fulfilling experience listening to it for the first time as i was making my way through the entire musical. maybe this is why!

[@stchnard]

NO!!! I WAS FREE FROM 'HAMILTON' FOR 4 YEARS, AND NOW I HAVE TO REVIEW EVERYTHING AGAIN!!!!

[@iranjohnproductions3146]

have you heard the older version, where he used some deleted songs?

[@cresaliasyumbato5604]

@@stchnard the best option

[@jzanderk]

honestly, Starkid's Twisted does a great job with their act 1 finale "Happy Ending", overlapping all three of the main character's themes. I remember being so excited when I listened to it for the first time

[@HowardHoMusic]

Starkid is so brilliant! Thanks for mentioning this one!

[@Phiwipuss]

Also the ending of "Twisted" (the song), when all the Disney villains talk over each other, is really neat. Not sure what level it is, though. I'd assume level 3.

[@rhombicosidodecahedron4821]

Wagon on Fire from Trail to Oregon! as well

[@joseph.westbury]

I love starkid so much!!!

[@pedrogarcia8706]

I literally came to the comments to mention this one and it was the top comment

[@jobbinkeag]

96,000 is incredible, the way the ensemble builds up to the ending is so cool. It's also sick that I can clearly hear every part even though they overlap. *Chefs Kiss*

[@HowardHoMusic]

When I saw 96,000 on stage with Lin in it, I was blown away and thought this guy is the real deal. Thus began my obsession with his work!

[@wuttatota148]

I think what i love the most about non-stop is how they managed to use the character's motifs to tell a different story. "I am not throwing away my shot" was such an inspiring line before from a young hopeful Hamilton and in Non-Stop the meaning becomes more sinister. Same with his "Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now" it used to sound so hopeful when Eliza sang it in That Would Be Enough and in The Schuyler Sisters. Then Eliza replies "Helpless" it now sounds so bleak because she couldn't change Alexander's mind. Ugh it's just soooo good

[@Nagnullat]

I can not hear "One Day More" without getting chills. Still my favorite musical ever.

[@sveme5450]

gotta say, i have been missing a nod to hadestown. the way the themes overlap - especially in chant i and ii - had been the thing to fully catch me at my first listen 5 years ago and it has not let go yet

[@pinkajou656]

Oh my god absolutely. Hadestown is my favourite musical.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Love Hadestown! Thanks for mentioning it!

[@pinkajou656]

@@HowardHoMusic woo!

[@LadyLarkAvin]

Hadestown chat is a beast and lives rent free in my head

[@cregkly5444]

As a sporadic amateur pit trombone player, I fell in love with hadestown from the opening. Would love to play it but I think it would be too stressful a part. Especially on stage.

[@ByJessicaMason]

The final lair scene from Phantom is a masterwork of Finaletto - combining music from the whole show, you have Melodies from “Angel of music,” “music of the night,” “All I ask of you” and “The Point of no return” and Masquerade even makes it in at the very end before the big Music of the Night finale. “Prima Donna” is also the most operatic part of the show and it’s a septet!

[@jwranson]

To me, this is the premiere example, and I was sorely disappointed to not see it included.

[@civicr6693]

Honestly, the genius of these videos is how you manage to dodge the copyright algorithm. Great work!

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL...you see me!

[@ovencake523]

@@HowardHoMusic are you able to avoid copyright strikes because its criticism and review?

[@fuzzyapple]

@@ovencake523 thats the fair use law. You are allowed to use short clips or snippets from pieces of media if you add something to it. May it be commentary, explanation, interpretation, criticism, etc., as long as you only present it as context for your own content (and it is within a specific time limit) you are allowed to use it.

[@bsidethebox]

@@ovencake523 The law is one thing; this is absolutely fair use. The algorithm is another beast entirely; it's well known that it tends to go in very heavy handed even with videos like this, and that can be a real problem for creators who have to manually appeal the strike and lose potential earnings/views in the interim. Picking out just the voices for many of the clips probably helps; since the computers are looking mostly for directly or barely modified data. (It also helps the viewers/learners understand the examples, of course). Text and graphic overlays/popups/tiling can help the algorithm see the visuals as different. And short snippets of other works under a certain number of seconds are also allowed, I believe. In general, you want your work to be as transformative as possible to avoid the computer algorithm's shortfalls...and then of course actually be really obviously fair use right away in case your content has to be cleared by a human moderator. This isn't a perfect How To Avoid The Algorithm guide, of course--creators have gotten struck for educational videos just like this one, for making polka covers of heavy metal, for //humming// (Mykie from glamandgore got multiple strikes for a bit she'd do badly humming Careless Whisper when taking off makeup 🙄), for lyric parodies with completely original visuals (Captain Sparklez' "Revenge" Minecraft parody of an Usher song is a poster child example), even for playing classical music that would be /centuries/ out from copyright and getting claimed by recording studios that have published performances by other musicians. The problem is unbelievably complex and the tools (algorithm, etc) are nowhere near perfect and tend to favor...not the small creator. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@WLibysno]

I love the last 45 seconds of "Bring on the Monsters" from The Lightning Thief for doing the epic Level 6 multiple song layering, and I feel it's even more powerful since it's the very end of the show, one last little push to make sure you're still humming the melodies when you leave!

[@annalisemartelino7757]

Oh my gosh! That’s the exact reason I love “Bring on the Monsters”. It always sends chills down my arms. And it always has me reaching to listen to the musical again. Thanks for putting it into words :))

[@sofiacorreia206]

omgg thiss

[@sarahcummins6080]

That’s exactly what I was thinking!

[@writerinafoxhole]

I never got over the confrontation from les miserables, this song gives mes shivers everytime I hear. And I understand better why I love so much 96 000 big exploding moment and Non-stop, seems there is a pattern in my taste of songs in musicals! :D Thank you for the explanation, it's always so interesting.

[@sydposting]

Have you seen the clip of Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel performing Confrontation on Inside The Actor's Studio? It's a WONDERFUL moment -- that is only funnier/more-appreciated upon viewing the FIRST time they tried to do it, on the Megan Mullaly Show. It took time to get right, but DANG they pull it off!! 🤗

[@DrBitchcraaaft]

Literally nothing better than when they both say “Javert” in unison during Confrontation!!! So satisfying!

[@writerinafoxhole]

@@sydposting Yes, I remember seeing that clip, I really liked how they are tempted to start it but then stop and then doing it anyway 😄

[@writerinafoxhole]

@@DrBitchcraaaft Y E S. 🔥

[@mythology1746]

The Quartet at the Ballet from Anastasia is one of my favorite moments from musical theater. The four different songs interwoven with the iconic Swan Lake score is hard to top for me, personally.

[@CoriBeth01]

Yes!! I love Anastasia so much!! That is definitely one of my favorite songs, also Prima Donna from Phantom of the Opera and In A Place of Miracles from Hunchback of Notre Dame have amazing overlapping parts.

[@schmoollala678]

@@CoriBeth01 I love Prima Donna too! That and Down Once More never fails to give me chills.

[@hannahhubbell4050]

Three of my favorite overlapping melodies are the end of "Four Jews in a Room" from Falsettos, where each character sings one of two lines at slightly different speeds, the end of "The Night Belongs to Us" from Starkid's Firebringer where the Jemilla, now on her own sings her lines above the rest of the cast imagining their future, and, of course, "I Believe" from Spring Awakening where the cast's voices create an overwhelming ethereal harmony.

[@gilangsetyawibawa185]

You're right Mr. Ho, Bruno should end Act 1 if Encanto hits Broadway! Now, can you make a musical analysis on why most of Cirque Du Soleil's songs use a made-up language and how it captures emotions?

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL...Cirque music is my jam!

[@CharleneCTX]

I always assumed they use Cirquelish because they tour the shows internationally and want it accessible to everyone. Quidam is unusual in using English, Spanish, and French.

[@sydposting]

@@CharleneCTX As someone with a linguistic scholarly background, I would adore seeing this! I love the ideas of Dralion, but get frustrated where the "act" representing the "word/color" doesn't quite "match" in my mind. Hopefully someday, someone addresses theses things -- on this channel, or elsewhere. 🤗

[@PenkelyPen33]

I was today years old when I realized cirque uses a made up language lmao. But anyways, I vote for a cirque analysis too!

[@gilangsetyawibawa185]

@@HowardHoMusic I know right! My fave Cirque song is the entire soundtrack of KÀ!

[@stevewood694]

I admit, I've never been a huge fan of Les Mis. But the Act 1 closer, when we go from overlapping, scattered reprisal melodies to unison never fails to give me chills.

[@kimberlytrosvikwood7504]

It's not a musical, but there is a beautiful fugue in 'Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho" from the soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, where the melodies from all the movies combine into one.

[@michelleosborne8958]

That is a FABULOUS movie score!

[@VinTheFox]

I love the last half of "Man Up," The Book of Mormon's finaletto, the characters all coming together to sing their melodies from Man Up, Sal Tlay Ka Siti, Turn It Off, Hasa Diga Eebowai, Two By Two, and technically also All-American Prophet.

[@papasspeedruns1683]

YES

[@CHPadyx]

I was looking for this comment! Absolutely love it when it comes together.

[@abydosianchulac2]

I love how they're so blatant about it, as well, literally just throwing titles and references at the wall for the last lines in an on-the-nose send up of the style.

[@kayyylaaa___]

I loved Non-Stop from the first time I heard it, but having it explained like this makes it infinitely cooler to me. Thanks for another great video!

[@jennifercaitlinroberts]

Oh man, I'd love for you to do a video on Hadestown. The show has a ton of really musically interesting things happening in it, but all I can think watching this is how much I'd love to hear you pick apart everything going on in Chant.

[@HowardHoMusic]

I LOVE Hadestown so much. Seen it twice! I will do something about it eventually for sure.

[@asterismos5451]

I'd love even more if it focussed on the NYTW version of the Chants since they are so much better than the versions that made it to Broadway :'(

[@PaulSmith-is2tt]

The Quintet from Sweeney Todd is by far my favorite. The Judge, the Beadle, Johanna and Anthony going to town in their own heads and all roads lead to Sweeney's barber shop. It's just glorious.

[@asterismos5451]

It's so, so good.

[@stacysgrapesoda800]

My favorite has to be Non-Stop because the reprises or the lines that Lin brings are motifs that he brings back in other moments as well. They all play a very specific role not just recaps Act 1. Hamilton has to make a choice and should decide if he continues to be a lawyer or take a position in the goverment and pursue his dream to "handle our financial situation" (from my shot) and Washington is singing telling him the history has it's eyes on his choice. Eliza wants him to stop working hard and settle for a simpler job, be a family man and pay more attention to his family, so she's asking isn't what you already did, what you already have, the family you have enough? Angelica reminds us and Eliza that no, it's not enough because Alexander himself told her that he's never satisfied. Burr is watching Hamilton take on an even bigger responsibility and is asking him how he works non-stop. All of these is almost like everything that goes through Hamilton's mind right before he decides to not throw away his shot. The lyrical and story telling genius of Lin shines at it's brightest in this for me.

[@irina.tano.7]

the chills hearing "one day more" from Les Miserables are VERY REAL

[@FrenkTheJoy]

If they made Encanto into a Broadway musical it would be cool if they turned We Don't Talk About Bruno into the Finaletto with the song referencing melodies that were earlier songs. So like Dolores had a song earlier that was the same melody as her part in Bruno, etc? Also this wasn't really your part, but one of the Les Mis anniversaries where they have the original cast singing with the anniversary cast and I think also the 19 Valjeans are there singing, and you can STILL hear Frances Ruffelle over everybody in One Day More. That must partly be the composition of the song because I don't think anyone has pipes quite loud enough to be heard THAT much.

[@vaguelycelestial]

Personally, I really love the “Devil Take the Hindmost” quartet from the Phantom trash-fire sequel.

[@fukuriu9707]

It's a great musical if you pay attention to everything but the plot lol.

[@vaguelycelestial]

@@fukuriu9707 I mean, it’s not Not Good. It may be trash, but it’s my trash.

[@mastelsa]

@@vaguelycelestial It's a real shame so many really good melodies were wasted on such a bad plot. The music is beautiful and the lyrics are just godawful.

[@BlazeDupree1525]

The plot was trash but the songs where actually pretty good 🤷

[@SandyDelMar42]

Til I hear you sing by Ramin Karamloo makes me weep like a baby, I kind of like the plot, it was as if ALW decided to make his own ErikxChristine fanfic and I for one love that ship lol

[@TriXJester]

Hey, tell me whether I'm crazy or not, but whenever they sing the word "Burn" in Encanto it sounds to me exactly the same as how the word is sung in Hamilton. Especially when Mirabel sings "But stars dont shine, they burn."

[@shawty4066]

i think its just because thats how its pronounced…

[@dbseamz]

@@asliceofjackie91 yeah, I remember noticing some particularly clever rhymes in Encanto that reminded me of Moana. The one I can think of off the top of my head is "a miracle, so here I go" (Waiting On a Miracle) being similar to "go on and on" rhyming with "phenomenon" (You're Welcome). LMM understands so well how rhymes work, that he can make a phrase sound like it rhymes with a word even when it technically doesn't.

[@destructionloki]

My first exposure to “overlapping” that I can remember was Britney Spears. 😅 Her debut song, “baby one more time,” ended with a reworded chorus, chorus, then reworded chorus + chorus overlapping. I thought it was excited and I panicked not knowing which to sing along with. I heard the “overlap” again on “oops I did it again.”

[@mocknburd23]

As a classically-trained musical theater nerd, I love love love this video! Thank you for mentioning those underappreciated gems - "Dancin'" from Xanadu (!) (a really wonderful moment in a very flawed film), "Please Hello" from Pacific Overtures (everyone needs to watch that video of the show), and "Now/Later/Soon" from A Little Night Music, as well as "Fugue for Tinhorns." Another big Act I Finale that fits in there somewhere is from Candide, while not as well-constructed as Tonight Quintet, it always hits me in the feels.

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL...great sentence!

[@dbseamz]

The stage musical version of Xanadu is much better than the movie. My high school performed it one year and there is so much more plot, better comedy, and more fleshed-out characters than the film (which we in the drama club got to watch together for the sake of comparison).

[@novembergold4144]

For people who love confrontational songs like The Confrontation or Farmer Refuted, check out Webber's Devil Take The Hindmost... I know we don't talk about Love Never Dies because of its plot, but the music actually hits hard 😂 also as always, amazing informative video, thank you so much!

[@ogaoms8985]

TRUE, TRUE, ABSOLUTELY TRUE 👏👏👏 Also "Devil take the hindmost: Quartet" 👌

[@alexowen5987]

Tonight Quintet is honestly one of the best musical songs ever, it just gives you all the WSS vibes you need in one big song. Another example could actually be the Into the Woods Prologue, especially the beginning and thee end of it. It's just so much happening at once that you don't know where to start from. 😅

[@jcidspears]

I was also going to suggest The prologue of Into the Woods and the Johanna Quartet from Sweeney Todd!

[@elioraloo4157]

YES I LOVE THE TONIGHT QUINTET!!!

[@WromWrom]

The "worse" things about it is that it is, as you say, an efiing PROLOGUE! But hei, that's why Sondheim was already in live considered a master...

[@adamschofield7481]

One of my favorite examples of overlapping melodies is in If Only (Quartet) from The Little Mermaid. It’s interesting because it’s written so that at times the lines overlap, but at the same time, there are breaks in each line to allow the audience to focus on and catch specific character’s thoughts. Alan Menken is a genius.

[@mehirohouseki]

I gotta say Sondheim was a master of this. I'm surprised you didn't mention into the woods since it starts with pretty much every character in the show singing. I also love how hadestown uses Orpheus' song to overlap with several songs in the musical. The original cast recording (not the Broadway version) I feel has more of this since it has less songs and brings back the leitmotifs so often, it's like a concentrated version of hadestown

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yes, so many great Sondheim overlapping moments to choose from!

[@iliekmegapie]

Another great overlapping Act 1 ending(ish) moment that I really enjoy comes from Rent, in the 'Christmas Bells are Ringing' sequence that comes right before Maureen's performance. I can't pin down exactly how many parts work their way in, but it always makes my heart flutter in such a fun way.

[@ogaoms8985]

Maybe the musical "Love never dies" is kinda hated, but "Devil take the hindmost: Quartet" is just 😚👌 And also, speaking of the master himself, ALW, are we going to ignore all the parts in the Phantom when everyone is singing at the same time like in "Primadonna" and "Notes/Twisted every way" and I have absolutely no idea who's saying what anymore 😅😅😅 What would you call those?

[@ohthewhomanity]

The music from Love Never Dies is Great, the problem is, well, everything else XD

[@ogaoms8985]

@@ohthewhomanity True, true 😆

[@emilyniedbala]

I’m curious where you would place the overlapping section in “Ever After” from Into The Woods - it is like a canon at first but I think they diverge into different things in the middle before resolving to one melody (idk it’s hard for me to remember, I just remember my one part really well and ignored the rest so I wouldn’t get confused haha)

[@joeybar.]

i was also wondering this

[@cian634]

I think the overlapping section is a round so probably level 1

[@ilexdiapason]

that sounds like how he described the fugue

[@Persnicut]

I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone bring up Sweeney Todd. I’m delighted to see more than one person think of my other favorites (Devil Take The Hindmost Quartet and the Chants from Hadestown), but I have a soft spot for Ladies In Their Sensitivities. The Johanna Quartet too, I guess, but Johanna & Antony’s hurried duet over the Judge’s “Todd” and Beadle’s delightfully falsetto “sensitivitiiiiiiiiiiiies” is always the best part of the show for me.

[@brunopodolski3476]

Fantastic! I knew you would bring Hamilton, Les Miserables and Bach when you started to explain, and even then I was entirely entertained with the presentation, as always. Keep up the good work!

[@jenhofmann]

Same!! Brilliance!

[@pnguinkillr3091]

i knew lin manuel would steal the video, he loves doing this , now i know is because he loved the miserables

[@rhemorse]

These videos help with my anxiety so much. It gives me something to focus on instead of whatever im overthinking about. Appreciate it dude.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Aw thanks! I'm very glad that I could help with that.

[@NaviNeku24]

I also like the Finale from In the Heights where all the characters come together with their leitmotifs (with Nina singing Abuela’s favorite song and Carla and Daniela singing the main leitmotif of the song), almost like they’re reminding Usnavi about the memories he made in Washington Heights.

[@heathabelson5567]

One of my older favorites is "All for the Best" from Godspell. While it is probably level 2, maybe 3-ish on this scale, I always thought that in addition to the overlapping melodies, it was a clever use of different meanings of the same phrase.

[@abydosianchulac2]

It's actually a perfect vaudevillian example of level 4, I'd say. Very similar to "Old Fashioned Wedding" from _Annie Get Your Gun._

[@technojunkie123]

No wonder One Day More feels so epic! I’m glad to finally understand the musical science behind why it’s so good

[@cosplaycris4383]

One of my personal favorite examples of overlapping melodies is Prayer, from Come from Away. Others I haven't seen mentioned yet are Primadonna from Phantom of thr Opera and the Harvard Variations from Legally Blonde

[@allisonbergh4429]

YES. Prayer gives me chills

[@jyotsnasrivastava6373]

One thing which I noticed about We Don't talk about Bruno is that each independent melody is differentiable from each other which is rarely a case with other overlapping parts. Can u hear all the parts of One day more clearly, or in non stop. Also, In other overlapping songs, there is usually a part repeated which acts as a filler to cover chaos. Like in one day more , ONE DAY MOREEEEE Is like dominating melody. In non-stop, "Non-Stop" and "history has its eyes on you" are so dominant that other things in background feel covered. In We Don't Talk About Bruno, I can hear each member clearly it's just dependent on me I was to focus hear whose part. I know dolores is a bit shushed. But, even if her volume is increased, it's not chaotic which is insane. And, that's why I love overlapping in this song so much than others.

[@kellyg2635]

I think this has more to do with how familiar you are with each of the songs. I'm not a big fan of Encanto and have only heard the overlapping part when the song happens to be playing near me, so it still sounds like mush to me. it's just cuz I don't know each individual part very well, so naturally it's impossible to follow individual lines. however, I grew up on les mis and I've been belting one day more since before I could read, so for me it's really easy to pick out individial vocal parts for that song. it's all about perspective I guess!

[@jyotsnasrivastava6373]

@@kellyg2635 you may be right. But, still, each verse in we don't talk about Bruno is really differentiable compared to the other examples shown in this video. I know other examples may be more complex to create but complexity is not equal to beauty. There should be a balance in that.

[@kellyg2635]

@@jyotsnasrivastava6373 but the point of my comment was that how differentiable the parts of a song are is subjective, it's not an objective scale like you're making it out to be

[@surftailwarrior3130]

One of my favorite examples of overlapping melodies in musical theatre is “Quartet at the Ballet” from Anastasia! It does basically the same thing that 96,000 does, but instead of new themes, Quartet brings in already existing melodies for the parts that Dimitri, the Dowager, (both of them singing a melody from Once Upon a December) and Gleb (using his The Neva Flows theme) sing individually, with Anya getting a new melody for her solo part. After each character sings their solo (the order being Anya, Dimitri, Dowager, Gleb), Gleb and Dimitri have a little duet using the Once Upon a December melody before Anya and the Dowager take that melody for the quartet part in Quartet, leaving Dimitri and Gleb to branch out into their own new leitmotifs that all join back together in a beautiful chord, with all four characters ending up at “find a way, Anastasia”. The ensemble then comes in for like five seconds, providing a nice little conclusion!

[@surftailwarrior3130]

Just want to say, I posted this before I got to the sixth level!

[@ohthewhomanity]

Level 6 is my favorite thing in any musical. I'd point out "Who I'd Be" from Shrek the Musical, which becomes this in the final chorus, combining this song with the previous melodies of "I Know It's Today" and "Don't Let Me Go"

[@SandyDelMar42]

Thank you for mentioning Who I’d be, that song had no right to be that good

[@ohthewhomanity]

@@SandyDelMar42 It proves the rule of the act one finale needing to be the song that’s so darn good it brings you back after intermission… I’ve grown to like the musical as a whole, yes, but that song really helped that first time around.

[@cyd2lets]

I just LOVE that you spotlighted the mash up from Xanadu. As a kid, I lived for that number (and I’m so pleased that the musical is such a tongue-in-cheek take on the - admittedly terrible - movie).

[@HowardHoMusic]

To be honest, I can't believe how cool and modern that sequence is. Still gives me a thrill. Also, I'm friends with one of the muses, so it's also a nod to her!

[@eustaica]

Xanadu is life ❤

[@dbseamz]

My high school drama club did Xanadu for my freshman year. I loved the music and still do. (The drama club got to watch the movie too, and we were all laughing at how dumb it was.)

[@afoolishfopdoodle3284]

This isn't a musical theatre song, but Simon & Garfunkel's "Scarboroughfair/Canticle" is a masterful example of overlapping melodies.

[@marysumner335]

"One Day More" will probably always be my favorite. Fell in love with it in high school. Still gives me chills.

[@Annie_Annie__]

I describe Isabella’s part (and Dolores’ accompanying part) in We Don’t Talk About Bruno as a “Disney Princess” style/genre. It feels like that’s what they were going for, especially a Disney Renaissance princess sound and feel.

[@zacurragazzo9432]

I was just about to mention turning red for level 4! Those two genres mixing together I didn’t expect to sound so good 😭

[@charlieinslidell]

RENT's Christmas Bells is probably the ultimate with entire choruses and individuals singing their own melodies all at the same time by the last portion of the scene.

[@marcogarcia6723]

Probably the Phantom of the opera’s “Down once more” is my favorite, even if they are only 3 people singing, the melody with the singing and their motifs sounds beautiful. I wonder if it can also count as a finaletto as it is practically at the end of the show, but not at the end of the first act

[@braveheartalice]

One Day More is the poster child of a perfect finaletto in musical theatre. It is brilliant and absolutely God-tier. Easily one of the best act one endings in musical theatre history

[@andrewbreen8885]

So glad you included the Xanadu song here. The other one that fascinated and thrilled me as a kid (and still does, tbh) is the Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You? from The Music Man.

[@alberth3356]

The one that left a lump in my throat was the overlapping melody that was the grand finale of the musical Rent. "Will I lost My Dignity" with "No Day But Today" with "Another Day" and "Without You" "Seasons of Love"

[@evieee6]

If your talking about overlapping melodies I would definitely recommend checking out the BROADWAY recording of Blackout from in the heights (they don’t do the overlapping in the movie which is terrible bc it’s the best part)

[@evieee6]

Well they do it in the movie for like 15 seconds but the broadway soundtrack has 1 minute of beauty

[@theloverlyladylo9158]

Others: Mozart wrote something called “Lick My Ass”???? Me, an intellectual: ah yes, the inspiration for Spinal Tap’s “Lick My Love Pump”.

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL...awesome!

[@alexeidarling]

Steven Schwartz loves his level 4s! We have All For The Best in Godspell, Two's Company in The Magic Show, and What Is This Feeling in Wicked. I'm pretty sure there's also one in Pippin, but I'm not remembering it right now.

[@CroneFingrCraft]

Les Mis Finelletto is my fave! I LOVE it when an ensemble comes together!

[@foxpokemonforever4775]

This only proves further to me that Sondheim was an absolute madlad.

[@hptpbookworm]

Growing up I loved both Les Mis and The Secret Garden, which had my first examples of overlapping melodies with One Day More and Quartet from the Secret Garden. I thought it was so magical and epic how everything came together.

[@allisonbergh4429]

Omg yes Secret Garden 😍😍😍

[@janNowa]

Came here to figure something out, anyway on the Game Changer episode "The Official Cast Recording" the contestants (+ pianist) improvise a level 3 overlapping melody on the spot with no prep. It was really incredible.

[@sydposting]

I see that “One Day More” in the thumbnail, my man, I totally dig it!! 🤗 Seriously, appreciation for the madrigal/polyphony style of composition deserves to be heard!! It’s not just Miranda but also Larson and Schoenberg and Sondheim, and from there Wagner, and all the ancient schools of Music Theory beyond them.

[@haydenwilder2221]

I have a bit of an obscure favorite but I love the "Heaven Octet" from the 1988 Stratford production of Carrie The Musical. It only lasted through some of the previews before they made it into a septet (and it's not in the show's recent revival at all) but I think it's a very effective build-up to the blood being dumped on Carrie.

[@kadieausten8952]

I'm in the middle of a binge right now and have to say I'm so glad I found this channel! As a self proclaimed Broadway and music nerd, this brings a whole new level I didn't know I was missing.

[@Chrischi3TutorialLPs]

One example of an accompanyment that i would like to name here is Son of Poseidon in the Percy Jackson Lightning Thief musical. It starts as a reprise of Good Kid, which is Percy's great solo piece, though it evolves into it's own melody. Then, Ares, who is the books twist villain (I don't think i need a spoiler warning here, seeing how this book has been out for 17 years by now), attacks Percy, in a last ditch attempt to save his plan. He joins in with the melody of "Put You In Your Place", which is heard earlier in the musical, though at the time, it's associated with Clarisse, not Ares (though Clarisse is a child of Ares), and it creates a great, if brief, accompanyment.

[@amayajones68]

Some of my favorites are: 96,000, Blackout, Non-Stop, We Don’t Talk About Bruno, Who I’d Be (from Shrek The Musical), First Midnight (from Into the Woods), The Final Lair (from POTO), Devil Take the Hindmost Quintet (from Love Never Dies), Esmeralda (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Will I…

[@asterismos5451]

oooh Esmerelda's good.

[@jsreynolds11]

One of my favorite examples of overlapping melodies is the Act One Finale of Urinetown: the Musical. You have Bobby, Hope and the good ensemble, and Cladwell and the evil ensemble, all overlapping with different styles of melody. I'm not sure what level I would put it in as all of the melodies in this song are introduced in this song by one of the leads and then picked up by respective ensembles as the leads move to the next melody. Regardless, it's a beautiful (if humorous and melodramatic) Act One Finale and I love this entire show deeply.

[@lady-hightower4698]

My favorite example might be the final lair sequence from the Phantom of the Opera. It focuses mostly on “the Point of No Return”, but also has “Angel of Music” and “All I Ask of You” sprinkled in there too.

[@DJRandomHajile]

Sondheim did it so many times. Sweeny Todd and especially Into The Woods are great examples of the act one closers. My hero of musical theatre.

[@ulyssesfedrick4389]

The ending of non stop will likely forever be my favourite moment in any musical, it just hits so hard.

[@ariamelody5560]

The Celeste Soundtrack is ABSOLUTELY FENNOMANAL ( I can’t spell lol), and it has SO many layers to the music all the way down to what instrument Lena Raine uses! The comment section of the KZbin videos have some really good insight too!

[@FrenkTheJoy]

Phenomenal!

[@GalorOmer]

Sondheim is the real king of this, besides the one he pointed out already: Not getting married today Kiss me / ladied and their sensitivities Joahana reprise Good thing going / the Blob Putting it together It's Your fault etc...

[@heidichristensen7919]

My favorite example of overlap is from the musical Chess. I just love the original concept album. Lin is definitely a master - as we were watching Encanto, and they got to the part in Bruno when the say “time for dinner” and start setting the table I thought, huh, this sounds like a Lin song.

[@abydosianchulac2]

you mean A MODEL OF DECORUM AND TRANQUILITY ONE OF THE BEST PIECES IN MUSICAL THEATER? Sorry caps got stuck. Yeah, since this is based off the earlier History of Chess melody, the devolution into the 4 vocal lines at the end definitely counts as a fugue since they're all developing parts of the original melody. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5K0q3l-apyeo80

[@heidichristensen7919]

@@abydosianchulac2 that’s the one.

[@Laura-ht9ss]

My absolute favorite part of any musical, I ADORE overlapping melodies. Awesome video, thanks for the information!!

[@jackwriter1908]

Everytime I am amazed again. It's true that I really enjoy these kinds of songs, which I first heard in _In The Heights,_ but I had no idea that there was this much more.

[@joonyar1579]

This is one of my all-time favorite techniques composers utilize - in the classical, broadway, and pop worlds - can't get enough of it. The version of "Seasons of Love" with Stevie Wonder layers the chorus, verse, and a part from "I'll Cover You" all while Stevie ad libs over it. Marianas Trench does this so pretty effectively in "Masterpiece Theatre 3". About halfway through (after the a capella section), it starts off with the xylophone medley in the song, then takes elements of each song on the album. Some parts are layered, others are presented in a call-and-response matter, but overall all the motifs are all presented pretty seamlessly in my opinion. Even the ending of "What A Catch Donnie" from Fall Out Boy mildly uses snipets of melodies from past singles, sung by different lead singers of other bands. They act as counter melodies to each other and to the original song itself. Also like every Mayday Parade ballad is a level 3 lmao. SOOOO GOOD.

[@eal9987]

So I’m not gonna read all these comments to see if someone else said this but level 3 is what is also called a partner song. Two or more songs that share a baseline. Prime example of this is pick-a-little/good night ladies from the music man. I am a choral director I use this with my choirs to teach harmony and independence . Thanks for the video. Great job.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yes, I've heard that term used too. Pretty much is what level 3 is.

[@Medatreee]

Apart from the Phantom of the Opera’s Final Lair and many songs mentioned in the video, I love the Hunchback of Notre Dam’s Esmeralda. Out of all the songs from this musical, this is my favourite and it’s very underrated. With the Hunchback’s church music, there’s so many songs with overlapping melody.

[@paularep]

I never knew the name for my favorite type of musical tunes, now I know they’re at level 6:) great video!!!!

[@flamingo69]

“Tower of Babble” from Godspell absolutely blew my mind the first time I heard it - all those philosophers arguing individually, and then simultaneously, each with their own melody.

[@teresesanchez1262]

My personal favorite will always be Notes 1/Prima Donna and Notes 2/Twisted Every Way from the Phantom of the Opera. Growing up my parents always commented about how difficult it was. As someone who has been studying the show for several years, I can confirm it is very difficult and super well written. 6 voices singing all at once completely.

[@ajsterisk]

Down Once More in Phantom of the Opera might qualify as a level 6 because its parts are reprisals from the whole show with different genres, making it an excellent reconciliation to the love triangle conflict.

[@gabbytheartfriend]

I really enjoy some examples of overlapping melody in _Into the Woods_, particularly the finale songs for both acts.

[@thatoneshepherd]

no because you don’t understand how much i love overlapping melodies in songs!!! i’m a sucker for canons and just!! holy cow i love songs when songs have have their own distinct melodie’s that could work as proper songs on their own but they fit together and overlap and harmonize so well!! and yes those more confrontational songs too!!!! farmer refuted is one of it not my most favorite song from the hamilton soundtrack!! and the act one closer!!!!! one day more and non stop fill me with such raw emotion!!!!! especially when they’re reprises cause it makes it hit just a bit harder!! i love watching these videos because while i’m a musician myself i don’t have much knowledge in regards to music theory but there’s so many little elements in music that i absolutely adore and these videos are able to put words to them!!!

[@dexlegon2942]

personal favourite examples of overlapping melodies in mt that weren't mentioned: - and eve was weak & prom climax (carrie) - miracle & i'm here (matilda) - for the first time in forever / reprise (frozen) - chant (hadestown) (kind of)

[@tatizn]

I think my favorite has always been Christmas Bells from Rent

[@Chironyx]

Amazing video, couldn't be happier over finding this channel and subscribing from past videos, love your musical theatre content!

[@kate1230]

I love when things I've been studying in music at school pop up in your videos!! So happy to see Don't Do Sadness/ Blue Wind included - such a great song ✨

[@loladgomez]

Love the editing in this!

[@Markrspooner]

Wow, that was amazing! Just so enlightening. Great Work Howard!

[@prissc]

My favorite is I Never Planned on You/Don’t Come A-Knocking from Newsies!!

[@margothutton]

I don't know what it is, but something about overlapping melodies gives me chills.

[@mariannerady1137]

Man, this is SOOO cool! Love how you break down this knowledge in a way and language that also let's noobs like me understand how it works. Fascinating to understand why I actually love those act one closers so much

[@KuroDokueki]

I am so glad Will I was listed for your favorite use of Canon. Because as you were explaining it, that was the one song that absolutely refused to leave my head.

[@Rosalie1996]

Les Mis is an absolute musical masterpiece.

[@dianayoder1285]

I always enjoy your breakdowns and explanations. Thank you

[@minimarsbars]

I'm so glad don't do sadness/blue wind is here because it was one of the first examples I could think of but thought I was dead wrong, and now I feel vindicated

[@valerieellis6062]

This was really amazing! The breakdown made it very easy to understand, and you outlined every aspect of each level clearly. I have always loved music theory but don’t have the time to dedicate myself to it

[@HopefulTribe]

Love this! Thanks for being so entertaining and educational!

[@pianotown6869]

YAY!! Im always obsessed with music theories analysis and u make it more understandable for me 🥰🥰🥰🥰