Music drama

More and more I am attracted to dramatic storytelling with an essential musical element. Hence, opera -- but something less orchestrated than this. Chamber opera, but with different instruments. A music drama for a dixieland band. A music drama for a string quartet. A music drama for a modern jazz quintet. These are the forms I want to start focusing on as soon as my piano studies get me to a minimal literacy so I can do this. I want to write the libretto and musical groundwork and then find an arranger/composer to improve it and put finishing touches on it (I'd choose John Nugent in a heartbeat but his time is very limited these days).

The sountrack of a film, for example, can be so important as to make it essentially a music drama. Imagine how much emotional response would be lost without the music!

I think I'm a year or maybe two away from being where I need to be to do music drama myself, which of course makes me nervous since I can keel over at any minute, or at least I feel like each day may well be my last, which is why I try to make each day important and focused. I'm on a run of good luck with regard to health and pay frequent homage to the gods to continue their blessings.

I'm not sure which music drama project I'd tackle first. I have several in mind.

Collaboration can be very frustrating when you have more time to devote to a project than your collaborator does. I want to do as much myself as possible to avoid this frustration. And to incorporate music I hear in my head anyway to the dramatic context of the project.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?