The Lost Arts of Overtures and TV Theme Songs

Me - I like  when a musical starts with an overture. Overtures make me feel happy. They get you set for the theatrical experience you are about to have. I don't really listen to them when I am not at a show, however. It's not like I always think about whether a show has an overture or not, but it's sad that there aren't really any shows that have overtures anymore. I wish at least some shows would still have them.

I love TV theme songs too. Sometimes, the songs are fun even when I don't watch the shows.. There have even been shows that I don't like at all, but I still like the theme songs. It's disappointing that shows hardly ever have theme songs anymore.  Theme songs definitely add to the enjoyment of watching TV. Without them it definitely feels like something is missing.

Mom -   Sometimes, I  think the world is spinning too fast now. Everybody is always in hurry and everything has to be quick even our entertainment. The loss of overtures and TV theme songs is one result of this. The thinking seems to be that if you don't draw get your audience into your story immediately you'll lose them and both overtures and TV theme songs somehow hamper that ability to draw them in quickly. If that is true it is just a sad commentary on society and people's short attention spans.  

I think an overture actually does draw you into a show. It gets you pumped up for what you are about to see by giving you a little musical overview of what's coming. It also provides an opportunity for the orchestra to shine. Even though, of course, the orchestra plays the whole score and not just the overture, once the singing starts you don't always notice the orchestra as much. They deserve to have their moment to shine too. 

Even when you are not at a show, hearing an overture can be special. It is a memory.  It reminds you of the experience of seeing that show. Even though any song from a show can do that to some degree, an overture is like a recap of the whole show through its music. I really miss musicals with overtures.

I really miss TV theme songs too. They are so catchy and fun that even if you don't like a particular show you can still enjoy its theme song. I think most people still appreciate a good theme song. Producers are just afraid to use theme songs these days because they think that people will get bored and change the channel if they take the time for a theme song. However, the truth is that these days most people watch TV in a way that if they wanted to fast forward through the theme song, they probably would anyway.

Even though I personally would like to see the return of both overtures and TV theme songs, it is not likely. Neither of them are likely to ever be as popular as they once were. They are lost arts.

And that's our view. What is a lost art that you really miss?

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay