This paper exposes problems with diegetic-nondiegetic distinction as applied to film musicals, arguing that it is inconsistent with its use in other areas of cinema studies and poses problems for appreciating the narratives of these films. As a replacement, the author defines two scalar concepts, one tracking the number's degree of realism, the other its degree of formality.The concept of the "diegetic number" has become as central to scholarship on film musicals as "diegetic music" is to other genres of film. In connection with musicals on both stage and screen, a "number" standardly refers to a performance of music and/or dancing by named fictional characters or such a performance that is imagined by them. In The Band Wagon (1953), a musical about putting on a Broadway show, the numbers commonly classified as "diegetic" include those that comprise this fictional show ("New Sun in the Sky," "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan," "Louisiana Hayride," "Triplets," and "Girl Hunt Ballet") as well as rehearsals ("You and the Night and the Music"), characters' performances in other shows (the leading lady's ballet performance "The Beggar's Waltz" and the director's production of Oedipus rex), and the cast's post-show singalong "I Love Louisa." These numbers are standardly contrasted with those that take place outside of contexts where one is likely to sing and dance, such as when one is alighting from a train ("By Myself"), getting a shoe-shine ("A Shine on Your Shoes"), debating the nature of art and entertainment ("That's Entertainment"), or taking a stroll through Central Park ("Dancing in the Dark"). Such numbers are sometimes referred to as "nondiegetic," though there is less consensus on the most appropriate antithesis to "diegetic" in this context.1 Examining the processes by which scholars arrive at such conclusions reveals that different reasoning is at work than that employed in differentiating diegetic from nondiegetic music in non-musical films as well as portions of film musicals that do not constitute musical or dance numbers. Although the utility of the diegetic-nondiegetic distinction remains a contentious topic within scholarship on film music, these terms do have a relatively stable meaning in the context of non-musical films.2 Diegetic music is music with a fictional source, whether that source is represented on-screen or merely implied.3 In other words, diegetic music is music that the fictional characters could, in theory, hear. As an illustration of the kinds of rationalization processes that factor into such determinations, let's take a portion of The Band Wagon that does not constitute a musical or dance number.When rehearsals for the initial version of the fictional show "The Band Wagon" are not going well, its leading lady Gaby (Cyd Charisse) asks her co-star Tony (Fred Astaire) if he thinks that a ballerina like her and a song-and-dance man like him "can really dance together."To find out, they take a carriage ride to Central Park. Upon their arrival, we hear an instrumental rendition of the...

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the intensification of IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and People of Color) activism during this time have prompted many in the classical music industry to pause and reflect on the ways in which we perpetuate colonialism and racism in our leadership and governance structures, programming, casting practices, performance practices, and treatment of IBPOC artists. This article focuses on Messiah/Complex (2020) by Toronto's Against the Grain Theatre (AtG). All soloists were Indigenous or people of color. Based on conversations with several Indigenous artists involved in this project, this article argues that we need to move from thinking about how to include more Indigenous artists to thinking about how we can create space for Indigenous sovereignty. That is going to involve giving over decision-making power to Indigenous artists at all levels. Messiah/Complex could have made a more decisive move toward sovereignty if it had begun with conversations with IBPOC artists about what they want to say at this moment. The performers should have been able to decide not only what language to perform in but also whether they want to perform Handel's music at all, who they want to collaborate with, and how they want to work together.