Definition

Noun: - A rock opera is a concept album or stage production that uses rock music to tell a dramatic story, often with thematic depth and through-composed elements, aspiring to artistic status beyond a simple collection of songs. The form first gained prominence in the late 1960s.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• The term is sometimes applied to any rock album with a unifying narrative or theme, though purists reserve it for works with a continuous, operatic story structure.
• It can describe a theatrical performance where the entire story is sung-through with rock music, similar to a traditional opera but in a contemporary musical style.

Variants and Related Words

• Rock musical: A related but often distinct form; a stage musical that primarily uses rock music, but may include more spoken dialogue and less through-composition than a rock opera.
• Concept album: A broader category; an album where all songs contribute to a single theme or narrative, which may or may not be a full rock opera.

Synonyms

• Rock drama
• Thematic rock album (for the recorded form)

Related Phrases

• To stage a rock opera: To produce a theatrical version of a rock opera.
  • The local theater company decided to stage a rock opera in the park.

Noun

1. albums of rock music that aspired to the status of art; first appeared in the 1960s