The Parables and Miracles of Jesus Christ: A Musical Drama

Abstract

This dissertation presents a musical drama for narration, choir, and orchestra. First, it examines the definition and the history of musical drama and its influence on Christian life from the perspective of theology and music ministry. Whereas the term "musical drama" could have a broad meaning, it is defined here as a work in which narration plays a major role while music seeks to enhance and reinforce the message of the word, and even exegetes it. Hence the present work can be regarded as a musical exegesis of the twelve biblical natives. Second, this dissertation briefly explains the twelve pieces of the musical drama regarding their theological meaning, musical devices, harmonic structure, and symbolism. While some pieces are intended to mimic as real as possible the physical sound and noise that must have been heard two thousand years ago, some other pieces are intended to depict musically the psychological state of the characters. Frequently symbolism is applied as a tool to describe the narrative. Finally, it is notable that this work, if performed in various languages, can be a powerful means for world mission; it could also enliven Christian souls; if it were to be performed in a concert by live orchestra, a specific genre of Christian culture could be initiated; this work also could be a meaningful resource for Christian education by helping youth understand the biblical narratives easily.