This essential idea, our definition of opera, is a form of staged music drama in which all or part of the text is sung (Resonances, p. 544). … If you’ve ever seen a musical (on stage or on screen) like Hamilton, Wicked, or Phantom of the Opera, you’ve seen and heard staged music drama. Other examples include Disney movies (there’s a story with characters, but it is interspersed with music) and even many music videos combine the music in the video with some kind of dramatic presentation. … Although combining drama and music seems like a natural fit and we encounter it a lot (again, Disney, certain music videos), combining these two different art forms proves more complicated than you might think.