\Mu"sic dra`ma\
An opera in which the text and action are not interrupted by
set arias, duets, etc., the music being determined throughout
by dramatic appropriateness; musical drama of this character,
in general. It involves the use of a kind of melodious
declamation, the development of leitmotif, great orchestral
elaboration, and a fusion of poetry, music, action, and scene
into an organic whole. The term is applied esp. to the later
works of Wagner: ``Tristan und Isolde,'' ``Die
Meistersinger,'' ``Rheingold,'' ``Walk["u]re,''
``Siegfried,'' ``G["o]tterd["a]mmerung,'' and ``Parsifal.''