Question: what is the term for a song in a book musical that does not advance the plot?

trying to remember the academic term...for example, if Happy Birthday is sung in a show simply to give background (but not to move plot, expose character, etc)
Anyone know?
Thanks -

^I was gonna say Frank Wildhorn. (Even though I love him.)

A Big Lipped Alligator Moment?

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very funny, especially Blaxx "BRKLYN"

anyway, the term is something like an "exegesis" song...or something like that... any ideas?

Could it be similar to subordinate clauses in Shakespeare?

Thanks GavestonPS, but there is a technical term for a song that is kind of like background music that does not fit those categories...
like when a character is whistling Jingle Bells (because it happens to be Christmas during that scene) or the music being played by a band or on a radio (because it's just there to set the scene for a certain time period) that is in the book musical, but is not OF the songs sung by characters to advance the story...that's the term I know has a name, but can't remember.

In a musical theatre class I took back in college, my professor would use the term "diegetic" meaning a song occurred as part of the story's action. A song that was "non-diegetic" took place outside the action or outside the established "world" of the story.

EDIT: my bad, someone beat me to it. Apologies!

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Updated On: 12/12/12 at 10:13 PM

Thanks, Lyls3637!

(edit: I guess the thread goes two years back, yet it seems more recent to me...)

Mood music?

Presentational = songs sung to the audience e.g. Cabaret, the Follies songs, Magic to Do, It's a Typical Day in Li'l Abner. I've never heard a specific term for toss-away songs sung in the context of a scene e.g. Happy Birthday.

There's also theory in terms of songs being "plot-movers" versus "plot-stoppers."

A "plot-mover" is a song that moves the plot, so that things are at a different point at the end of the song than they were when the song began. A "plot-stopper," arguably the vast majority of theatre songs, pauses the dramatic action to explore a moment, either to enter the nuances of the characters' thoughts and emotions at that moment, or to make a big deal of that particular moment.

Let's look at Sweeney Todd. Plot-movers include "No Place Like London" (introduces all characters), "Poor Thing" (Sweeney learns his wife's tragedy) and "The Contest" (Sweeney wins a bet and earns the wrath of Pirelli). Plot-stoppers include "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" (Joanna's character is explored), "Judge's Johanna" (Judge battles his urges to a standstill), or "Not While I'm Around" (Toby and Lovett both express their mixed emotional attachment and distrust).

That's a more complicated piece, being almost all sung-through. In a show like Hello Dolly, the difference between plot movers and plot stoppers (the title song stopping the plot MASSIVELY for a big production number) is much easier to delineate. Remember: Not all plot stoppers are bad things, nor are all plot-movers automatically good.

A "charm song" is something like an "I want" song but not so specific. It's a song that gives you a better feel for a character and their personality, but may not lay out their motivation.