In 1896 when people saw the first motion picture someone played music to go along with it. This was the era of the silent movie meaning only that the actors did not speak. A musician played different music to show drama, the character types and the storyline. There was music to introduce war, indians, cowboys and other types to the scenes. There was special music to introduce the hero. Even the villain had his own musical pieces to identify him. Finally, in 1927 moviemakers figured out how to include a soundtrack on the film. The movie "The Jazz Singer" was the first musical where the audience could hear Al Jolson perform.