The Music of the Phantom of the Opera
Contents
Discover the music of the Phantom of the Opera with behind-the-scenes looks at the development of the score, interviews with the creative team, and more.
The Score
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. Based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, its central character is a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House, where he was once a student and caused the death of the lead soprano.
Themes
There are several themes in The Phantom of the Opera. Love is a central theme, as is music. There are also themes of good vs. evil, appearance vs. reality, and obsession.
The love story between the Phantom and Christine is perhaps the most obvious and important theme in the musical. The two characters are passionately in love with each other, but their relationship is fraught with obstacles. The Phantom is a disfigured outcast who lives in the shadows of the opera house, while Christine is a beautiful young singer who is adored by many. Their love for each other transcends their physical appearances, but ultimately the Phantom comes to realize that Christine can never truly be happy with him because of his deformity.
The theme of music is also very important in The Phantom of the Opera. Music is what brought the Phantom and Christine together and it is what sustains their relationship. Music is also what eventually leads to the downfall of the Phantom. He becomes so obsessed with making Christine into the perfect singer that he loses sight of what is truly important to him: her happiness.
The theme of good vs. evil is also present throughout the musical. The Phantom is clearly an evil character, but he also has some redeeming qualities. He loves Christine deeply and only wants her to be happy. On the other hand, Raoul appears to be a good guy at first, but he ultimately ends up betraying Christine’s trust.
The Opening
The Overture starts with a prologue in which the Phantom’s voice, deep and menacing, is heard singing “Prologue” as the opening chords are played. We then see the chandelier begin to swing back and forth as the music grows louder and more intense. The scenes that follow show the Phantom stalking Christine through the shadows of the opera house, his face hidden behind a mask. The music reflects his menacing presence with its suggestively dark and foreboding melody.
The Love Theme
The Love Theme, also known as “Music of the Night”, is one of the most popular and well-known tunes from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera. Composed by Lloyd Webber, with lyrics written by Charles Hart, the song is sung by the Phantom (played by Michael Crawford in the original London production), to Christine Daaé (Sarah Brightman), expressing his love for her. It is commonly regarded as one of Lloyd Webber’s finest pieces.
The Angel of Music
The Angel of Music is a fictional character from the Phantom of the Opera. He is a spirit that inhabits the Paris Opera House and mentors the Phantom in music. The Angel is based on the real-life figure of Erik, the Phantom of the Opera.
The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart. The book was originally co-written by Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe, and expanded by Lloyd Webber and Stacy Sullivan. It is based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux.
The musical tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the Paris Opéra House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with the lovely soprano Christine, who returns his affections only for her suitor, Raoul.
The phantom’s jealousy drives him to kidnap Christine and take her to his secret lair beneath the opera house. But as he strives to make Christine his bride, he finds himself caught up in a battle with Raoul for her very soul.
The original musical opened in London’s West End in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and went on to become one of Broadway’s longest-running musicals.
The Characters
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart. The book was written by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical opened in London’s West End in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988. It tells the story of a masked Phantom who falls in love with a beautiful soprano, Christine, and becomes obsessed with her.
Christine Daaé
Christine Daaé is the female protagonist in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. She is a young Swedish soprano and artist who has been taken under the wing of the titular character, known only as ‘The Phantom’. Christine is a beautiful and talented singer with a heart of gold. She is kind, caring and selfless, always putting others before herself. Although she is often terrified by the Phantom’s threats and antics, she cannot help but be drawn in by his enigmatic charm and power. Ultimately, Christine comes to realize that she has deep feelings for the Phantom, despite his dangerous and erratic behavior. Despite the danger, she takes a leap of faith and allows herself to be consumed by his love.
Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny
Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, is a young French nobleman and the deuteragonist from Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. He is the son of Comte Philippe de Chagny and Madame de Bonafonte. Raoul grew up alongside his younger sister, whom he adores very much. In the epilogue, it is mentioned that he later marrieddensity and became a father.
He first appears in Chapter 2 when he and his friend Richard celebrate their freedom from school by attending the opera. It is there where he first meets Christine Daaé, a beautiful soprano who captures his heart at first sight. From then on, Raoul becomes obsessively infatuated with Christine and goes to great lengths to see her again; even going as far as following her home in the middle of the night when she sneakily leaves the opera house after her late-night lessons with “the Angel of Music”.
The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart. The book was written by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical is based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux. It tells the story of a young soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a disfigured musical genius living in the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera House.
The phantom, using his powers to control the Paris Opera House, forces the managers to give Christine leading roles in the opera company and attempts to force her to marry him. When she refuses, he takes his revenge on everyone involved in the opera company, causing death and destruction throughout. Ultimately, Christine recognizes that her true love is Raoul de Chagny, a young vicomte (a French nobleman), and not the phantom. The phantom allows Christine and Raoul to escape before vanishing forever into the night.
The musical premiered in London’s West End in 1986, and its success led to productions in many cities around the world, including New York, Budapest, Vienna, Seoul, Tokyo and Toronto. The Broadway production opened in 1988 and ran for more than 13 years, becoming one of Broadway’s longest-running shows. It won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book of a Musical, and was also nominated for several other awards.
The Story
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart. The book was written by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical premiered in London’s West End in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical.
The Opera Populaire
The Opera Populaire was once the most celebrated opera house in Paris. But that was before a tragic accident claimed the life of its star singer, Christine Daaé.
Since then, the Opera Populaire has been plagued by strange happenings. Doors open and close by themselves. Candles blow out in the middle of the night. And some say they’ve seen the ghost of Christine’s late husband, Erik, lurking in the shadows.
Erik was a gifted musician, but he was also a reclusive man who lived in the catacombs beneath the opera house. Some say he was possessed by demons. Others say he was simply misunderstood.
Whatever the truth may be, one thing is certain: The phantom of the Opera is real, and he’s been haunting the Opera Populaire for years…
The Phantom’s Revenge
The Phantom’s Revenge is the eleventh song from The Phantom of the Opera. It is sung by the Phantom as he vows revenge on those who have wronged him. The song is a reprise of the earlier song “The Phantom of the Opera”, with different lyrics.
The song begins with the Phantom’s voice echoing in the darkness, as he swears revenge on those who have wronged him. He sings of how they will all suffer for their cruelty, and how he will make them pay for what they have done. The song builds to a climax, with the Phantom pledging to make them all regret the day they ever crossed him.
The Final Showdown
This is it. The final showdown between the Phantom and Raoul. The Phantom has kidnapped Christine and taken her to his lair beneath the Paris Opera House. Raoul has followed them and now demands that the Phantom release Christine. The Phantom agrees, but only if Raoul will duel him – pistols at 20 paces. Raoul agrees, not knowing that the Phantom has rigged the pistols so that only one will fire.
The two men face each other, their pistols raised. They count to three and then fire…but only one gun goes off. Raoul falls to the ground, mortally wounded. As he dies, he begs Christine to flee before the Phantom can hurt her too. She runs off into the night, leaving the Phantom alone in his lair…
The Legacy
Few musicals have been as successful as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. The title role, played by Michael Crawford on Broadway, became one of the most iconic in musical theater. The story, based on the Gaston Leroux novel, is set in the Paris Opera House in the late 1800s. The Phantom, a disfigured musical genius who hides in the Opera House, falls in love with the beautiful soprano Christine Daaé. When Christine’s fiance, Raoul, comes to the Opera House, the Phantom becomes jealous and takes Christine away to his lair.
The Broadway Musical
The Broadway musical “The Phantom of the Opera” premiered on October 9, 1988, at the Majestic Theatre. The show was directed by Harold Prince and starred Michael Crawford as the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine. “The Phantom of the Opera” went on to become one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, playing over 13,000 performances and winning seven Tony Awards. The success of the Broadway production led to productions all over the world, including in London’s West End, where it is still running.
The Film Adaptations
Since its inception, Phantom of the Opera has been adapted into multiple mediums including literature, film, and television. Gaston Leroux’s original novel was first adapted into a film in 1925 by Universal Pictures. This adaptation is largely responsible for the popular image of the Phantom wearing a half-mask. In 1943, Universal Pictures produced another adaptation starring Claude Rains as the titular character. This version was more faithful to Leroux’s novel and introduced elements that would become synonymous with the Phantom, such as his obsession with Christine Daaé and his operatic composition Don Juan Triumphant.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical was first adapted into a film in 2004 by Joel Schumacher. Gerard Butler starred as the Phantom opposite Emmy Rossum as Christine Daaé. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning over $154 million USD at the box office worldwide. It received mixed reviews from critics but Rossum’s performance as Christine was praised. In 2012, Webber’s musical was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning miniseries on PBS starring Chris Mann as the Phantom and Anna Andersson as Christine Daaé.
The Critical Reception
The Phantom of the Opera was met with mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic’s John Bush wrote that “[t]he songs are impeccably crafted popcraft, equal in detail to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s grandiose settings”, and that the album “[a]lternately sweeping and muscular, an imaginative pastiche of classic Hollywood romance themes as well as Gothic sounds”. In a more mixed review, Larry Flick from Billboard commented that “onto the project at hand, which is an epic production of classic proportions”. He also praised Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman’s vocal performances on the album, writing that they were “in rare form throughout”.
