The Music of the Night

"The Music of the Night" (also labelled as just "Music of the Night" and originally labeled as "Married Man") is a major song from the 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera. The music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe.[1] Initially made famous by Michael Crawford, the actor who originated the role of the Phantom both in the West End and on Broadway,[2] "The Music of the Night" has appeared on many cast recordings of the musical,[3] sold millions of copies worldwide, and has been translated into many languages.

Synopsis

"The Music of the Night" is sung after the Phantom lures Christine Daaé to his lair beneath the Opera House. He seduces Christine with "his music" of the night, his voice putting her into a type of trance. He sings of his unspoken love for her and urges her to forget the world and life she knew before. The Phantom leads Christine around his lair, eventually pulling back a curtain to reveal a mannequin dressed in a wedding gown resembling Christine. When she approaches it, it suddenly moves, causing her to faint. The Phantom then carries Christine to a bed, where he lays her down and goes on to write his music.

Composition

Sarah Brightman declared, at the London Royal Albert Hall concert in 1997,[4] that the song was originally written by Andrew Lloyd Webber for her, the first time he met her. That version had different lyrics and was called "Married Man". The lyrics were later rewritten, and the song was added to The Phantom of the Opera.

A year before The Phantom Of The Opera opened at Her Majesty's Theatre, the original version of the song was performed at Andrew Lloyd Webber's own theatre at Sydmonton, along with the first drafts of the show.[5] The audience were a specially gathered group of Webber's acquaintances. The Phantom was played by Colm Wilkinson.[6] The lyrics were very different from the ones used in the three variations of the song, as lyricist Charles Hart had not yet become involved in the project.

Due to similarities between the song and a recurring melody in Giacomo Puccini's 1910 opera, La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West), the Puccini estate filed lawsuit against Webber, accusing him of plagiarism. An agreement was settled out of court, and details were not released to the public.[7]

Recordings

To promote The Phantom of the Opera's opening in London, the production's producers, The Really Useful Group, filmed a video starring Crawford and Sarah Brightman (who did not sing).

The song has also been covered by many artists.

Michael Crawford version
"The Music of the Night / Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"
Single by Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman
from the album The Phantom of the Opera
A-side"Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"
ReleasedDecember 29, 1986 (1986-12-29)[10]
GenreStage & Screen
Length5:12
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)Andrew Lloyd Webber
Producer(s)Andrew Lloyd Webber
Sarah Brightman singles chronology
"All I Ask of You"
(1986)		 "The Music of the Night / Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"
(1986)		 "Doretta's Dream"
(1987)

Polydor released "The Music of the Night" by Michael Crawford and "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" by Sarah Brightman as a double A-side single on 29 December 1986.[10] The single was released to promote the upcoming musical The Phantom of the Opera.

UK 7" Single [POSP 803][11]
No.TitleLength
1."The Music of the Night"5:12
2."Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"2:57


UK 12" Single [POSPX 803][12]

No.TitleLength
1."The Music of the Night"5:12
2."All I Ask of You"4:05
3."Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"3:05
4."The Phantom of the Opera"4:17

Charts
Chart (1987) Peak

Position

UK Singles (OCC) 7[13]

Barbra Streisand & Michael Crawford version
"The Music of the Night"
Single by Barbra Streisand and Michael Crawford
from the album Back to Broadway
B-side"Children Will Listen"
Released15 January 1993
Genre
Length5:37
LabelColumbia Records
Songwriter(s)
Barbra Streisand singles chronology
"Speak Low"
(1993)		 "The Music of the Night"
(1993)		 "As If We Never Said Goodbye"
(1994)

In 1993, American singer Barbra Streisand and British actor Michael Crawford released a duet version of "The Music of the Night". It is taken from Streisand's twenty-sixth studio album, Back to Broadway (1993), and peaked at number 54 on the UK Singles Chart.

Critical reception

The duet received favorable reviews from music critics. Ron Fell from the Gavin Report declared it as "the year's most triumphant duet".[14] British Lennox Herald wrote, "Familiar song which might be a hit again, given the high profiles of both stars."[15] Pan-European magazine Music & Media said it's "easily the most beautifully executed song" off the Back To Broadway album, adding, "It will hypnotise anyone with a taste for real voices into playing it."[16] A reviewer from People Magazine found that Streisand, "crossing cadenzas with Broadway's first Phantom", Michael Crawford "goes for grandeur instead of intimacy and winds up with grandiosity."[17] The Stage stated that they both are "squeezing the last drop" out of "Music of the Night".[18] Richard Harrington from The Washington Post declared it as "an anthemic duet in which Crawford's warm, theatrical subtlety is overwhelmed by Streisand's undiminishable power (just listen to her attempt to make real the phrase "tremulous and tender")."[19]

Charts
Chart (1994) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) 54

See also

References
  1. "License Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical The Phantom of the Opera". The Musical Company. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  2. Fierberg, Ruthie (27 January 2018). "Read the Original Reviews From The Phantom of the Opera's 1988 Broadway Bow". Playbill. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  3. "The Phantom of the Opera". CastAlbums.org. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  5. Edwardes, Charlotte (23 April 2013). "Andrew Lloyd-Webber: the Government won't talk to me because they think I'm 'unhip'. David Cameron didn't even return my call". Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  6. "Trivia about Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera". The Musical Company. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  7. Ouzounian, Richard (2 January 2006). "Aspects of Andrew". Toronto Star – via EBSCOHost Research Database.
  8. Tenor Mauro Calderón (11 January 2018). "Mauro Calderón The Latin Classical-pop tenor For The World". Mauro Calderón Music. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021 – via YouTube.
  9. Tenor Mauro Calderón (26 February 2018). "'Music of the night' (A.L.Webber)/Phantom of the Ópera sings: Mauro Calderón". Mauro Calderón Music. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021 – via YouTube.
  10. "Michael Crawford - The Music Of The Night / Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again". 45cat. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  11. "Michael Crawford / Sarah Brightman - The Music Of The Night / Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again". Discogs. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  12. "Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Steve Barton, Andrew Lloyd Webber - Phantom Of The Opera (Special Edition 4 Track 12")". Discogs. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  13. "the music of the night/wishing you were somehow here again | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  14. Fell, Ron (17 September 1993). "A/C: New Releases" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 30. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  15. Lennox Herald. 14 January 1994. p. 22.
  16. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 22 January 1994. p. 9. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  17. "Picks and Pans Review: Back to Broadway". People. 19 July 1993. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  18. The Stage. 9 December 1993. p. 36.
  19. Harrington, Richard (27 June 1993). "Streisand's Return: Nothing Subtle, Nothing New". The Washington Post. p. G06.
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