Have you been wondering how to play Phantom of the Opera violin music? Love the score of this beautiful musical, and want to learn it yourself?
Playing music sounds like a simple concept. But if you think about it further, it actually has an important artistic goal: to communicate ideas by deciphering the musical, philosophical and artistic meaning of the symbols on the page.
Like every classical art form, music has the essential function of showing the viewer or listener the meaning of life – through its sorrows, joys, struggles, and tragedies. Through this abstract representation and concentrated distillation of life, we experience what it means to be human.
So, what meanings can you find in Phantom of the Opera? And how does finding those meanings help you learn how to play Phantom of the Opera violin music?
Start by finding the meaning in the music
Regardless of what form art takes – whether it is painting, sculpture, music, or dance – beauty and sorrow, drama and conflict, narrative and resolution are tied to its very fabric. Hence, the innate need for direction, form and narrative appears – whether it is through a painting of the Greek tragic heroes of myth, or through the harmonic stress and dramatic resolution of a Beethoven symphony.
Similarly, regardless of what instrument you play, the goal of playing (and performing) remains the same: to communicate the ideas represented in the music. Of course, different music and composers have different functions and roles to play.
Some are deeply philosophical while others are lightly pleasing to the ear. Others show us a glimpse beyond the veil while others are robustly earthy. Each shows us different facets of character, life, and society. To show these characteristics musically becomes the challenge for the performer: this is where technique, analysis and interpretation cross paths.
Developing a greater understanding of the music and its purpose
Understanding what it is that you are playing and what function it has is a helpful place to start. Is it orchestral, chamber music, or solo? Was it originally composed for a solo instrument, such as the violin? Was it meant for a small, intimate audience, such as the salons in Vienna where Schubert played his lieder? Or is it for a large concert hall?
Understanding the differences in style of composition and performance enables one to build a solid technical foundation, which in turn enables one to develop the facility of technique to interpret various styles with individuality and variety.
When you start learning how to play Phantom of the Opera violin music, remember that the music does not fall into any of the categories of the Viennese classical masters mentioned above, but how one reads and interprets music remains the same. Admittedly, it does not have the same philosophical and artistic depth as, for example, Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion or Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, but its function is entirely different.
Here are some different directions that musicians have taken Phantom of the Opera violin music.
This version by Taylor Davis and Lara.
And this next version by Lindsey Stirling.
A closer look at Phantom of the Opera
However, we can use many of the same tools. What is its background and narrative, and what is its function? What was it written for? Music for Phantom of the Opera is not originally written for violin, so there will be some physically awkward passages, as with all transcriptions.
It was originally intended for voice and set to a musical, which is an entirely different singing style from classical opera, so the melody is also different from an Italian bel canto line, which our modern violins are able to imitate so beautifully. This means that the melody will not sit naturally on the violin either.
In such cases, pick up an entirely different piece originally written for violin by a skilled composer in order to understand the idiomatic uses of the violin and its corresponding techniques. For example, Corelli, Handel, Bach, Gemianini’s Art of Playing the Violin – any of them are excellent places to look. This will help you to develop greater bow control and musicality necessary to approach other pieces that may not necessarily be written idiomatically for the violin.
Understanding the background
It is also helpful to know the background story and context of any piece. For Phantom of the Opera, it is based on a French novel by Gaston Leroux which was inspired by actual historical events in Paris’ opera house during the nineteenth century combined with elements of the uncanny from Weber’s opera Der Freischütz.
Design for the Wolf’s Glen for Der Freischütz (1822, Weimar)
Weber’s opera was written in 1841, which is during the height of Romanticism, an era that expanded and honed in on the idea of the self, the unconscious, the immortal beloved, and arcadia. Leroux’ story contains all of these elements: Erik, simultaneously the “opera ghost” and “Angel of Music,” is stuck in the opera house, unable to escape and whose inner complexes become a part of the external fabric of reality; and Christine, the young Swedish opera singer who represents new life, youth and purity to this “ghost,” so that he consequently becomes obsessed with her in his desire to obtain the unattainable.
Christine has two suitors: one whom she knows since childhood, and who represents stability, sameness and security; and the Opera Ghost, whom she overlaps with her childhood memories of her father’s stories of the “Angel of Music,” and from whom she derives musical inspiration.
The musical and its corresponding music was written for the theater
Coincidentally, the original story of the Phantom of the Opera itself is set in the theater and much of the imagery and symbolism in the narrative are tied to musical motifs. Much of popular movie, theater or entertainment music is simply a watered-down version of fundamental harmonies and contrapuntal techniques. Oftentimes, it uses certain musical elements for a particular effect, such as a repetitive beat, catchy harmonic sequences (such as the circle of fifths), effective harmonic colors and modulations, or recognizable musical motifs associated with a particular character.
Knowing and hearing harmony
Knowing and hearing harmony are helpful in hearing direction, drama and narrative in any piece, whether it is abstract or literal. In the case of much movie music, there are oftentimes very telling harmonic changes and sequences that correspond with a particular plot twist.
Recognizing them will help you pin down which phrases are interesting dramatically and narratively and put them in a larger context. With all music, recognize and know where all the cadences are, find the larger nested harmonic phrases, and look for rhythmic and melodic interest and motives.
Start with the fundamentals, and go from there…
As with anything, starting with the fundamentals will help you build a solid foundation, like a house built on rock. The winds will come and storms will blow, but your music will stand firm.
Akiko Kobayashi