Music

What is music? Where does it come from? How is it inspired? The word music itself is a Greek word derived from “mousa” or muse. In Greek mythology, muses were believed to be a sisterhood of goddesses or spirits, who embodied the arts and inspired creation in song, stage, writing, music, and dance.

Music has the innate power to touch the depths of our souls and cause emotion to well up inside of us. It changes the way we feel and behave. It brings us joy, exuberant feelings, sadness, melancholy, inspiration, motivation, rest, beauty, and even healing.

The Bible speaks of the power of music in I Samuel 16:23, “And whenever the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand, and Saul would be relieved and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.” Have you ever heard the statement “music has charms to soothe the savage beast?” Perhaps that is why the Phantom was given the gift of being a musical genius - to soothe the savage beast within him.

The Phantom understands the power of his gift of music, and he uses it to his advantage. Music is his tool to touch Christine’s mind and soul. He entices her with it, seduces her with it, and bids her into his world with it, entices her to give into the power of his music. He wants her to be one with him in music. He desires her alone to make his song take flight and help him make the music of the night. He gives to Christine the best of who he is - his music. She confesses how his music has touched her to Raoul on the rooftop.

Music is created from the heart of man and is molded by his emotion, and such was the score the Phantom writes in Don Juan Triumphant (which we will discuss in another post). Andrew Lloyd Webber uses music to touch us with the story of the Phantom of the Opera, by composing a powerful and haunting musical score to tell his story. Frankly, I think it’s genius that the genius of music, the Phantom, has been immortalized for us in a musical!

Why the violin picture? In Leroux's original work, three individuals play the violin. Christine Daae's father is an excellent violinist. Gustav Daae taught Raoul to play the violin as a child; and, of course, the Opera Ghost played his "enchanted violin."

How does music influence your life? What symbols do you see in the music in the Phantom's life? Have you ever been inspired or moved by the music in the Phantom of the Opera?

Sincerely,
The Phantom's Student

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