Music in Gaston Leroux‘s “The Phantom of the Opera“ - The original Phantom soundtrack
Music has always been an integral part of „The Phantom of the Opera“. Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber came along, Gaston Leroux put together his own „soundtrack“ for his novel and wove it into the story. He was very familiar with opera and often used music as a device of foreshadowing or adding subtext.
I have put together a playlist containing the most important pieces from the novel which can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3N3HOQcCzKIH0D4UROxO0N?si=VYjQlsvsQ0OUQZD1dFt0gQ&dl_branch=1
For those who don‘t have Spotify, there are youtube links included as well. The songs are listed in order of appearance in the novel, and I have added a bit of background information for each piece. Enjoy 🌹!
1. „Ouverture“ from „Le roi de Lahore“ by Jules Massenet
In Chapter 1, the body of Joseph Buquet is found hanging from a set piece from „Le roi de Lahore“. Lahore is the capital of the Punjab, a province in what is now Pakistan (formerly India). Buquet was strung up on said set piece using the „punjab“ lasso. In this opera, a young priestess falls in love with the voice of a man who speaks to her in her room without showing himself, and commits suicide at the end to evade a forced marriage to his enemy.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/mFc6_EHqAjk
2. „Danse macabre“ by Camille Saint-Saëns
The famous „Danse Macabre“ is part of the gala night programme. The piece is originally based on a poem by Henri Cazalis and is dominated by a solo violin. Its theme of „dancing with death“ ties in very well with the novel as a whole.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/G-KSTWO5ir0
3. and 4. „Valse Lente“ from „Coppélia“ and „Pizzicato“ from „Sylvia“, both by Léo Delibes
Those pieces are also part of the gala night programme. In the novel, Leroux lists them as the „Pizzicati“ from „Coppélia“ and the „Valse Lente“ from „Sylvia“, but he apparently confused the two ballets, since there are no „Pizzicati“ in „Coppélia“ - but there is a famous Pizzicato in „Sylvia“. „Coppélia“ is a ballet about an automaton magically coming to life.
Watch on youtube: Coppélia: https://youtu.be/sVdf-1rgLzE, Sylvia: https://youtu.be/We7KAkWJow8
5. and 6. „Finale“ from „Roméo et Juliette“ by Charles Gounod (Part 1 + 2)
„Roméo et Juliette“ is the one of the most significant operas used in „Phantom“, together with „Faust“ and „Otello“. The finale is sung by Christine during her triumphant gala night performance. The line quoted („Seigneur! Seigneur! Pardonnez-nous!“) is the very last line of the opera. The intertwined themes of love and death and also the liebestod motif are reflected in Leroux‘s novel.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/SnObknpiPQ0
7. „Vous qui faites l‘endormie“ from „Faust“ by Charles Gounod
When Box Five is sold to the public against Erik‘s wishes, he takes revenge by kindly letting the husband sitting there know that his wife is making out with her lover behind his back, causing a brawl between the two men. To insinuate the wife‘s infidelity, he references several lines from Mephisto‘s aria that is sung on stage at that time.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/LO98x1ASbLM
8. „Lorsqu‘à toi je me suis donnée“ from „La Juive“ by Jacques Fromental Halévy
This part of „La Juive“ is sung and referred to by Madame Giry, while she is questioned about the opera ghost by the managers. However, the first part „Près de celle qui j‘aime“, while being mentioned in the synopsis on wikipedia, seems to be missing from the recordings I was able to find.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/PcnUmYcZxf4
9. „Faites-lui mes aveux“ from „Faust“ by Charles Gounod
During the „cursed“ performance which ends with croaking Carlotta and the fall of the chandelier, Christine plays the role of Siebel, the young man who is Faust‘s rival for the affections of Marguerite (played by Carlotta). She sings this piece - also known as the „flower aria“ - when she suddenly notices Raoul in the audience, and her voice starts to falter.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/zdS6kiWz-g0
10. „Nuit d‘hymenée“ from „Roméo et Juliette“ by Charles Gounod
After the masked ball, when Erik comes to meet Christine in her dressing-room, he sings the „wedding night song“ while he is walking through the secret passages and Christine follows him through the mirror. Originally, this is the song that Romeo and Juliet sing to each other during their wedding night. This is probably the most romantic and erotic duet used in the entire novel. The line „La destinée m‘enchaîne à toi sans retour/Destiny binds me to you forever“ (in Leroux, intentionally or not, given as „you to me“) is repeated three times in the novel, charging it with significance.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/_X8LsHwJXfA
11. „Canzone del salice“ from „Otello“ by Gioachino Rossini
When Erik brings Christine to his house for the first time, he sings for her until she falls asleep, starting with the „Canzone del salice“ from „Otello“ - a lament about the cruelty of love. This aria is originally sung by Desdemona. Due to the introductory harp solo being mentioned by Christine and the story being set before 1885, the piece must be from Rossini‘s „Otello“, not the more famous Verdi opera.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/eHZ6FoKhi2w
12. „Ouverture“ from „Don Giovanni“ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
„Don Giovanni“ is only mentioned by Erik, when Christine asks him to play from his own „Don Juan Triumphant“, as the version he would rather play her instead since his „Don Juan“ is too consuming and would be „unhealthy“ for her. Erik does not seem to hold Mozart‘s version in very high regard.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/3vnu-xOAM-Q
13. „Notte per me funesta“ from „Otello“ by Gioachino Rossini
During the unmasking scene, Christine (as Desdemona) is expecting to be murdered by Otello, and is actually enticed by the idea. Since „Notte per me funesta“ is the dramatic duet that ends with Otello stabbing Desdemona, I assume that this is the duet they are singing in this scene.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/GsV7y5spyQk (this also includes the preceding duets, which were possibly sung as well)
14. „Finale“ from „Faust“ by Charles Gounod
When Erik abducts Christine from the stage, she is singing the final trio from Faust, imploring the angels to take her soul to heaven. The ambiguity of the „angel“ is clearly used here by Leroux, as the „Angel of Music“ is the one taking her away instead. The final trio is preceded by the duet „oui, c‘est moi, je t‘aime“ from the prison scene, which was also used in the Charles Dance version.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/i2C4ezHUF1I
15. „Dies irae“ from „Requiem“ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Following Philippe‘s death, Erik sings the „Dies irae“ from the requiem mass. It is not certain if the piece is really Mozart‘s, but this requiem was very widely used in funeral masses. The „dies irae“ itself is a chant dating back to medieval times. The „dies irae“ has also been incorporated into Erik‘s bedroom decor in the form of a wall hanging with the notes on it.
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/FGqoU9NIjZw
16. „Presago il core della tua condanna“ from „Aida“ by Giuseppe Verdi
This is a bonus track because it is not from the Leroux novel, but from „Phantom“ by Susan Kay. It is one of the pieces that is significant to Erik‘s and Christine‘s relationship. One of the quotes that Christine is buried with is from this duet („Foreseeing your condemnation into this tomb, in your arms I wish to die“).
Watch on youtube: https://youtu.be/FrfORI1BClQ
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