Writing for a Musical

After seeing Amanda's post on songs v. short stories, the thought came to mind on where these two concepts meet. In the case of a musical, we have a story, or a scene of a story, being told to us through song. It is not done in the same manner as a artist or a band would write a song however. In that manner of writing, it is very similar to poetry in that the writer has to compress an idea or thought into only a few minutes. They rely heavily on figurative language and other ways to depict what they are attempting to say without spelling it out clearly for the reader, or listener. When we look at songwriting for a musical, there can also be usage of figurative language to add a deeper meaning to a concept, but there is the ability to be more straightforward. Because the song goes along witha scene, we are allowed the chance to depict everything that is around us and what is going on, in a more literal term, over making the reader/listener figure out for themselves what is going on. It can be written more as a conversation that is simply sung over spoken. For this example, I thought we would look at "Poor Thing" from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. A musical that may not immediately be thought of, for it's grotesqueness and darkness, but nonetheless, a great piece with interesting songs.

"Poor Thing" - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Lovett)

There was a barber and his wife.
And he was beautiful,
A proper artist with a knife,
but they transported him for life,
And he was beautiful

He had this wife, ya see.
Pretty little thing, silly little nit,
Had her chance on a moon on a string.
Poor thing
Poor thing

There was this judge, ya see.
Wanted her like mad,
Everyday he sent her a flower
But did she come down from her tower?
Sat up there and sulked by the hour
Poor thing
Ah, but there was worse yet to come
Poor thing!

Well, Beadle calls on her all polite
Poor thing
Poor thing
The judge, he tells her is all contrite
He blames himself for her dreadful plight
She must come straight to his house tonight!
Poor thing!
Poor thing!

Of course when she goes there
Poor thing!
Poor thing!
They're having this ball all in masks
There's no one she knows there!
Poor dear!
Poor thing!
She wonders, tormented and drinks
Poor thing!
The judge has repented, she thinks
Poor thing!
"Oh where is Judge Turpin?" she asks
He was there alright
Only not so contrite

She wasn't no match for such craft you see
And everyone thought it so droll
They figured she had to be daft ya see
So all of them stood there and laughed ya see
Poor Soul!
Poor thing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVPWoh8Iric

As we can see, this song isn't written about some abstract idea or leads the listener to dive deeper into themselves, but however, effectively moves the story along. It gives an opportunity in the movie to also create background information, adding all the important aspects of the past, without adding extra pieces that would only slow down the piece. If we read through the lyrics, we understand that the story is about a barber and his wife, but we are spared unneeded information of their life together, as the song is centered around the Judge's attack of the Barber's wife. While it is being sung from a different character, we get a sense that we are almost there, watching the story as it unravels. It is more of a story being told to us, in a conversational manner.

While there may not be a lot of use of figurative language, as it really isn't needed, there are other techniques being used and through the voice, we can sense the tone of the singer, Mrs. Lovett. Two of the main techniques work together; repetition and tone. Throughout the song we see a repetition of the phrase "poor thing". Through the repetition, we are told that the circumstances for the wife continue to get worse, and is rather unfair or brutual to the wife. The intention is to have sympathy for the wife for the outcome of her situation. However, when we listen to Mrs. Lovett tell the story, we sense a lack of sympathy at times. She is after the Barber's heart and therefore, in her voice we can sense the jealousy she has for her.

Another interesting effect in the song is the length of each line. Like poetry, the lengths of the lines help to determing the pace of the poem, or song. If we start at the beginning of the song, it is slow paced. Mrs. Lovett explains every scene with average sized lines and only returns to her phrase "poor thing" at the end. However, as the song and scene climax, the lengths of the lines become shorter. Every other line begins to become only a 2 word phrase: "poor thing". The reader/listener is given the sensation that the song and story have sped up, as the music inclines, and it gives the audience the sense of the rising action. The audience can also understand that there is a tension building up.

While many of us may not be writing musicals anytime soon, it is still good to know the difference between typical songwriting to musical writing. Musical writing is typically going to explain a certain scene or story within the piece. It has the ability to be more literal, and can be used to create flashbacks, background information, future scenes, and so on. While figurative language can be used as well, a useful technique can be watching the length of the lines, such as in "Poor Thing". For added dramatic effects this can be helpful to set the pace and overall feel for the audience.

-Adri