The Music of the Night

"The Music of the Night" (also labeled as just "Music of the Night") is a song from the popular 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera. The music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Charles Hart. It has appeared on multiple soundtracks of the musical, such as the original cast version in which English actor Michael Crawford sings the song.

History/performances

Initially made famous by Michael Crawford, the actor who originated the role of the Phantom both in the West End and on Broadway, the popular song has sold millions of copies worldwide and has been translated into many different languages. The Really Useful Group filmed a video starring Crawford and Sarah Brightman (who did not sing), which featured the original lyrics to the song. Crawford later recorded the song as duet with Barbra Streisand for her album "Back to Broadway" (1993). This version of the song also appears on her greatest duets album.

In the musical, it is sung after the Phantom lures Christine Daaé down 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.

The Night

The Night may refer to:

See also

Of the Night

"Of the Night" is a song by British indie rock band Bastille, released on 11 October 2013 as the lead single from All This Bad Blood (2013), a reissue of their debut studio album Bad Blood (2013). The song debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, and has also charted in several other countries.

The song was covered by Ellie Goulding at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.

Background and release

"Of the Night" is a mash up of two 1990s dance hit songs, the 1993 hit "The Rhythm of the Night" by Italian Eurodance act Corona and the 1992 hit "Rhythm Is a Dancer" by German Eurodance group Snap!. The song was first featured on Bastille's mixtape Other People's Heartache, which was released in 2012 as a free download.

"Of the Night" was later used in a promotional trailer for the eighth series of ITV's Dancing on Ice in January 2013. It received its first radio play on Huw Stephens' BBC Radio 1 show on 9 October 2013, and was released digitally on 11 October 2013. On 15 November 2013, Of the Night EP was released, featuring three remixes of the song and a live recording of "Oblivion".

Music

Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound and silence. The common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics (loudness and softness), and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture (which are sometimes termed the "color" of a musical sound). Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and with vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping, and there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses"). In its most general form, the activities describing music as an art form include the production of works of music (songs, tunes, symphonies, and so on), the criticism of music, the study of the history of music, and the aesthetic examination of music. Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it is music to my ears" point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, "There is no noise, only sound."

Night

Night or nighttime (sp. night-time or night time) is the period of time between the sunset and the sunrise when the Sun is below the horizon.

This occurs after dusk. The opposite of night is day (or "daytime" to distinguish it from "day" as used for a 24-hour period). The start and end points of time of a night vary based on factors such as season, latitude, longitude and timezone.

At any given time, one side of the planet Earth is bathed in light from the Sun (the daytime) and the other side of the Earth is in the shadow caused by the Earth blocking the light of the sun. This shadow is called the umbra. Natural illumination is still provided by a combination of moonlight, planetary light, starlight, diffuse zodiacal light, gegenschein, and airglow. In some circumstances, bioluminescence, aurorae, and lightning can provide some illumination. The glow provided by artificial illumination is sometimes referred to as light pollution because it can interfere with observational astronomy and ecosystems.