Musics Contribution to Sweeney Todd - Essay Example

The musical in the film is used to tell the story of Sweeny Todd. The first and the second scenes have a musical effect that gives more information on the life of Sweeny and how the activities that happen around him have shaped his life. Music is used to build emotions and create an interaction between the audience and the characters (Wheeler).

In the first scene, the music played in the background; “No Place like London” depicts London as an amazing place, and makes the audience keen to learn more about the city. The events that take place show the transition from one city to the other. Sweeny Todd and his companion Anthony are coming back to London after being away for such a time. Anthony is genuinely happy but Todd does not seem enthusiastic. The music played describes London and sets the mood of the play. Wooten in his book ‘The Music Lesson’ suggests that there is a connection between music and the audience (30). Music helps to create the overall mood of the play and brings a connection with the audience. This relation is important in capturing the attention of the audience.

The next scene features Anthony, a character in the play, walking down the lane. He is captivated by the exquisite blonde woman singing through the window. She is singing to the caged birds and wonders why they are caged and yet they sing so happily. The song ‘Green Finch and Linnet Bird’ attracts Anthony and he develops an interest in the woman and wants to rescue her. According to the book, ‘This is your Brain on Music’, the author, Daniel Levitin opines that there is a strong psychological relationship between music and the people who relate to it (40). In this case, the music sung by Todd’s daughter captivated the young gentleman and he made plans to woo her. Music speaks to the heart and affects the way people think and reason.

The scenes use music to depict the effect that it has in the play. Music is a powerful tool in literature. It helps to create moods, themes, attitudes, and emotions. A combination of the pitches, rhythms, and timbres affects the brain and makes the event more memorable (Wotten 23). The lyrics in music are carefully selected to relay the necessary information in the best way possible. They make the audience get the concept and the flow of the play. It is a powerful tool for the creation of memorable events (Levitin 55).
In conclusion, music is a powerful tool in the theater. The play acted by Johnny Depp is a musical thriller and the effect is created by the variations in the pitches, the tone used, the rhythm, and the timbre. Emotions are greatly related to the type of music one listens to, this makes the audience relate with the characters and put themselves in their shoes. Read More