C.) Music

Stephen Sondheim composed the music for the original musical “Sweeney Todd” and this music is used in the film. The compositional style of Sondheim’s music in the film has been compared to the French composer Maurice Ravel (who was an impressionist composer- ie creating visual impressions through the music) and also Bernard Herrmann, who composed the music for the most famous of all traditional horror movies - those by Alfred Hitchcock, for example, "Psycho". We recognize that style of music from the genre of his horror films and so identify with the genre and understand that this is going to be a horror film.  

Stephen Sondheim’s original score for the musical was re-orchestrated by the stage musical's original orchestrator, Jonathan Tunick. He increased the orchestra from twenty-seven musicians to seventy-eight and this creates a larger, more cinematic feel appropriate for the film.

Prior to the opening sequence is a loud organ introduction for the “Dreamworks” logo. It is intensely dramatic, in the minor key and sets the scene for the opening title sequence.

The music used in the opening title sequence is orchestral and opens with a repeating triplet motif in an ostinato-like form. This is in the lower register of upper strings as the camera pans across the skyline of London. The key is not established which creates a sense of uncertainty and tension. If Sondheim had used a major key this would have created a mood of positivity and cheerfulness and contrasting this, using a minor key would have created a dark soulful tonality. The uncertain tonality and key of the music adds to the sense of unease and dread the Director, Tim Burton wants us to feel as the opening title sequence unfolds.

Stephen Sondheim has used the repeating triplet motif to create a feeling of persistent moving forward which keeps us on edge. It also anticipates and suggests the plot of the film - that of Todd’s sole purpose of moving relentlessly towards the ultimate goal of killing the Judge. We recognise and identify repetitiveness and relentlessness in a musical motif as creating a feeling of anticipation, horror and fear. The repetitive motif in the film “Jaws”:  duuh…..d- duuh.….d- duuh….d- is another good example of this technique being used.

A quiet low pedal interval of a fifth in the lower wind and strings begins, contrasting with the repeating triplet motif above. This dark tonal colour enhances the sense of doom with additional dissonant (clashing) notes to add tension. The dark sinister tonal colour of celli and bassi lowers from a fifth to an augmented fourth (or tritone) against the tonic. The augmented fourth is one of the most dissonant musical intervals in music and was named "diabolus in musica" - "the devil in music" in Renaissance times.  In those days composing music was very much an act of praising God, so as it sounded “unpleasant” and “un-godly” the augmented fourth was banned in Renaissance church music. When Sondheim uses the augmented fourth in Sweeney Todd we subconsciously understand that this interval has a “non-church” or “ungodly” like sound and that as the film unfolds we will follow a story of “ungodliness” ie murder and butchery of the very worst kind.

The augmented fourth interval is in sync with the bolt of lightning and crash of thunder combining several techniques at once - music, diegetic sound and the bright white contrasting colour of the lightning. This combination of techniques adds to the dramatic effect at this point and gives us the sense that there will be some dramatic events during the film.

As the camera zooms into the window the upper strings enter with a held interval of a fourth, building the texture and with the higher pitch highlighting fear and eeriness. This music intensifies and crescendos (gets louder) as we see the barber’s chair and this musical technique makes us realise that the barber’s chair is going to be a key focal point in the film.

As the camera cuts inside the flute begins a simple melody playing around the dominant note (5^th) of the scale with the held fifth chord underneath in the bass. This melody also has ambiguity like the start, because as a listener we can’t tell if it is in the major (happy) or minor (sad) key as there is no third clearly stated. It is the third in a chord that creates a minor or major triad (chord).

As the shot passes the armrest on the barber’s chair, the bass note moves to chord six of the key finally making it clear that we are in minor (sad, eerie, scary) key.  Stephen Sondheim has used the harmonic structure of the flute’s simple melody to portray the contrasting parts of Todd’s life: his happy past with his wife and child, then his sadness at his loss of them and the eerie revenge he is going to take.

After the image of the chair there are dissonant chords with a clear high pitched theme on top in the flute, piccolo and clarinet. This threatening and menacing music suggests the idea of danger, which is reflected in the shot showing blood dripping on the cogs beneath the chair. The music continues to intensify with a lot of dissonance with the colours of the orchestra used very effectively, even to the extent of using voices and organ. This is interesting because there are no people shown in the opening title sequence so when voices are introduced that subtly introduces the idea of the characters and not just the images of things and places.

The music builds up and the brass instruments (trumpet, trombone etc.) come in and increase in volume (crescendo) to when the title appears on the screen. The brass play the theme tune and this has great impact as the tonal quality of brass instruments is loud and dominant. Also brass instruments often play at important state occasions for heralding the entry of important state figures etc. This technique of choosing the brass to play at this point lends pomp and importance to the title appearing on the screen and our emotional response is to realise that this is an important moment.

There are more dissonant high-pitched intense chords with a high note in the violins. Then the main theme comes back with added choir singing in octaves on top adding to the texture. The mood creates the feeling something very bad is happening and we feel horror. There is also the conflict with the feeling of evil and sinful against the “church like” music.

The continuing ostinato (repeating motif) gives us the feeling of relentless driving. I think Stephen Sondheim has the intention of showing in the music, Sweeney Todd’s character relentlessly heading towards killing the judge.

When the pies are shown on the screen there is a build up of urgency in the brass as they come in with a two-note motif (repeated pattern) that increases in volume. This emphasises the images we see with a build up to what eventually is the slamming of the oven door.  This increase in intensity as the repeated pattern gets louder has the effect of making us sit up in our chairs waiting for the climax.

This happens when the door slams and the brass play an accented bass note down many octaves to the tonic of the chord. The tonic of the chord is the “home note”- or final note in a piece or musical phrase. Sondheim has effectively emphasized and coordinated this sense of finality with the imagery on the screen - showing the sewers - the very bottom. Contrasting this are the high screeches in the strings picture painting in the music - the mice scuttling around and squeaking.

Overall the music is used very effectively in the opening title sequence. It helps set the scene, the mood and tone and to help us understand the genre of the film. It underpins our emotional responses to the images we see.