The Music of the Night
original show tune written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe; from the 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera
"The Music of the Night" (also labelled as just "Music of the Night" and originally labeled as "Married Man") is a major song from the 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera. The music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. Initially made famous by Michael Crawford, the actor who originated the role of the Phantom both in the West End and on Broadway, "The Music of the Night" has appeared on many cast recordings of the musical, sold millions of copies worldwide, and has been translated into many languages.
Synopsis
"The Music of the Night" is sung immediately following "The Phantom of the Opera", after the Phantom lures Christine Daaé 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.
Composition
Sarah Brightman declared, at the London Royal Albert Hall concert in 1997, that the song was originally written by Andrew Lloyd Webber for her, the first time he met her.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “The Music of the Night” as original show tune written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe; from the 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as original show tune written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe; from the 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3988420. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1986 and 1997.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “The Music of the Night”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow The Music of the Night primary sources, The Music of the Night archive and Music research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The Music of the Night”?
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- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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This entry incorporates text from “The Music of the Night” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.