The Ballad of Sweeney Todd
E523694
"The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is the dark, choral prologue and recurring musical motif that sets the grim tone and narrates the legend in Stephen Sondheim's musical *Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*.
Statements (39)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
choral piece
ⓘ
prologue ⓘ song ⓘ |
| appearsInAct | Act I ⓘ |
| associatedCharacter |
Mrs. Lovett
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Sweeney Todd NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWorkBookWriter | Hugh Wheeler NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWorkCreator | Stephen Sondheim NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| composer | Stephen Sondheim NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| dramaticFunction | Greek-chorus-style commentary ⓘ |
| firstPerformanceWork | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstPerformanceYear | 1979 ⓘ |
| functionInMusical |
narration of legend
ⓘ
prologue ⓘ recurring motif ⓘ |
| genre | musical theatre ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| lyricist | Stephen Sondheim NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| musicalFeature |
choral chanting
ⓘ
ostinato ⓘ reprise ⓘ |
| musicalType |
choral
ⓘ
dark ⓘ |
| narrativeRole |
establishes setting
ⓘ
foreshadows violence ⓘ introduces main character ⓘ |
| originalProductionCity | New York City NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| originalProductionLocation | Broadway NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| originalProductionTheatre | Uris Theatre NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOfWork | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| reappearsAs | reprise in later scenes ⓘ |
| recurringTheme |
legend and myth
ⓘ
urban horror ⓘ vengeance ⓘ |
| setsMoodFor | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subjectMatter | legend of Sweeney Todd ⓘ |
| tone | grim ⓘ |
| vocalForces |
chorus
ⓘ
ensemble ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.