Shakespeare and Music

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the historical background of music in the Shakespearean era and discusses how and why music was used in Shakespeare's works. It looks at how Shakespeare used music in most of his plays as a dramatic device to effectively evoke certain moods and sometimes to reflect the state of minds of some characters. The type of music used by the playwright as well as some examples of music in specific plays are also described.

Outline
Historical Background of Music in the Shakespearean Era
Music in Shakespeare's Plays
Vocal Songs
Ballads
Instrumental Music
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Instrumental music has been sparingly used in Shakespeare's plays, in part because of the lack of facilities for such music to be played in performances other than at the Court. Hence in plays performed at the court such as the Twelfth Night and The Tempest we find nearly three times the amount of music normally present in Shakespeare's plays. In these plays, Shakespeare may have had the services of court singers and instrumentalists. In public theater productions, instrumental music was normally provided by a trumpeter, a wind player who doubled on shawm, and a couple of string players who were competent at the violin, viol, and lute. (Springfels) Therefore, the use of instrumental music in most of Shakespeare's plays is sparse."

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