Classical Music Stories: Beauty and the Beast

What better way to celebrate the release of the live action Beauty and the Beast movie than to share a piece that encompasses all of the magic of the story? This piece really brought to life certain scenes in the fairy tale for me…hope you like it!

Classical Music Stories is a series where music is listened to as though it were the soundtrack to one of your favorite books or stories. In this case, Beauty and the Beast.

As the music starts, the Prince has been recently transformed into a beast. The royal fanfare is somewhat tragic and broken from this transformation.

Suddenly (around 3:38) there is a shift to joyous celebration: the enchanted castle-dwellers are excited now that Beauty has shown up, assuming that she will break the spell. As the music progresses, we seem to zoom in on different viewpoints or conversations in the midst of a more general celebration. The darker, uncertain parts of the music make it sound like some are having doubts, though–will she REALLY be the one to break the spell? Or maybe these are just glimpses of the turmoil and realism of Beauty and the Beast’s relationship. (Here’s yet another option: I can imagine the music to be expressing the contrast between the Beast’s inner joy at having Belle there with him and his doubts that she loves him in return.)

One way or another, the tragic fanfare returns, even more tragic now: the Beast has released Belle out of his love for her. His anguish and everyone else’s in the castle is incredibly deep…and with that, the piece ends.

What do you think? Does this piece sound like Beauty and the Beast to you or something different?

You can check out other Classical Music Stories here.

You might also like Disney Music In the Style of Famous Composers and Disney Doppelgängers.