Welcome to the final post of this series! This post features the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. When I read the prompt about a movie with significant musical content, this is the first movie that came to mind. I watched this movie many, many times when I was little. Even before I watched the movie, I had my own rainbow coat because I loved the story of Joseph so much. If you have not watched this movie before, please take the hour and sixteen minutes to watch it. The music is very diverse and you will most likely find at least one song that you enjoy.

This is the story from Genesis about a man who can dream and interpret dreams. He is forsaken by his jealous brothers and sold as a slave. He is bought and is then framed for a crime that he did not commit. Joseph then spends years in jail. The pharaoh has a dream that Joseph interprets. During the famine that Joseph helped prevent in Egypt, his family comes to beg for food. He later reveals himself to his family and is reunited.

The music is the driving force for this movie. The story is completely told in song. Even the parts in between the main songs are mostly sung by the narrator. The songs are varied in genre, tempo and key. These songs are inspired by country, opera, rock, and even one is inspired by the French language.

I chose a 20 minute segment to focus on for this post. If you don’t watch the full movie, please take time to watch this segment now. Please start at 17:35 and watch until 38:00.

For the song “Poor, Poor Joseph”, there is a very strong rhythm. The melody has a full orchestra feel, but I did hear drums, violin and trumpets. The tempo is medium to fast throughout. The timbre is rich because it has a strong intensity and range. It is both blue and orange as far as colors. It is blue because it is sometimes sad and slow, but it is also fast and joyous.

“Potiphar” has a constant rhythm. The melody has bass, bassoon and symbols among other instruments. It has a slow to medium tempo and an average timbre. The intensity is less than “Poor, Poor Joseph” and has a good range. Ir is red and green because the song deals in love but also riches.

“Close Every Door” has a slow tempo and the melody is simple in the beginning with a harp. The color is purple because it is sad but there is also underlying hope. The timbre especially in this song is amazingly rich. The enunciation is incredible and always gives me good bumps. There is also a swelling orchestra. There is also a bit of harmony at the end when Joseph is singing with the children.

“Go, Go, Go Joseph”has a faster tempo. The texture is smooth and fluid. The rhythm is strong and consistent. I hear a drums especially in this song. Hand clapping is also used in the song. The timbre is strong due to the intensity and the impressive range of the singers. The song is yellow because this song radiates hope.

The film uses a score as opposed to a soundtrack. There aren’t any leitmotifs because the music is constant and does not just represent a character here and there. Some of the songs and melodies are used twice during the movie. The music sets each scene and it can build the tension. Time moves at a normal pace in the movie even though years pass. The hour that one spends watching this movie just flies by. The music is diegetic because we can see the singers and that their mouths are moving. The music fits into the movie and does not counteract what is happening.

For my personal response, analyzing the music did change the way i view the movie a little. I liked thinking about what color(s) the songs were. Because color is such an important part of this movie, I find it appropriate to think about the color of what the song represents. I am not sure that this will change how I view future movies. I did enjoy this particular experience because I got to watch a movie I had forgotten about. Every time I watch this musical, I have the biggest smile on my face. I love the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber and I am grateful to be able to spend time watching this again.

Thank you friends for going on this journey with me. I hope you learned as much as I did!

Works Cited

Lloyd, Webber A, and Tim Rice. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Borough Green, Sevenoaks, Kent: Novello, 1975. Musical score.