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Edited Text
Cara Clay
Table of Con ten ts
Plot Summary
pg. 3
The Use of Themes
pg. 11
Instrumental Symbolism
pg. 15
Otherworldly Musical Elements
pg. 22
Diegetic Time Travel
pg. 24
The Use of Silence
pg. 26
Conclusion
pg. 28
List of Cues
pg. 29
Additional Information
pg. 38
Sum m ary
Interview with the Vampire is the story of Louis’ life as a vampire.
Louis encounters a reporter, Malloy, and instead of feeding on
him, decides to tell his epic life story. Before he became a vampire,
Louis was a young wealthy plantation owner in New Orleans in
the 1790’s. He falls into a deep depression when he loses his wife
and baby during childbirth. Louis’ rebellion and habit of
frequenting seedy bars leads him to cross paths with the vampire
Lestat. Lestat can sense the desperation in Louis’ soul and is drawn
to him. He gives Louis the choice of becoming a vampire or dying.
Louis is intrigued by Lestat and the romantic idea of becoming
immortal. He decides to allow Lestat to turn him into a vampire.
The transformation begins when Louis drinks blood from Lestat’s
wrist. He experiences mortal death as his body shuts down and is
reborn a beautiful vampire with pale white skin, shining eyes, and
new sharp teeth.
Lestat is the only vampire that Louis knows and is therefore the
only one to teach Louis how to survive as a vampire. The two
become inseparable as Lestat mentors his new protégé. Louis
struggles to adapt to the murderous life of a vampire. He is still
conflicted about needing to kill other humans for his own
survival. Hunting is a game to Lestat and he tries, unsuccessfully,
to teach Louis how to enjoy it. Louis and Lestat ravage new
Orleans feeding on prostitutes in bars, aristocrats at high society
affairs and everything in between. The slaves at Louis’ plantation
become aware of the evil living inside the mansion. They see death
everywhere and associate it to their master’s new houseguest,
Lestat. The slave that waits on the vampires in the dining room,
Yvette, appears to have a close relationship with Louis. She
confronts him about Lestat and begs Louis to send him away. As
Yvette pleads with Louis, he becomes overcome with temptation to
feed on her. He eventually loses control and attacks Yvette and
then flies into a conflicted rage. He frees his slaves after
confirming their fears that their master was evil. He then begins
to burn down his mansion. Lestat arrives as the house is burning
down with Louis inside and he drags his friend away.
They are now living life on the road. They move from hotel to
hotel to avoid detection. Louis continues to struggle with his
growing desire to kill and is constantly at odds with Lestat who
enjoys the thrill of the hunt. One night Louis is fed up with
Lestat’s cruelty and he storms out in the rain. As he wanders,
Louis comes across a neighborhood that has been devastated by
the plague. There is a young girl crying inside one of the houses
too afraid to leave her dead mother’s side. Louis is drawn to the
girl. His urge to feed on her becomes overwhelming and he gives
in. As he is drinking from the girl, Lestat finds him and begins to
mock Louis for feeding on a child. Mortified, Louis takes off once
more into the rainy night. Louis, Lestat and the little girl are
reunited after only a few days. Lestat has found her in a hospital
and takes Louis there. Lestat can feel Louis yearning to have the
young girl and decides to turn her into a vampire. Lestat allows
her to drink from his wrist the same as he did for Louis. Quickly
the girl is rid of her decaying plague riddled body and is born
again as a beautiful vampire resembling a child’s doll. Lestat
provides his new vampire daughter, Claudia, with the hospital’s
nurse as her first victim. It is clear she has a taste for blood and
she demands more. Lestat is pleased that his new protégé has much
more interest in the art of preying on humans. Many years pass
and the three vampires become a sort of family. Louis and Claudia’s
bond becomes particularly strong. Claudia becomes more and
more frustrated as the reality sinks in that she will have to spend
eternity in the body of a child. She becomes angry with Louis and
Lestat for taking her form her former life and trapping her into
the life of a vampire before she could even understand what was
happening. When Claudia learns that it was Lestat that actually
took her mortal life away, she focuses her anger on getting
revenge. She develops a plan to get rid of Lestat and leave New
Orleans with Louis. An important lesson that she learned from
her mentor, Lestat, is to never drink blood once the body is dead.
She uses this knowledge to try to kill Lestat. She kills two young
boys and offers their dead blood to Lestat. She drugs they boys so
that the blood will stay warm and Lestat will think he is
receiving a gift instead of a death sentence. The dead blood
begins to take effect and Claudia tells Lestat what she has done.
She slits his throat to seal the deal. She and Louis watch in
horror as Lestat’s cursed blood spreads across the carpet. Louis
appears upset with Claudia for carrying out her evil plan, but he
goes along with it because of how much he loves her. They
complete the deed by dumping Lestat’s bloodless body in the
swamp.
The two newly freed vampires make plans to travel to Europe in
search of other vampires. In their many decades together they
have not come across a single other vampire. The curiosity about
their true origins and place in the world drive Louis and Claudia
to make the move across the Atlantic. Lestat dramatically returns
from the swamp as Louis and Claudia are packing up the house and
getting ready to sail to Europe. He is weakened by his ordeal in the
swamp, but he is angry and looking for revenge. To escape from
Lestat, Louis sets the house on fire and he and Claudia dash away
leaving Lestat to burn with the house. They make it to the boat
just in time and begin their journey to Europe without Lestat.
The pair search all over Europe looking for signs of other
vampires. They find nothing but urban legends and dead ends,
until they arrive in Paris. It is now 1870 and Louis is infatuated
with the romance of Paris. They do not have to try hard to find
what they are looking for once they arrive. Two vampires
approach Louis one night on a dark lonely street and invite him
to an exclusive theatre event that happens to be run by a society
of vampires. He brings Claudia to the event and they are both
horrified by what they find. The beginning of the play is a comedy.
Louis and Claudia are clearly the only vampires in the audience.
The play is about vampires, but the audience is not aware that the
actors pretending to be vampires are actually vampires. The second
half of the show turns into a human sacrifice. A young girl is
brought out on stage. The vampires cruelly toy with her as she
pleads with the audience for help. Nobody moves to help the girl
because they believe it is all a part of the performance. The entire
audience sits and watches as the group of vampires feed on the
frightened girl. After the show, Louis and Claudia join the other
vampires in their lair underneath the theatre. There are many
vampires in the group and they are all very intrigued by the
appearance of the two vampires from the new world. They are not,
however, welcomed with open arms. The groups of old world
vampires remain suspicious of Louis and Claudia. The vampire that
first approached Louis in the dark street, Armand, appears to be
the leader of the group. He has an affinity for Louis and will not
allow the others to harass him. Armand believes that Louis can
help bring the group into the new world and refresh their
antiquated traditions. The other vampires are threatened by
Armand’s interest in Louis. Because the others are closely
scrutinizing Louis and Claudia, they are able to pick up on the
traces of guilt Louis feels for killing Lestat. Armand warns Louis
saying that he can only guarantee protection for Louis and that
Claudia is in danger. The other vampires will take revenge on her
for killing another vampire. While the other vampires are feeling
threatened by Louis’ relationship with Armand, Claudia is feeling
jealous of Louis and Armand as well. She finds a woman willing to
become a vampire and asks Louis to transform the woman into a
vampire so that Claudia will have a new companion when Louis
leaves her to be with Armand. Louis does not want to turn the
woman into a vampire, but he cannot say no to his love, Claudia.
Despite his conflicted emotions, Louis gives in to Claudia’s
demand. The time Louis has to contemplate the ramifications of
his decision is short lived. They are kidnapped by the group of oldworld vampires and dragged down into their lair so that the
vampires can take revenge on Louis and Claudia for killing Lestat.
They separate Louis from Claudia deciding the two should have
different punishments. Claudia and her new companion, Madeline,
are placed into a deep pit with an open roof. The two women
quickly realize that they will be burned to death by the sun when
it rises. As Claudia waits, dreading the rising sun, Louis is dragged
away and buried alive in a coffin. The vampires seal his coffin into
a wall with bricks and mortar and plan to allow him to rot in
the box for eternity. Armand is able to rescue Louis from his
eternal coffin, but it is too late for Claudia. Louis sees Claudia’s
burnt remains and is overcome. He decides to exact his own
revenge. While they are all asleep in their coffins, Louis returns to
the lair and sets it on fire. The vengeful vampires are awakened
from their sleep by the flames. They try to escape, but they are
trapped inside the burning theatre. Louis barely escapes the
damned building and is rescued from the sunrise by Armand in a
horse drawn carriage.
The two men part ways after Louis refuses Armand’s offer to
rebuild to vampire society together. Louis is now disenchanted
with Paris and returns to the new world. New technologies such
as electricity, lights, motion pictures, and automobiles are
developing. Louis adapts to the rapidly changing times and is able
to thrive in the new environment. After many years back in New
Orleans Louis is reunited with Lestat. He finds him weak and near
death hidden in an old decaying building. Lestat has not been
able to adapt to the changing times and appears to have never
fully recovered from Claudia’s assassination attempt. Lestat asks
Louis to help him return to his former self and Louis declines. He
no longer wants a companion and he leaves Lestat just as he
found him, decaying inside of a condemned building.
This is where Louis ends his story. He has covered the entire 200
years of his existence and has nothing left to tell. Malloy,
disappointed that the story has come to an end, declares that he
want to become a vampire himself. Louis is enraged at this request
and feels that his story has conveyed the wrong message and
leaves, angrily, before the reporter realizes what has happened.
Malloy leaves the hotel room in a panic. He gets into his car and
immediately begins to listen to the audiotape that had recorded
Louis’ story. As Malloy drives down the road Lestat emerges from
the backseat of his car and is more than willing to grant his
request to become a vampire. Lestat feeds on the reporter and
throws him in the backseat. The feeble vampire is renewed and we
see the old glorious Lestat returning to take the wheel of the
convertible, driving down the road as the movie ends.
Elliot Goldenthal’s music makes an excellent accompaniment to
this dark tale. The score appears to be straightforward upon first
listening, but upon digging deeper, it becomes clear how
intricately the musical story is woven. Goldenthal uses the
sounds of a traditional orchestra to craft the score. The string
section is the main focus and is featured in nearly every cue. The
woodwind section, in contrast, is used very sparsely and usually
only as accompaniment. There is a very strong brass presence in
the score, but they only appear during heightened climactic
moments. There are moments in this supernatural tale where the
traditional sounds of the orchestral are not enough to set the
scene. Along with extended techniques on traditional
instruments, audio effects such as reverb and delay are used to
morph familiar sounds into something otherworldly. These
effects are applied carefully and do not overpower the
orchestral nature of the rest of the score.
The score is rich with thematic material and symbolism.
Goldenthal frequently contrasts very high register instruments
with incredibly low sounds, leaving the middle of the sonic plane
fairly empty. This contrast is a reference to the struggle between
good and evil that is so prominent in the story. Multiple themes
are used to emphasize the deeper ideas. Along with using thematic
material, Goldenthal has chosen an instrument to represent each
of the main characters. For Louis he uses the string section and
the contrabassoon. Lestat is represented by the harpsichord, and
Claudia is represented by the piano.
Goldenthal take us on an emotional journey, but we must journey
through time as well. Louis’ life story spans 200 years and that
must be reflected in the score. The main way this is accomplished
is by clever placement of diegetic music. We start off with 18th
century pub music and finish with Lestat listening to the radio in
Malloy’s car. Without even realizing it, we are taken through time
just by listening to the music.
Th e U se O f Th em es
The first theme we hear is what I call the “New Beginnings Theme”.
This theme appears only a few times because it symbolizes the start
of a new chapter in Louis’ life. The “Vampire Mischief Theme” is also
used sparingly, but effectively to accompany the misdeeds of
mischievous vampires. The most used theme is the “Death Theme”.
Death is a main topic in the movie and this theme is present in one
form or another every time we are confronted with the subject.
The two other most prominent themes represent Claudia and
Lestat. These themes mark the presence of the respective
characters and are usually played on the instrument that
symbolizes each character.
N ew Begin n in gs Th em e
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The “New Beginnings Theme” is a very beautiful and romantic
theme, but it is used very few times. The theme is only played four
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times 52
and is the indication of a new chapter beginning in Louis’
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life. As Louis begins to tell Malloy the first chapter his incredible
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55
life story,
the string section brings this theme to life. The string
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section in general represents Louis’ character, so it is very fitting
to have such and important theme of Louis’ character played by
the strings. About one hundred years pass in Louis’ life before this
theme returns. This time we hear the theme as a large ship sails
across the ocean carrying Louis and Claudia to Europe. Louis has
severed his relationship with Lestat and is excited to start a new
life in Europe with Claudia as they search for others of their
kind. The same melody and instrumentation appear, but this time in
a different key. Goldenthal uses this technique frequently as a
Score
interview transcription
fuck shit the boobies
elliot goldenthall
cara clay
way to keep a theme fresh, but
still have it be easily recognizable.
claudias first theme
3
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& 4 again the next time the theme enters. The strings
This happens
sing as Louis leaves Armand and Europe to return to the new
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it has returned to the original key. We hear the theme as Malloy
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the tape he recorded while Louis spoke. The theme appears in this
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when we first heard Louis tell his story.
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forms on
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the screen, but it is always accompanied by the Death Theme. This
33
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theme is used the most out of all the themes. It is a very simple
descending line, but Goldenthal manages to give the theme new
life in each scene. He changes the instrumentation and
constantly modulates the line to keep it fresh and interesting.
Score
interview transcription
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Claudia’s
Theme is introduced in the first scene in which Claudia
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appears. Louis feels pity for her and an unexplained deep
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connection.
Then theme enters in the high resister of the piano
24
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and plays through the A section before dropping down an octave
to30the middle register of the piano. Their tender moment is
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interrupted by Lestat and the entrance of his harpsichord theme.
We do not need to wait long, however, for Claudia’s Theme to
33
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return.
When Lestat brings Louis to Claudia in the hospital the
theme enters again. This time the theme is transposed up a half
step. The theme is also different this time because we hear the B
section for the first time. While the whole theme represents
Claudia herself, the B section is also used as a love theme
throughout the rest of the film to represent the tender feelings
between Louis and Claudia.
Score
Claudia's Theme
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B Section "Love Theme"
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Instrum ental Sym bolism
Along with thematic symbolism, Goldenthal also uses individual
instruments to represent the main characters. Louis is mostly
represented by the constant presence of the string section.
However, a contrabassoon plays the role of Louis’ conscience. This
instrument appears every time Louis feels the internal conflict
between his mortal and vampire selves. Lestat and his 18th century
sensibilities are appropriately represented by the harpsichord.
Piano, the descendant of the harpsichord, is used to represent
Lestat’s protégé, Claudia.
Con trabassoon
Louis and his constant struggle between good and evil are
represented by the contrabassoon. The first time we hear the
contrabassoon is very early in the score, in Louis’ dining room. He
and Lestat are pretending to dine on the food that was prepared
for them. The house servant, Yvette, comes to check on their meal
and Louis finds himself drawn to her. He is tempted to feed on
her. The contrabassoon plays a very low slow moving line as we
feel the tension grow in the room. Strings playing long held
notes in a high register join the contrabassoon as Louis struggles
to control is killer instincts. Yvette senses that something is
wrong, but does not know quite what it is. The girl is sent away
and the music fades away as she runs from the room. Louis is
relieved of his temptation and the two men continue to pretend
to eat dinner. Yvetts is not so lucky the next time she enters the
dining room. This time she is alone with Louis and pleads for him
to send Lestat away. The contrabassoon enters as her pleas become
more impassioned. She grabs Louis hand and the physical contact
is too much for Louis to resist. He bites her wrist and the
contrabassoon and high register strings rise with Yvette’s
screams. The next moral battle Louis must wage begins when he
finds young Claudia in a plague riddled neighborhood. Lestat sees
how strongly Louis is drawn to the little girl and decides that
he must turn her into a vampire and have her join their family.
Louis is very conflicted about Lestat’s plan. Part of him is
inexplicably drawn to her, but the part of him that is still human
does not want to harm the small girl. Lestat convinces Louis that
turning Claudia into a vampire is better than letting her die from
the plague. Louis stands down, but is clearly unsettled by the idea
of turning an innocent child into the evil creature he believes
himself to be. Lestat slits his writs for Claudia to drink his blood
and the contrabassoon enters accompanied by high register
strings. The contrabassoon is overtaken by heartbeat sounds that
are emphasizing Claudia drinking Lestat’s blood while his evil is
being transferred to the girl. Claudia is transformed into a
vampire and Louis has his new companion whether his conscience
agrees or not. Louis’ morals are soon tested by his new companion.
Claudia becomes disenchanted with Lestat and decides that he
needs to be killed so that she and Louis can live their lives
without his influence and overbearing presence. Louis is again
conflicted about causing Lestat any harm, but his love for
Claudia overrides all of his lingering moral objections. Claudia
devises a plan to get rid of Lestat by pricking him into drinking
dead blood: one of the only fatal beverages to a vampire. The
contrabassoon enters as Lestat struggles to the floor and
realizes what is happening to him. Louis can only stand back and
watch, knowing that it is too late to undo what Claudia has
done. Louis is sad to see his old friend’s body sink to the bottom
of the swamp, but he seems hopeful at the chance of a new life
together with Claudia. The contrabassoon takes a break as a
symbolic instrument and is only used as accompaniment of larger
musical gestures for the majority of the middle of the film. The
contrabassoon returns as a symbolic instrument when Louis
returns to America. Louis is wandering through the streets of
New Orleans and catches a familiar scent. Louis begins to explore
an old abandoned building as he follows the trail. The
contrabassoon enters with the usual low, slow moving line
alerting us to an upcoming choice that Louis must make. Inside of
the dilapidated house Louis finds Lestat in as bad of condition as
the house in which he sits. Lestat asks Louis to rejoin him and help
him become his glorious former self. Louis feels obligated to help
Lestat because of the centuries old bond that they share, but he is
also enjoying his freedom and does not want to return to life
with a heartless murder. Louis again turns his back on Lestat and
leaves the house.
Louis spends much of his life as a vampire in a struggle between
good and evil. He still feels a connection with mortals and the
pain that death causes. The low register foreboding sound of the
contrabassoon is the perfect representation of Louis’ evil
instincts overpowering his human morals.
H arpsich ord
Louis is not the only character that has an instrumental
representative. Lestat’s appearances on the screen are frequently
accompanied by a harpsichord. Sometimes it is only an
ornamentation or few rolled chords accompanying a sparse line
and other times harpsichord is playing full force. No matter how
extensive the part, when we hear this instrument, Lestat is always
present. The harpsichord is the perfect instrument to represent
Lestat. He is an old world vampire with old world sensibilities. He
feels at home in the high society, aristocratic circles and always
dresses the part. The time period in which the harpsichord
enjoyed its greatest popularity is also the time period in which
Lestat was at his peak as a beautiful, deadly vampire.
The first time we hear the harpsichord occurs when Lestat
appears in Louis’ bedroom. The two met for the first time the night
before when Lestat fed on Louis and dropped his dying body into
the river. Lestat has returned to fulfill his promise of releasing
Louis from his mortal suffering by turning him into a vampire. The
harpsichord enters slowly accompanied by low strings. The low
strings play a drone and a single line of notes dance on the
harpsichord as Lestat circles Louis’ bed. After Lestat transforms
Louis into a vampire, he must teach Louis how to survive as a
vampire. We hear the harpsichord in the background as Lestat
takes Louis to a high society party for a hunting lesson. Lestat is
at his best at this party, so it is fitting that his representative
instrument should accompany him. The harpsichord accompanies
Lestat during his next hunting lesson as well. He frequently preys
on prostitutes and enjoys the cruelty of playing with his victims
before killing them. The harpsichord theme alternates with the
string section as Louis and Lestat have an argument about his
cruel killing games. After Lestat is killed the harpsichord
disappears too. It does not return until the strained reunion
between Louis and Lestat back in New Orleans many decades later.
Louis finds Lestat in a very feeble state. He is hiding in an
abandoned plantation house still wearing his tattered 18th
century frills. Lestat is very weak at this point and so is the sound
of the harpsichord. We only hear a few sparse notes and a rolled
chord during this scene. The harpsichord does not return in full
force until the very end of the movie when Lestat sneaks up on
Malloy and feeds on him. The old powerful Lestat is back, and so is
that harpsichord.
Pian o
The piano is used to represent Claudia. This instrument is a very
fitting representative for the young girl. The piano is the
descendant of the harpsichord, the instrument used to represent
Lestat, and Claudia is a descendant of Lestat. Claudia has much
more in common with Lestat than does Louis. She enjoys hunting
humans and does not feel the moral struggle associated with her
mortal past. Claudia is being groomed by Lestat to carry on his
legacy as a beautiful, elegant killer. Claudia first appears as a
fearful child clutching her dead mother’s body in a plague
infested neighborhood. Louis is strangely drawn to the girl and
as he pines for her “Claudia’s Theme” enters softly in the high
range of the piano. The timbre of the piano’s high register tinkles
like a music box and portrays the innocence and youth of Claudia
at that time. This theme follows her through the whole movie
and is always played using the piano. Claudia’s Theme is not the
only piano melody that represents Claudia. As Lestat is teaching
Claudia how to be a vampire, he is also teaching her how to act
like a lady so that she can fit into his high society world. One of
the ways that Lestat brings culture to Claudia is by having her
learn to play the piano. Louis narrates a montage depicting
Claudia honing her hunting skills. The dark mood of the scene is
contrasted by the light-hearted Sonata in F by Antonio Soler
played on the piano. The music accompanying this montage turns
out to be Claudia playing the piano during a lesson. Interestingly,
this sonata was originally written for the harpsichord. Showing
Claudia play an old harpsichord piece on the piano represents,
musically, how Lestat is teaching and grooming Claudia to carry
on the vampire traditions he holds so dear. Another classical
piano piece is used to represent Claudia and specifically her
relationship with Lestat. The two characters being to butt heads
when Claudia discovers how Lestat was responsible unpleasant
details from her past. Claudia approaches Lestat to make peace as
he plays the Adagio e Cantabile movement from Haydn’s Piano
Sonata in E flat. Claudia is actually trying to trick Lestat and has
him drink dead blood in an attempt to kill him. She and Louis
think that the deed is done and they dump Lestat’s body in the
swamp. Unexpectedly, Lestat returns from the dead and announces
his presence by playing his Sonata that Claudia originally
interrupted. Claudia is horrified to see Lestat return and she and
Louis flee the house and escape. The piano is also used as an
accompanying instrument during a few of Claudia’s more intense
scenes. Lestat becomes angry with Claudia when he finds a dead
body in her bed. Claudia flies into a rage and the music matches
her emotions. The violins, woodwinds and piano join together to
create a frantic mood as Claudia unleashes her wrath.
O th erw orldly M usical Elem en ts
On the surface, this score appears to be entirely orchestral. The
melodic strings and stinging brass share the foreground with
the piano and harpsichord. Hidden in the background, however,
are some interesting elements. Goldenthal uses a mix of extended
techniques and electronic manipulation of orchestral sounds to
add to the dark mood he has created for the film.
The first time these elements sneak into the film is very early on.
We see Lestat in the shadows of a seedy pub and a strange sound
that appears. This sound is created by adding reverb to a symbol
scrape sound. The sound is very low in the mix and does not stand
out. It sits in the background enforcing the feeling of
foreboding while being introduced to Lestat.
Another example of Goldenthal stretching the use of orchestral
instruments occurs when Louis, Claudia, and Madeline are being
transformed into vampires. Goldenthal uses slides and glissandi
in the low brass and strings to create a wobbling sound that
feels unstable. There is a lot of reverb added to these sounds and
they sound small and faraway, but dramatically affect the feeling
of uncertainty as the characters experienced their
transformations. As their human bodies die and the vampires come
to life, to wobbling calms, the glissandi settle on their final note,
the reverb fades, and a clear chord comes into focus to signal
the transformation is complete.
There are a few occurrences of strange sounds being used when
Louis and Claudia visit the vampire lair under the theatre in Paris.
There are low rumbling percussion noises accompanied again by a
quietly ringing metallic sound. There are also instances of what
sounds like piano strings being strummed. There is a lot of reverb
added to these sounds to make them more blurry and harder to
distinguish as actual instruments. These strange noises are
signaling to the audience that the lair is an unsafe place for
Louis and Claudia. The unsettling sounds are meant to make the
audience as uncomfortable as Claudia and Louis would have been
as they entered the lair. This lair is where Claudia ultimately
meets her death and Louis barely escapes his punishment given by
the vampires in Paris.
Another technique Goldenthal uses is what sounds like a note
cluster tremolo in the strings. The strings play a frenzied
unmeasured tremolo during quite a few tense scenes in the movie.
The string section is out of control and so are the characters on
the screen when we hear this noise. The first appearance of this
sound is when Lestat is turning Louis into a vampire and he first
bites his neck. The frantic tremolos appear again as Lestat is dying
from being fed dead blood by Claudia. The strings come in as
Lestat realizes that something is wrong. He is caught off guard by
such a betrayal and is too weak to fight back. The audience is
equally surprised that Claudia could conceive of and carryout
such an evil plan. She has the body of a child, but by this point in
the movie she is no child. This sound is heard many more times
throughout the movie during tense and agitated scenes. The
energy in the movement of the strings reinforces the agitation of
the characters.
D iegetic Tim e Travel
Goldenthal faced a challenge to represent the 200 year journey of
Louis life sonically. The way he chose to face this challenge is
through the use of diegetic music. He uses the background music
heard by the characters in the movie to help establish and sense
of time and place with the story. There is a ton of music in the
score that only the audience can hear, but there is a lot of
diegetic music along the way to help keep track of where in time
the characters are. Stupid fix that. The vampire’s lives are filled
with music. Music in pubs, at parties, played on the piano that was
always in their home, in the theatre, and finally playing through
the speakers of Malloy’s. The first thing we hear is background
music in a pub. There is a solo fiddle playing a danceable tune as a
depressed Louis gambles in a seedy bar. The sound of the fiddle and
the style of the tune take us back in time. This is not overt, but it
gives the audience a clue that the story is not taking place in
present day. This is definitely not the music you would hear in a
bar today. There is no radio or popular music playing. There is no
band and nothing requiring electricity. We continue feeling like
we’re in another time as Louis and Lestat attend high society
events. The aristocratic waltz that accompanies the dancing
party guests leaves no question as to the time period and style of
the event.
As time passes, the atmosphere of New Orleans changes. The plague
has passed and more people are coming to the vibrant city. The
music in the streets represents this change in mood. Instead of
solo fiddle and old timey dance music, we hear “N’Orleans” style
big band music played in the streets. Lestat laments the lack of
good old creole blood as the band wails away in the background,
This is the first hint that he is not adjusting well to the
changing times. Another very subtle clue that times are changing
comes though when Claudia is playing her piano sonata. This
sonata composed by Antonio Soler was originally written for
harpsichord. This is a piece that Lestat is encouraging Claudia to
learn, but so much time has passed since it was written, that it is
only possible to play it on the harpsichord’s descendant, the
piano.
When Louis and Claudia go to Paris the feel of the music changes
again. They attend formal events as Louis and Lestat did more
than 100 years in the past, but the music is noticeably different.
Instead of the stiff style of the classical waltz, the events in Paris
dance music with a much more romantic feel. They are still
dancing at parties, but the music has evolved and developed.
The very last cue of the movie leaves no doubt that the story has
progressed into modern times. After Lestat feeds on Malloy in the
convertible, he cranks the radio and enjoys listening to a
Guns’N’Roses song as he drives down the road probably for the
first time in his life. This song “Symphony for the Devil” is actually
a cover of an older Rolling Stones song. It is no accident that a
cover song was used for this scene. It is perfectly fitting that
Lestat’s rebirth into the modern world is accompanied by a song
that has also been given new life in modern times.
Th e U se of Silen ce
This movie is completely packed with music. The movie is
almost 120 minutes long and there is music playing nearly the
entire time. The music is not always melodic or in the forefront,
but it is almost always there. This makes the scenes that are silent
really stand out. There is also a very awkward and intense
reunion of Louis and Lestat near the end of the movie. Louis has
returned to America and finds a frail and weak Lestat in a
crumbling plantation style house. The last time the two men were
in the same room was more than 100 years in the past and Louis
and Claudia had tried to kill Lestat to escape his tyranny. In the
modern era the tables have turned. Louis is the strong vampire
and Lestat needs his help to regain his strength and learn to cope
as the world changes drastically around him. Lestat’s stately
harpsichord music is no longer dancing in the background as
Lestat withers in an old chair, too weak to stand. No melodic
themes are present in the background to tell the audience how to
feel. Just the voices of the two old friends talking. Louis decides
to abandon Lestat The music resumes as he leaves Lestat. The
longest scene with no music is also the most disturbing scene in
the whole movie. When Louis and Claudia travel to Paris they meet
a group of old world vampires . These vampires amuse themselves by
having a theatre and performing comical skits for mortals that
have no ideal they are surrounded by the undead. On the night
that Louis and Claudia visit the vampires begin the show with
their usual light, humorous material. The jovial accompaniment
from the pipe organ fades away as the curtain drops and the host
vampire, Santiago brings a very frightened young woman on stage.
She is very afraid and pleads for the audience to help her. The
audience stays in their seats because they believe they are still
watching a play. The theatre remains silent as the vampires toy
with her. We hear only Santiago’s mocking voice and her urgent
screams and terrified sobs. The audience in the vampire theatre
sits as uncomfortably as the audience of the movie. The lack of
music adds to the discomfort and makes the viewer almost hold
their breath, waiting for what is going to happen to this helpless
woman. Out of focus in the background, Armand rises from below
the stage. Still there is no music. Armand Fully appears and the
audiences’ attention is drawn to him and away from the girl by an
explosion with flames and smoke. Still there is no music. Finally,
after what seems like an eternity, very high register violins sneak
into the scene as Armand begins to walk toward the front of the
stage.
Con clusion
Elliot Goldenthal has masterfully combined all of the afore
mentioned techniques into an incredibly effective score. His
music captures the beauty and grace of the vampires while still
infusing a darker edge to the sound. He manages to use a
traditional orchestra to create an otherworldly atmosphere
that seamlessly supports the action on screen. The music is not
intrusive, but it still makes a grand impact on the overall feel of
the movie. It is no wonder this score has been so highly
acclaimed.
List of Cues
Time
00:00-‐3:10
4:26-‐4:46
Duration
Description
3:10
Main
Title.
Overhead
City
Scene
Strings
with
boys
choir
and
solo
viol
and
glass
harmonica
00:20
Louis
tells
Malloy
that
he
is
a
vampire.
Metallic
effects
accompanied
by
strings
accented
with
brass
and
percussion
hits.
9:28
Louis
begins
to
tell
his
life
story
The
New
Beginnings
Theme
begins
this
section
and
transitions
to
otherworldly
sounds
as
Lestat
is
introduced.
00:18
16:18-‐17:40
Louis
sleeps
for
the
first
time
as
a
vampire
Noise
1:22
Louis
and
Lestat
are
hunting
in
a
bar
5:50-‐15:18
16:10-‐18-‐18
17:40-‐18:12
Solo
fiddle
playing
a
danceable
tune
00:32
Lestat
feeds
on
the
prostitute
and
the
scene
cuts
to
Louis
and
Lestat
sitting
in
Louis’
dining
room
pretending
to
eat
dinner.
Orchestral
music
fades
in
as
the
fiddle
fades
out.
Music
fades
as
we
enter
the
dining
room.
18:29-‐19:00
20:32-‐23:25
00:31
Yvette,
one
of
Louis’
slaves,
is
clearing
the
table
and
making
conversation
with
Lestat
and
Louis
Contrabassoon
plays
solo
in
a
very
low
register
symbolizing
Louis’
temptation
to
prey
on
Yvette
2:53
Louis
and
Lestat
attend
a
high
society
aristocratic
party.
Lestat
is
teaching
Louis
how
to
hunt
people
as
his
prey.
Music
ends
abruptly
when
Lestat
breaks
a
lady’s
neck
Small
ensemble
plays
a
stately
waltz.
24:34-‐26:20
26:20-‐27:00
27:34-‐30:15
01:46
Daylight,
a
woman
presumed
to
be
a
slave
is
mourning
a
death.
We
move
through
Louis
property
and
notice
that
the
slaves
have
realized
Louis
and
Lestat
are
evil.
Tribal
sounding
drums
play
in
a
frantic
rhythm.
00:40
Louis
and
Lestat
are
arguing
in
the
dining
room
of
Louis’
house.
Lestat
leaves
angrily.
Strings
enter
quietly
and
gain
volume
as
the
men
argue
2:41
Yvette
enters
to
clear
the
dinner
table
and
urges
Louis
to
get
rid
of
Lestat
and
the
evil
he
has
brought
to
the
house.
Louis
is
tempted
to
feed
on
Yvette
and
cannot
control
himself.
Louis
becomes
angry
after
feeding
on
Yvette
and
in
a
rage
begins
to
set
his
house
on
fire.
Contrabassoon
in
low
register
enters
quietly
as
Louis
fights
his
urge
to
feed
on
Yvette.
As
he
give
in
to
his
vampiric
urges,
orchestral
31:04-‐36:05
36:20-‐39:10
41:07-‐44:32
music
comes
in
and
intensifies
with
the
addition
of
the
brass
section
as
Louis
burns
down
the
house.
5:01
Louis
and
Lestat
are
on
the
run
and
are
staying
in
a
hotel.
Lestat
has
two
prostitutes
in
the
room
and
intends
to
feed
on
them.
Harpsichord
ornamentation
alternates
with
chordal
movement
in
the
strings.
2:50
After
arguing
with
Lestat,
Louis
leaves
the
hotel
and
wanders
the
streets
of
New
Orleans
while
it
rains.
Louis
wanders
down
a
plague
infested
street
and
finds
Claudia.
Louis
begins
to
feed
on
her.
Lestat
arrives
and
begins
mocking
Louis
for
feeding
on
a
child.
Lestat
picks
up
the
mother’s
corpse
and
begins
dancing
with
her
body.
Louis
is
upset
by
how
lightly
Lestat
is
taking
the
situation
and
runs
away
in
the
rain
again.
At
first,
the
music
is
orchestral
and
mostly
strings.
A
high
register
piano
theme
enters
as
Louis
sees
the
girl
for
the
first
time.
Claudia’s
Theme.
The
theme
continues
in
a
lower
register
until
a
harpsichord
enters.
Lestat
sings
a
line
from
The
Marriage
of
Fiagro
as
he
dnaces
the
mother’s
corpse
The
orchestral
music
returns
as
Louis
flees.
3:25
Lestat
finds
finds
Claudia
and
brings
Louis
to
her.
Lestat
takes
him
to
the
hospital
where
where
Claudia
is
recovering
from
Louis’
attack.
Lestat
has
decided
to
turn
Claudia
into
a
45:39-‐47:47
48:06-‐49:27
vampire.
Louis
is
conflicted,
but
Lestat
proceeds
anyway.
Lestat
drinks
Claudia’s
blood
and
then
lets
her
drink
his
to
begin
her
transformation
into
a
vampire.
After
Claudia
awakes
as
a
vampire,
Lestat
provides
her
with
her
first
Victim,
the
nurse
from
the
Hospital.
Claudia
is
happy
to
take
her
victim.
Orchestral
strings
with
piano
accompaniment
are
present
as
Lestat
takes
Louis
to
the
hospital.
The
contrabassoon
enters
under
The
other
music,
symbolizing
the
evil
desires
of
the
vampires.
Strange
noises
are
present
as
Claudia
transforms.
The
blurry
Sounds
come
into
focus
and
return
to
playing
Claudia’s
theme
in
the
high
register
piano.
2:08
Louis
begins
to
tell
the
story
of
his
new
vampire
family
as
a
montage
of
the
vampires’
daily
life
plays
Source
Music.
Harp
Concerto
in
B
Flat
by
Handel
1:21
A
montage
is
Claudia
playing
the
piano
and
stalking
victims
while
being
mentored
by
Lestat.
49:27-‐50:25
Source
music.
Sonata
in
F
by
Antonio
Soler
0:58
Louis
beings
to
describe
the
changing
times
and
the
difficulty
of
being
immortal
and
adapting
The
piano
source
music
fades
as
the
new
music
rises.
4:48
Claudia
realizes
that
she
is
trapped
in
the
body
of
a
child.
She
becomes
52:25-‐57:13
57:33-‐58:19
58:19-‐59:28
from
60:58-‐64:15
angry
and
blames
Lestat.
As
the
fight
ends,
Louis
comforts
Claudia
and
she
reluctantly
accepts
her
future.
She
convinces
Louis
to
take
her
to
the
place
where
he
first
found
her.
Claudia
is
overcome
and
runs
away.
Piano
and
frantic
strings
with
brass
hits.
Chordal
strings
return
as
the
fight
ends
and
Louis
comforts
Claudia.
Claudia’s
theme
on
the
piano
returns
as
she
laments
her
unchangeable
future.
Orchestral
music
comes
in
as
Louis
and
Claudia
visit
the
place
where
Louis
found
Claudia
as
a
vulnerable
child.
0:46
Louis
finds
Claudia
and
they
discuss
killing
Lestat
and
living
the
rest
of
their
eternity
without
his
dark
influence.
Claudia’s
Theme
plays
on
the
piano.
The
B
section
of
the
theme
is
accompanied
by
stings.
1:10
Claudia
and
Lestat
argue
as
Lestat
plays
the
piano.
Source
music.
Adagio
e
Cantabile
from
Sonata
in
E
Flat
by
Haydn.
3:13
Claudia
tricks
Lestat
into
drinking
blood
from
dead
boys.
She
offers
them
to
Lestat
appearing
to
be
a
peace
offering
after
their
argument,
but
she
is
actually
trying
to
kill
him
with
the
dead
blood.
Lestat
begins
to
struggle
and
Claudia
slits
his
throat
to
quicken
the
process.
Louis
appears
disapproving,
but
still
supports
Claudia
dispose
of
the
Lestat’s
body
in
the
swamp.
64:20-‐65:11
65:33-‐65:53
65:53-‐66:56
66:56-‐70:02
Gentle
strings
and
bells
enter
as
Claudia
offers
Lestat
the
boys.
The
music
stays
sweet
before
the
audience
learns
that
Claudia
is
tricking
Lestat.
The
harpsichord
comes
in
and
out
as
Lestat
begins
to
struggle
and
it
becomes
clear
that
Claudia
has
betrayed
Lestat.
High
pitch
frantic
stings
come
in
as
Claudia
slits
his
throat.
The
music
becomes
more
dramatic
with
a
larger
group
as
Louis
and
Claudia
race
to
the
swamp
to
dump
Lestat’s
body.
Brass
stings
punctuate
the
action.
Strings
take
over
as
Lestat’s
body
sinks
into
the
water.
0:51
Louis
and
Claudia
plan
to
travel
to
Europe
in
search
of
more
vampires.
Source
music.
Sonata
in
F
by
Antonio
Soler.
0:20
Lestat
returns.
Claudia’s
assassination
has
failed.
Lestat
is
angry.
Brass
stings
with
frantic
high
range
violins
playing
unmeasured
tremolos
1:03
Lestat
is
playing
the
piano
to
announce
his
return.
Source
music
accompanied
by
the
string
section.
Adagio
e
Cantabile
from
Sonata
in
E
Flat
by
Haydn.
3:06
Lestat
leaves
the
piano
and
begins
to
attack
Louis
and
Claudia.
The
house
catches
on
fire
and
Louis
70:30-‐71:44
and
Claudia
are
able
to
escape
and
catch
their
boat
to
Europe.
Orchestral
music
with
frantic
piano
accompaniment.
The
music
intensifies
with
the
addition
of
the
brass
section
playing
the
Death
Theme
as
the
house
catches
fire.
music
slows
and
settles
into
a
chordal
texture
as
Louis
and
Claudia
escape
to
the
transatlantic
ship.
1:14
Louis
and
Claudia
set
sail
to
Europe.
They
are
ready
to
begin
their
new
life
together.
They
are
the
old
world
to
learn
the
secrets
of
the
history
of
vampires.
Orchestral.
Main
theme
in
the
strings.
71:44-‐72:48
72:48-‐74:28
1:04
Louis
and
Claudia
arrive
in
Europe.
They
are
dressed
in
their
finest
19th
century
clothes
and
attending
high
society
events.
Orchestral
music
playing.
Sounds
familiar..maybe
marriage
of
figaro.
1:40
Louis
wanders
the
streets
of
Paris
and
encounters
a
playful
vampire
and
the
much
more
serious
vampire,
Armand.
A
playful
solo
violin
line
introduces
the
first
vampire
and
is
replaced
by
a
low
drone
and
chordal
movement
in
the
brass
as
Armand
enters.
1:13
Louis
and
Claudia
attend
a
performance
at
the
vampire
theatre.
74:42-‐75:55
77:42-‐79:35
79:56-‐80:05
82:37-‐84:35
85:10-‐85:40
85:40-‐86:00
86:00-‐86:45
Diegetic
music.
Pipe
organ
accompanies
the
performance.
1:53
Armand
enters
the
stage.
Something
about
killing
the
girl.
The
performance
ends
and
music
cuts
as
the
curtain
drops.
Low
strings
replace
the
pipe
organ.
Brass
enters
as
Armand
feeds
on
the
girl.
0:09
Claudia
and
Louis
enter
the
vampire’s
underground
lair.
An
obscured
tam-‐tam
strike
with
reverb.
1:58
Armand
and
Louis
discuss
the
secrets
of
vampires.
Cello
solo
punctuated
by
glass
harmonica
and
high
strings
0:30
Claudia
and
Louis
fight
because
Claudia
is
jealous
of
Armand.
Chordal
strings
accompany
Claudia’s
Theme
on
the
piano
and
the
Love
Theme
in
strings
and
oboe
0:20
Louis
returns
to
the
vampire
theatre.
Diagetic
snare
drum.
0:45
Armand
and
Louis
discuss
Claudia’s
fate.
Claudia’s
Theme
plays
on
the
piano.
87:55-‐89:40
91:39-‐96:25
1:45
Armand
asks
Louis
to
stay
in
Paris
and
help
bring
the
group
of
vampires
into
the
new
era.
Low
strings
play
augmented
Death
Theme.
The
brass
section
joins
and
the
theme
is
played
in
its
original
version.
4:46
Claudia
begs
Louis
to
turn
her
new
friend,
Madeline,
into
a
vampire.
Louis
reluctantly
agrees
after
an
argument.
As
soon
as
Madeline’s
transformation
is
complete
the
old
world
vampires
arrive
to
punish
Louis
and
Claudia.
Strings
play
the
Death
Theme.
The
brass
section
joins
as
Louis
begins
to
transform
Madeline.
The
Love
Theme
enters
in
strings
and
piano,
but
is
interrupted
by
the
Vampire
Mischief
Theme
as
the
old
world
vampires
kidnap
Louis,
Claudia,
and
Madeline.
Additional Information
Music producer: Matthias Gohl
Orchestration: Robert Elhai and Elliot Goldenthal
Conductor: Jonathan Sheffer
Mixers: Stephen McLaughlin and Joel Iwataki
Electronic Music Production: Richard Martinez
Additional Music Editor: Christopher Brooks
Source Music Consultant: Eliza Thompson
Source Music Supervisor: George Fenton
Source Music
Terpsichore and Harp concerto in B flat – Handel –
adapted by George Fenton
Sonata in F Sharp – Soler –
adapted by George Fenton
Sonata in E Flat Adagio E Cantabile – Haydn (1732-1809) –
adapted by Fenton
Sympathy for the Devil – written by Jagger and Richards
cover performed by Guns’N’Roses
Table of Con ten ts
Plot Summary
pg. 3
The Use of Themes
pg. 11
Instrumental Symbolism
pg. 15
Otherworldly Musical Elements
pg. 22
Diegetic Time Travel
pg. 24
The Use of Silence
pg. 26
Conclusion
pg. 28
List of Cues
pg. 29
Additional Information
pg. 38
Sum m ary
Interview with the Vampire is the story of Louis’ life as a vampire.
Louis encounters a reporter, Malloy, and instead of feeding on
him, decides to tell his epic life story. Before he became a vampire,
Louis was a young wealthy plantation owner in New Orleans in
the 1790’s. He falls into a deep depression when he loses his wife
and baby during childbirth. Louis’ rebellion and habit of
frequenting seedy bars leads him to cross paths with the vampire
Lestat. Lestat can sense the desperation in Louis’ soul and is drawn
to him. He gives Louis the choice of becoming a vampire or dying.
Louis is intrigued by Lestat and the romantic idea of becoming
immortal. He decides to allow Lestat to turn him into a vampire.
The transformation begins when Louis drinks blood from Lestat’s
wrist. He experiences mortal death as his body shuts down and is
reborn a beautiful vampire with pale white skin, shining eyes, and
new sharp teeth.
Lestat is the only vampire that Louis knows and is therefore the
only one to teach Louis how to survive as a vampire. The two
become inseparable as Lestat mentors his new protégé. Louis
struggles to adapt to the murderous life of a vampire. He is still
conflicted about needing to kill other humans for his own
survival. Hunting is a game to Lestat and he tries, unsuccessfully,
to teach Louis how to enjoy it. Louis and Lestat ravage new
Orleans feeding on prostitutes in bars, aristocrats at high society
affairs and everything in between. The slaves at Louis’ plantation
become aware of the evil living inside the mansion. They see death
everywhere and associate it to their master’s new houseguest,
Lestat. The slave that waits on the vampires in the dining room,
Yvette, appears to have a close relationship with Louis. She
confronts him about Lestat and begs Louis to send him away. As
Yvette pleads with Louis, he becomes overcome with temptation to
feed on her. He eventually loses control and attacks Yvette and
then flies into a conflicted rage. He frees his slaves after
confirming their fears that their master was evil. He then begins
to burn down his mansion. Lestat arrives as the house is burning
down with Louis inside and he drags his friend away.
They are now living life on the road. They move from hotel to
hotel to avoid detection. Louis continues to struggle with his
growing desire to kill and is constantly at odds with Lestat who
enjoys the thrill of the hunt. One night Louis is fed up with
Lestat’s cruelty and he storms out in the rain. As he wanders,
Louis comes across a neighborhood that has been devastated by
the plague. There is a young girl crying inside one of the houses
too afraid to leave her dead mother’s side. Louis is drawn to the
girl. His urge to feed on her becomes overwhelming and he gives
in. As he is drinking from the girl, Lestat finds him and begins to
mock Louis for feeding on a child. Mortified, Louis takes off once
more into the rainy night. Louis, Lestat and the little girl are
reunited after only a few days. Lestat has found her in a hospital
and takes Louis there. Lestat can feel Louis yearning to have the
young girl and decides to turn her into a vampire. Lestat allows
her to drink from his wrist the same as he did for Louis. Quickly
the girl is rid of her decaying plague riddled body and is born
again as a beautiful vampire resembling a child’s doll. Lestat
provides his new vampire daughter, Claudia, with the hospital’s
nurse as her first victim. It is clear she has a taste for blood and
she demands more. Lestat is pleased that his new protégé has much
more interest in the art of preying on humans. Many years pass
and the three vampires become a sort of family. Louis and Claudia’s
bond becomes particularly strong. Claudia becomes more and
more frustrated as the reality sinks in that she will have to spend
eternity in the body of a child. She becomes angry with Louis and
Lestat for taking her form her former life and trapping her into
the life of a vampire before she could even understand what was
happening. When Claudia learns that it was Lestat that actually
took her mortal life away, she focuses her anger on getting
revenge. She develops a plan to get rid of Lestat and leave New
Orleans with Louis. An important lesson that she learned from
her mentor, Lestat, is to never drink blood once the body is dead.
She uses this knowledge to try to kill Lestat. She kills two young
boys and offers their dead blood to Lestat. She drugs they boys so
that the blood will stay warm and Lestat will think he is
receiving a gift instead of a death sentence. The dead blood
begins to take effect and Claudia tells Lestat what she has done.
She slits his throat to seal the deal. She and Louis watch in
horror as Lestat’s cursed blood spreads across the carpet. Louis
appears upset with Claudia for carrying out her evil plan, but he
goes along with it because of how much he loves her. They
complete the deed by dumping Lestat’s bloodless body in the
swamp.
The two newly freed vampires make plans to travel to Europe in
search of other vampires. In their many decades together they
have not come across a single other vampire. The curiosity about
their true origins and place in the world drive Louis and Claudia
to make the move across the Atlantic. Lestat dramatically returns
from the swamp as Louis and Claudia are packing up the house and
getting ready to sail to Europe. He is weakened by his ordeal in the
swamp, but he is angry and looking for revenge. To escape from
Lestat, Louis sets the house on fire and he and Claudia dash away
leaving Lestat to burn with the house. They make it to the boat
just in time and begin their journey to Europe without Lestat.
The pair search all over Europe looking for signs of other
vampires. They find nothing but urban legends and dead ends,
until they arrive in Paris. It is now 1870 and Louis is infatuated
with the romance of Paris. They do not have to try hard to find
what they are looking for once they arrive. Two vampires
approach Louis one night on a dark lonely street and invite him
to an exclusive theatre event that happens to be run by a society
of vampires. He brings Claudia to the event and they are both
horrified by what they find. The beginning of the play is a comedy.
Louis and Claudia are clearly the only vampires in the audience.
The play is about vampires, but the audience is not aware that the
actors pretending to be vampires are actually vampires. The second
half of the show turns into a human sacrifice. A young girl is
brought out on stage. The vampires cruelly toy with her as she
pleads with the audience for help. Nobody moves to help the girl
because they believe it is all a part of the performance. The entire
audience sits and watches as the group of vampires feed on the
frightened girl. After the show, Louis and Claudia join the other
vampires in their lair underneath the theatre. There are many
vampires in the group and they are all very intrigued by the
appearance of the two vampires from the new world. They are not,
however, welcomed with open arms. The groups of old world
vampires remain suspicious of Louis and Claudia. The vampire that
first approached Louis in the dark street, Armand, appears to be
the leader of the group. He has an affinity for Louis and will not
allow the others to harass him. Armand believes that Louis can
help bring the group into the new world and refresh their
antiquated traditions. The other vampires are threatened by
Armand’s interest in Louis. Because the others are closely
scrutinizing Louis and Claudia, they are able to pick up on the
traces of guilt Louis feels for killing Lestat. Armand warns Louis
saying that he can only guarantee protection for Louis and that
Claudia is in danger. The other vampires will take revenge on her
for killing another vampire. While the other vampires are feeling
threatened by Louis’ relationship with Armand, Claudia is feeling
jealous of Louis and Armand as well. She finds a woman willing to
become a vampire and asks Louis to transform the woman into a
vampire so that Claudia will have a new companion when Louis
leaves her to be with Armand. Louis does not want to turn the
woman into a vampire, but he cannot say no to his love, Claudia.
Despite his conflicted emotions, Louis gives in to Claudia’s
demand. The time Louis has to contemplate the ramifications of
his decision is short lived. They are kidnapped by the group of oldworld vampires and dragged down into their lair so that the
vampires can take revenge on Louis and Claudia for killing Lestat.
They separate Louis from Claudia deciding the two should have
different punishments. Claudia and her new companion, Madeline,
are placed into a deep pit with an open roof. The two women
quickly realize that they will be burned to death by the sun when
it rises. As Claudia waits, dreading the rising sun, Louis is dragged
away and buried alive in a coffin. The vampires seal his coffin into
a wall with bricks and mortar and plan to allow him to rot in
the box for eternity. Armand is able to rescue Louis from his
eternal coffin, but it is too late for Claudia. Louis sees Claudia’s
burnt remains and is overcome. He decides to exact his own
revenge. While they are all asleep in their coffins, Louis returns to
the lair and sets it on fire. The vengeful vampires are awakened
from their sleep by the flames. They try to escape, but they are
trapped inside the burning theatre. Louis barely escapes the
damned building and is rescued from the sunrise by Armand in a
horse drawn carriage.
The two men part ways after Louis refuses Armand’s offer to
rebuild to vampire society together. Louis is now disenchanted
with Paris and returns to the new world. New technologies such
as electricity, lights, motion pictures, and automobiles are
developing. Louis adapts to the rapidly changing times and is able
to thrive in the new environment. After many years back in New
Orleans Louis is reunited with Lestat. He finds him weak and near
death hidden in an old decaying building. Lestat has not been
able to adapt to the changing times and appears to have never
fully recovered from Claudia’s assassination attempt. Lestat asks
Louis to help him return to his former self and Louis declines. He
no longer wants a companion and he leaves Lestat just as he
found him, decaying inside of a condemned building.
This is where Louis ends his story. He has covered the entire 200
years of his existence and has nothing left to tell. Malloy,
disappointed that the story has come to an end, declares that he
want to become a vampire himself. Louis is enraged at this request
and feels that his story has conveyed the wrong message and
leaves, angrily, before the reporter realizes what has happened.
Malloy leaves the hotel room in a panic. He gets into his car and
immediately begins to listen to the audiotape that had recorded
Louis’ story. As Malloy drives down the road Lestat emerges from
the backseat of his car and is more than willing to grant his
request to become a vampire. Lestat feeds on the reporter and
throws him in the backseat. The feeble vampire is renewed and we
see the old glorious Lestat returning to take the wheel of the
convertible, driving down the road as the movie ends.
Elliot Goldenthal’s music makes an excellent accompaniment to
this dark tale. The score appears to be straightforward upon first
listening, but upon digging deeper, it becomes clear how
intricately the musical story is woven. Goldenthal uses the
sounds of a traditional orchestra to craft the score. The string
section is the main focus and is featured in nearly every cue. The
woodwind section, in contrast, is used very sparsely and usually
only as accompaniment. There is a very strong brass presence in
the score, but they only appear during heightened climactic
moments. There are moments in this supernatural tale where the
traditional sounds of the orchestral are not enough to set the
scene. Along with extended techniques on traditional
instruments, audio effects such as reverb and delay are used to
morph familiar sounds into something otherworldly. These
effects are applied carefully and do not overpower the
orchestral nature of the rest of the score.
The score is rich with thematic material and symbolism.
Goldenthal frequently contrasts very high register instruments
with incredibly low sounds, leaving the middle of the sonic plane
fairly empty. This contrast is a reference to the struggle between
good and evil that is so prominent in the story. Multiple themes
are used to emphasize the deeper ideas. Along with using thematic
material, Goldenthal has chosen an instrument to represent each
of the main characters. For Louis he uses the string section and
the contrabassoon. Lestat is represented by the harpsichord, and
Claudia is represented by the piano.
Goldenthal take us on an emotional journey, but we must journey
through time as well. Louis’ life story spans 200 years and that
must be reflected in the score. The main way this is accomplished
is by clever placement of diegetic music. We start off with 18th
century pub music and finish with Lestat listening to the radio in
Malloy’s car. Without even realizing it, we are taken through time
just by listening to the music.
Th e U se O f Th em es
The first theme we hear is what I call the “New Beginnings Theme”.
This theme appears only a few times because it symbolizes the start
of a new chapter in Louis’ life. The “Vampire Mischief Theme” is also
used sparingly, but effectively to accompany the misdeeds of
mischievous vampires. The most used theme is the “Death Theme”.
Death is a main topic in the movie and this theme is present in one
form or another every time we are confronted with the subject.
The two other most prominent themes represent Claudia and
Lestat. These themes mark the presence of the respective
characters and are usually played on the instrument that
symbolizes each character.
N ew Begin n in gs Th em e
2
&Œ œ œ
˙
37
&Œ
&Œ
46
˙
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
˙.
œ
˙
˙
bœ
œ
42
˙
œ
˙
œ
œ
!
50
&
bœ
˙ #œ
œ
˙
!
The “New Beginnings Theme” is a very beautiful and romantic
theme, but it is used very few times. The theme is only played four
!
!
!
times 52
and is the indication of a new chapter beginning in Louis’
&
life. As Louis begins to tell Malloy the first chapter his incredible
!
!
55
life story,
the string section brings this theme to life. The string
&
section in general represents Louis’ character, so it is very fitting
to have such and important theme of Louis’ character played by
the strings. About one hundred years pass in Louis’ life before this
theme returns. This time we hear the theme as a large ship sails
across the ocean carrying Louis and Claudia to Europe. Louis has
severed his relationship with Lestat and is excited to start a new
life in Europe with Claudia as they search for others of their
kind. The same melody and instrumentation appear, but this time in
a different key. Goldenthal uses this technique frequently as a
Score
interview transcription
fuck shit the boobies
elliot goldenthall
cara clay
way to keep a theme fresh, but
still have it be easily recognizable.
claudias first theme
3
!
!
!
!
!
& 4 again the next time the theme enters. The strings
This happens
sing as Louis leaves Armand and Europe to return to the new
œ
˙
˙
bœ
j
bœ
˙
bœ
bœ
˙
bœ
Πthe
Πnext chapter. The very last time we hear this theme
world
& for
6
it has returned to the original key. We hear the theme as Malloy
œ.
bœ
bœ
b˙
œ.
bœ
b˙
. to listen to
bœ
b œ œ begins
speeds
&away from
J theœinterview and immediately
J
11
b˙
b˙
the tape he recorded while Louis spoke. The theme appears in this
bœ
bœ
bœ
œ
bœ
b˙.
œ
œ œ
original
Πkey because it plays overΠthe exact same dialogue as it did
15
&
when we first heard Louis tell his story.
!
20
&
& ˙.
˙.
24
!
!
!
D eath Th em e
bœ b˙
˙.
b˙.
˙.
Death is a central !theme in the movie.! Death takes many
forms on
!
30
&
the screen, but it is always accompanied by the Death Theme. This
33
&
!
!
!
!
theme is used the most out of all the themes. It is a very simple
descending line, but Goldenthal manages to give the theme new
life in each scene. He changes the instrumentation and
constantly modulates the line to keep it fresh and interesting.
Score
interview transcription
fuck shit the boobies
&Œ
6
11
&
& 43
!
Œ
œ
˙
bœ bœ
J
œ
œ.
&Œ
15
claudias first theme
!
!
!Th em e
Claudia’s
˙
bœ
bœ
b˙
b˙
bœ
œ
elliot goldenthall
cara clay
bœ
!
œ.
Œ
j
bœ
˙
bœ
!
bœ
bœ bœ
œ
J
œ bœ œ œ
!
b˙
!
˙
bœ
b˙.
bœ
b˙.
!
20
Claudia’s
Theme is introduced in the first scene in which Claudia
&
appears. Louis feels pity for her and an unexplained deep
& ˙.
˙.
connection.
Then theme enters in the high resister of the piano
24
bœ b˙
˙.
b˙.
˙.
and plays through the A section before dropping down an octave
to30the middle register of the piano. Their tender moment is
!
&
!
!
interrupted by Lestat and the entrance of his harpsichord theme.
We do not need to wait long, however, for Claudia’s Theme to
33
!
!
!
!
&
return.
When Lestat brings Louis to Claudia in the hospital the
theme enters again. This time the theme is transposed up a half
step. The theme is also different this time because we hear the B
section for the first time. While the whole theme represents
Claudia herself, the B section is also used as a love theme
throughout the rest of the film to represent the tender feelings
between Louis and Claudia.
Score
Claudia's Theme
3
&4
Pno.
&
?
#œ.
& Œ
?
16
Pno.
&
?
œ œ œ
J
j
œ
œ
œ
bœ
œ
b˙
bœ
˙
œ ˙
œ
j
œ
b˙
œ
#˙
˙
œ ˙
œ
#œ.
œ
œ
j
œ
#˙
˙
œ ˙
œ œ œ
J
Œ
b˙
œ bœ œ œ
bœ
bœ
j
œ
œ
b˙
œ
#œ
˙
œ
˙˙
œ
#˙
œ
˙
œ ˙
˙
œ
B Section "Love Theme"
bœ
œ
œ
˙
˙
œ
œ
#œ
˙
œ ˙
œ
11
Pno.
Œ Œ
˙˙
œ
?3
4
Piano
7
!
Claudia's Theme
goldenthal
shit
œ
œ
b˙
œ
œ
œ
#˙
˙
œ ˙
œ
Instrum ental Sym bolism
Along with thematic symbolism, Goldenthal also uses individual
instruments to represent the main characters. Louis is mostly
represented by the constant presence of the string section.
However, a contrabassoon plays the role of Louis’ conscience. This
instrument appears every time Louis feels the internal conflict
between his mortal and vampire selves. Lestat and his 18th century
sensibilities are appropriately represented by the harpsichord.
Piano, the descendant of the harpsichord, is used to represent
Lestat’s protégé, Claudia.
Con trabassoon
Louis and his constant struggle between good and evil are
represented by the contrabassoon. The first time we hear the
contrabassoon is very early in the score, in Louis’ dining room. He
and Lestat are pretending to dine on the food that was prepared
for them. The house servant, Yvette, comes to check on their meal
and Louis finds himself drawn to her. He is tempted to feed on
her. The contrabassoon plays a very low slow moving line as we
feel the tension grow in the room. Strings playing long held
notes in a high register join the contrabassoon as Louis struggles
to control is killer instincts. Yvette senses that something is
wrong, but does not know quite what it is. The girl is sent away
and the music fades away as she runs from the room. Louis is
relieved of his temptation and the two men continue to pretend
to eat dinner. Yvetts is not so lucky the next time she enters the
dining room. This time she is alone with Louis and pleads for him
to send Lestat away. The contrabassoon enters as her pleas become
more impassioned. She grabs Louis hand and the physical contact
is too much for Louis to resist. He bites her wrist and the
contrabassoon and high register strings rise with Yvette’s
screams. The next moral battle Louis must wage begins when he
finds young Claudia in a plague riddled neighborhood. Lestat sees
how strongly Louis is drawn to the little girl and decides that
he must turn her into a vampire and have her join their family.
Louis is very conflicted about Lestat’s plan. Part of him is
inexplicably drawn to her, but the part of him that is still human
does not want to harm the small girl. Lestat convinces Louis that
turning Claudia into a vampire is better than letting her die from
the plague. Louis stands down, but is clearly unsettled by the idea
of turning an innocent child into the evil creature he believes
himself to be. Lestat slits his writs for Claudia to drink his blood
and the contrabassoon enters accompanied by high register
strings. The contrabassoon is overtaken by heartbeat sounds that
are emphasizing Claudia drinking Lestat’s blood while his evil is
being transferred to the girl. Claudia is transformed into a
vampire and Louis has his new companion whether his conscience
agrees or not. Louis’ morals are soon tested by his new companion.
Claudia becomes disenchanted with Lestat and decides that he
needs to be killed so that she and Louis can live their lives
without his influence and overbearing presence. Louis is again
conflicted about causing Lestat any harm, but his love for
Claudia overrides all of his lingering moral objections. Claudia
devises a plan to get rid of Lestat by pricking him into drinking
dead blood: one of the only fatal beverages to a vampire. The
contrabassoon enters as Lestat struggles to the floor and
realizes what is happening to him. Louis can only stand back and
watch, knowing that it is too late to undo what Claudia has
done. Louis is sad to see his old friend’s body sink to the bottom
of the swamp, but he seems hopeful at the chance of a new life
together with Claudia. The contrabassoon takes a break as a
symbolic instrument and is only used as accompaniment of larger
musical gestures for the majority of the middle of the film. The
contrabassoon returns as a symbolic instrument when Louis
returns to America. Louis is wandering through the streets of
New Orleans and catches a familiar scent. Louis begins to explore
an old abandoned building as he follows the trail. The
contrabassoon enters with the usual low, slow moving line
alerting us to an upcoming choice that Louis must make. Inside of
the dilapidated house Louis finds Lestat in as bad of condition as
the house in which he sits. Lestat asks Louis to rejoin him and help
him become his glorious former self. Louis feels obligated to help
Lestat because of the centuries old bond that they share, but he is
also enjoying his freedom and does not want to return to life
with a heartless murder. Louis again turns his back on Lestat and
leaves the house.
Louis spends much of his life as a vampire in a struggle between
good and evil. He still feels a connection with mortals and the
pain that death causes. The low register foreboding sound of the
contrabassoon is the perfect representation of Louis’ evil
instincts overpowering his human morals.
H arpsich ord
Louis is not the only character that has an instrumental
representative. Lestat’s appearances on the screen are frequently
accompanied by a harpsichord. Sometimes it is only an
ornamentation or few rolled chords accompanying a sparse line
and other times harpsichord is playing full force. No matter how
extensive the part, when we hear this instrument, Lestat is always
present. The harpsichord is the perfect instrument to represent
Lestat. He is an old world vampire with old world sensibilities. He
feels at home in the high society, aristocratic circles and always
dresses the part. The time period in which the harpsichord
enjoyed its greatest popularity is also the time period in which
Lestat was at his peak as a beautiful, deadly vampire.
The first time we hear the harpsichord occurs when Lestat
appears in Louis’ bedroom. The two met for the first time the night
before when Lestat fed on Louis and dropped his dying body into
the river. Lestat has returned to fulfill his promise of releasing
Louis from his mortal suffering by turning him into a vampire. The
harpsichord enters slowly accompanied by low strings. The low
strings play a drone and a single line of notes dance on the
harpsichord as Lestat circles Louis’ bed. After Lestat transforms
Louis into a vampire, he must teach Louis how to survive as a
vampire. We hear the harpsichord in the background as Lestat
takes Louis to a high society party for a hunting lesson. Lestat is
at his best at this party, so it is fitting that his representative
instrument should accompany him. The harpsichord accompanies
Lestat during his next hunting lesson as well. He frequently preys
on prostitutes and enjoys the cruelty of playing with his victims
before killing them. The harpsichord theme alternates with the
string section as Louis and Lestat have an argument about his
cruel killing games. After Lestat is killed the harpsichord
disappears too. It does not return until the strained reunion
between Louis and Lestat back in New Orleans many decades later.
Louis finds Lestat in a very feeble state. He is hiding in an
abandoned plantation house still wearing his tattered 18th
century frills. Lestat is very weak at this point and so is the sound
of the harpsichord. We only hear a few sparse notes and a rolled
chord during this scene. The harpsichord does not return in full
force until the very end of the movie when Lestat sneaks up on
Malloy and feeds on him. The old powerful Lestat is back, and so is
that harpsichord.
Pian o
The piano is used to represent Claudia. This instrument is a very
fitting representative for the young girl. The piano is the
descendant of the harpsichord, the instrument used to represent
Lestat, and Claudia is a descendant of Lestat. Claudia has much
more in common with Lestat than does Louis. She enjoys hunting
humans and does not feel the moral struggle associated with her
mortal past. Claudia is being groomed by Lestat to carry on his
legacy as a beautiful, elegant killer. Claudia first appears as a
fearful child clutching her dead mother’s body in a plague
infested neighborhood. Louis is strangely drawn to the girl and
as he pines for her “Claudia’s Theme” enters softly in the high
range of the piano. The timbre of the piano’s high register tinkles
like a music box and portrays the innocence and youth of Claudia
at that time. This theme follows her through the whole movie
and is always played using the piano. Claudia’s Theme is not the
only piano melody that represents Claudia. As Lestat is teaching
Claudia how to be a vampire, he is also teaching her how to act
like a lady so that she can fit into his high society world. One of
the ways that Lestat brings culture to Claudia is by having her
learn to play the piano. Louis narrates a montage depicting
Claudia honing her hunting skills. The dark mood of the scene is
contrasted by the light-hearted Sonata in F by Antonio Soler
played on the piano. The music accompanying this montage turns
out to be Claudia playing the piano during a lesson. Interestingly,
this sonata was originally written for the harpsichord. Showing
Claudia play an old harpsichord piece on the piano represents,
musically, how Lestat is teaching and grooming Claudia to carry
on the vampire traditions he holds so dear. Another classical
piano piece is used to represent Claudia and specifically her
relationship with Lestat. The two characters being to butt heads
when Claudia discovers how Lestat was responsible unpleasant
details from her past. Claudia approaches Lestat to make peace as
he plays the Adagio e Cantabile movement from Haydn’s Piano
Sonata in E flat. Claudia is actually trying to trick Lestat and has
him drink dead blood in an attempt to kill him. She and Louis
think that the deed is done and they dump Lestat’s body in the
swamp. Unexpectedly, Lestat returns from the dead and announces
his presence by playing his Sonata that Claudia originally
interrupted. Claudia is horrified to see Lestat return and she and
Louis flee the house and escape. The piano is also used as an
accompanying instrument during a few of Claudia’s more intense
scenes. Lestat becomes angry with Claudia when he finds a dead
body in her bed. Claudia flies into a rage and the music matches
her emotions. The violins, woodwinds and piano join together to
create a frantic mood as Claudia unleashes her wrath.
O th erw orldly M usical Elem en ts
On the surface, this score appears to be entirely orchestral. The
melodic strings and stinging brass share the foreground with
the piano and harpsichord. Hidden in the background, however,
are some interesting elements. Goldenthal uses a mix of extended
techniques and electronic manipulation of orchestral sounds to
add to the dark mood he has created for the film.
The first time these elements sneak into the film is very early on.
We see Lestat in the shadows of a seedy pub and a strange sound
that appears. This sound is created by adding reverb to a symbol
scrape sound. The sound is very low in the mix and does not stand
out. It sits in the background enforcing the feeling of
foreboding while being introduced to Lestat.
Another example of Goldenthal stretching the use of orchestral
instruments occurs when Louis, Claudia, and Madeline are being
transformed into vampires. Goldenthal uses slides and glissandi
in the low brass and strings to create a wobbling sound that
feels unstable. There is a lot of reverb added to these sounds and
they sound small and faraway, but dramatically affect the feeling
of uncertainty as the characters experienced their
transformations. As their human bodies die and the vampires come
to life, to wobbling calms, the glissandi settle on their final note,
the reverb fades, and a clear chord comes into focus to signal
the transformation is complete.
There are a few occurrences of strange sounds being used when
Louis and Claudia visit the vampire lair under the theatre in Paris.
There are low rumbling percussion noises accompanied again by a
quietly ringing metallic sound. There are also instances of what
sounds like piano strings being strummed. There is a lot of reverb
added to these sounds to make them more blurry and harder to
distinguish as actual instruments. These strange noises are
signaling to the audience that the lair is an unsafe place for
Louis and Claudia. The unsettling sounds are meant to make the
audience as uncomfortable as Claudia and Louis would have been
as they entered the lair. This lair is where Claudia ultimately
meets her death and Louis barely escapes his punishment given by
the vampires in Paris.
Another technique Goldenthal uses is what sounds like a note
cluster tremolo in the strings. The strings play a frenzied
unmeasured tremolo during quite a few tense scenes in the movie.
The string section is out of control and so are the characters on
the screen when we hear this noise. The first appearance of this
sound is when Lestat is turning Louis into a vampire and he first
bites his neck. The frantic tremolos appear again as Lestat is dying
from being fed dead blood by Claudia. The strings come in as
Lestat realizes that something is wrong. He is caught off guard by
such a betrayal and is too weak to fight back. The audience is
equally surprised that Claudia could conceive of and carryout
such an evil plan. She has the body of a child, but by this point in
the movie she is no child. This sound is heard many more times
throughout the movie during tense and agitated scenes. The
energy in the movement of the strings reinforces the agitation of
the characters.
D iegetic Tim e Travel
Goldenthal faced a challenge to represent the 200 year journey of
Louis life sonically. The way he chose to face this challenge is
through the use of diegetic music. He uses the background music
heard by the characters in the movie to help establish and sense
of time and place with the story. There is a ton of music in the
score that only the audience can hear, but there is a lot of
diegetic music along the way to help keep track of where in time
the characters are. Stupid fix that. The vampire’s lives are filled
with music. Music in pubs, at parties, played on the piano that was
always in their home, in the theatre, and finally playing through
the speakers of Malloy’s. The first thing we hear is background
music in a pub. There is a solo fiddle playing a danceable tune as a
depressed Louis gambles in a seedy bar. The sound of the fiddle and
the style of the tune take us back in time. This is not overt, but it
gives the audience a clue that the story is not taking place in
present day. This is definitely not the music you would hear in a
bar today. There is no radio or popular music playing. There is no
band and nothing requiring electricity. We continue feeling like
we’re in another time as Louis and Lestat attend high society
events. The aristocratic waltz that accompanies the dancing
party guests leaves no question as to the time period and style of
the event.
As time passes, the atmosphere of New Orleans changes. The plague
has passed and more people are coming to the vibrant city. The
music in the streets represents this change in mood. Instead of
solo fiddle and old timey dance music, we hear “N’Orleans” style
big band music played in the streets. Lestat laments the lack of
good old creole blood as the band wails away in the background,
This is the first hint that he is not adjusting well to the
changing times. Another very subtle clue that times are changing
comes though when Claudia is playing her piano sonata. This
sonata composed by Antonio Soler was originally written for
harpsichord. This is a piece that Lestat is encouraging Claudia to
learn, but so much time has passed since it was written, that it is
only possible to play it on the harpsichord’s descendant, the
piano.
When Louis and Claudia go to Paris the feel of the music changes
again. They attend formal events as Louis and Lestat did more
than 100 years in the past, but the music is noticeably different.
Instead of the stiff style of the classical waltz, the events in Paris
dance music with a much more romantic feel. They are still
dancing at parties, but the music has evolved and developed.
The very last cue of the movie leaves no doubt that the story has
progressed into modern times. After Lestat feeds on Malloy in the
convertible, he cranks the radio and enjoys listening to a
Guns’N’Roses song as he drives down the road probably for the
first time in his life. This song “Symphony for the Devil” is actually
a cover of an older Rolling Stones song. It is no accident that a
cover song was used for this scene. It is perfectly fitting that
Lestat’s rebirth into the modern world is accompanied by a song
that has also been given new life in modern times.
Th e U se of Silen ce
This movie is completely packed with music. The movie is
almost 120 minutes long and there is music playing nearly the
entire time. The music is not always melodic or in the forefront,
but it is almost always there. This makes the scenes that are silent
really stand out. There is also a very awkward and intense
reunion of Louis and Lestat near the end of the movie. Louis has
returned to America and finds a frail and weak Lestat in a
crumbling plantation style house. The last time the two men were
in the same room was more than 100 years in the past and Louis
and Claudia had tried to kill Lestat to escape his tyranny. In the
modern era the tables have turned. Louis is the strong vampire
and Lestat needs his help to regain his strength and learn to cope
as the world changes drastically around him. Lestat’s stately
harpsichord music is no longer dancing in the background as
Lestat withers in an old chair, too weak to stand. No melodic
themes are present in the background to tell the audience how to
feel. Just the voices of the two old friends talking. Louis decides
to abandon Lestat The music resumes as he leaves Lestat. The
longest scene with no music is also the most disturbing scene in
the whole movie. When Louis and Claudia travel to Paris they meet
a group of old world vampires . These vampires amuse themselves by
having a theatre and performing comical skits for mortals that
have no ideal they are surrounded by the undead. On the night
that Louis and Claudia visit the vampires begin the show with
their usual light, humorous material. The jovial accompaniment
from the pipe organ fades away as the curtain drops and the host
vampire, Santiago brings a very frightened young woman on stage.
She is very afraid and pleads for the audience to help her. The
audience stays in their seats because they believe they are still
watching a play. The theatre remains silent as the vampires toy
with her. We hear only Santiago’s mocking voice and her urgent
screams and terrified sobs. The audience in the vampire theatre
sits as uncomfortably as the audience of the movie. The lack of
music adds to the discomfort and makes the viewer almost hold
their breath, waiting for what is going to happen to this helpless
woman. Out of focus in the background, Armand rises from below
the stage. Still there is no music. Armand Fully appears and the
audiences’ attention is drawn to him and away from the girl by an
explosion with flames and smoke. Still there is no music. Finally,
after what seems like an eternity, very high register violins sneak
into the scene as Armand begins to walk toward the front of the
stage.
Con clusion
Elliot Goldenthal has masterfully combined all of the afore
mentioned techniques into an incredibly effective score. His
music captures the beauty and grace of the vampires while still
infusing a darker edge to the sound. He manages to use a
traditional orchestra to create an otherworldly atmosphere
that seamlessly supports the action on screen. The music is not
intrusive, but it still makes a grand impact on the overall feel of
the movie. It is no wonder this score has been so highly
acclaimed.
List of Cues
Time
00:00-‐3:10
4:26-‐4:46
Duration
Description
3:10
Main
Title.
Overhead
City
Scene
Strings
with
boys
choir
and
solo
viol
and
glass
harmonica
00:20
Louis
tells
Malloy
that
he
is
a
vampire.
Metallic
effects
accompanied
by
strings
accented
with
brass
and
percussion
hits.
9:28
Louis
begins
to
tell
his
life
story
The
New
Beginnings
Theme
begins
this
section
and
transitions
to
otherworldly
sounds
as
Lestat
is
introduced.
00:18
16:18-‐17:40
Louis
sleeps
for
the
first
time
as
a
vampire
Noise
1:22
Louis
and
Lestat
are
hunting
in
a
bar
5:50-‐15:18
16:10-‐18-‐18
17:40-‐18:12
Solo
fiddle
playing
a
danceable
tune
00:32
Lestat
feeds
on
the
prostitute
and
the
scene
cuts
to
Louis
and
Lestat
sitting
in
Louis’
dining
room
pretending
to
eat
dinner.
Orchestral
music
fades
in
as
the
fiddle
fades
out.
Music
fades
as
we
enter
the
dining
room.
18:29-‐19:00
20:32-‐23:25
00:31
Yvette,
one
of
Louis’
slaves,
is
clearing
the
table
and
making
conversation
with
Lestat
and
Louis
Contrabassoon
plays
solo
in
a
very
low
register
symbolizing
Louis’
temptation
to
prey
on
Yvette
2:53
Louis
and
Lestat
attend
a
high
society
aristocratic
party.
Lestat
is
teaching
Louis
how
to
hunt
people
as
his
prey.
Music
ends
abruptly
when
Lestat
breaks
a
lady’s
neck
Small
ensemble
plays
a
stately
waltz.
24:34-‐26:20
26:20-‐27:00
27:34-‐30:15
01:46
Daylight,
a
woman
presumed
to
be
a
slave
is
mourning
a
death.
We
move
through
Louis
property
and
notice
that
the
slaves
have
realized
Louis
and
Lestat
are
evil.
Tribal
sounding
drums
play
in
a
frantic
rhythm.
00:40
Louis
and
Lestat
are
arguing
in
the
dining
room
of
Louis’
house.
Lestat
leaves
angrily.
Strings
enter
quietly
and
gain
volume
as
the
men
argue
2:41
Yvette
enters
to
clear
the
dinner
table
and
urges
Louis
to
get
rid
of
Lestat
and
the
evil
he
has
brought
to
the
house.
Louis
is
tempted
to
feed
on
Yvette
and
cannot
control
himself.
Louis
becomes
angry
after
feeding
on
Yvette
and
in
a
rage
begins
to
set
his
house
on
fire.
Contrabassoon
in
low
register
enters
quietly
as
Louis
fights
his
urge
to
feed
on
Yvette.
As
he
give
in
to
his
vampiric
urges,
orchestral
31:04-‐36:05
36:20-‐39:10
41:07-‐44:32
music
comes
in
and
intensifies
with
the
addition
of
the
brass
section
as
Louis
burns
down
the
house.
5:01
Louis
and
Lestat
are
on
the
run
and
are
staying
in
a
hotel.
Lestat
has
two
prostitutes
in
the
room
and
intends
to
feed
on
them.
Harpsichord
ornamentation
alternates
with
chordal
movement
in
the
strings.
2:50
After
arguing
with
Lestat,
Louis
leaves
the
hotel
and
wanders
the
streets
of
New
Orleans
while
it
rains.
Louis
wanders
down
a
plague
infested
street
and
finds
Claudia.
Louis
begins
to
feed
on
her.
Lestat
arrives
and
begins
mocking
Louis
for
feeding
on
a
child.
Lestat
picks
up
the
mother’s
corpse
and
begins
dancing
with
her
body.
Louis
is
upset
by
how
lightly
Lestat
is
taking
the
situation
and
runs
away
in
the
rain
again.
At
first,
the
music
is
orchestral
and
mostly
strings.
A
high
register
piano
theme
enters
as
Louis
sees
the
girl
for
the
first
time.
Claudia’s
Theme.
The
theme
continues
in
a
lower
register
until
a
harpsichord
enters.
Lestat
sings
a
line
from
The
Marriage
of
Fiagro
as
he
dnaces
the
mother’s
corpse
The
orchestral
music
returns
as
Louis
flees.
3:25
Lestat
finds
finds
Claudia
and
brings
Louis
to
her.
Lestat
takes
him
to
the
hospital
where
where
Claudia
is
recovering
from
Louis’
attack.
Lestat
has
decided
to
turn
Claudia
into
a
45:39-‐47:47
48:06-‐49:27
vampire.
Louis
is
conflicted,
but
Lestat
proceeds
anyway.
Lestat
drinks
Claudia’s
blood
and
then
lets
her
drink
his
to
begin
her
transformation
into
a
vampire.
After
Claudia
awakes
as
a
vampire,
Lestat
provides
her
with
her
first
Victim,
the
nurse
from
the
Hospital.
Claudia
is
happy
to
take
her
victim.
Orchestral
strings
with
piano
accompaniment
are
present
as
Lestat
takes
Louis
to
the
hospital.
The
contrabassoon
enters
under
The
other
music,
symbolizing
the
evil
desires
of
the
vampires.
Strange
noises
are
present
as
Claudia
transforms.
The
blurry
Sounds
come
into
focus
and
return
to
playing
Claudia’s
theme
in
the
high
register
piano.
2:08
Louis
begins
to
tell
the
story
of
his
new
vampire
family
as
a
montage
of
the
vampires’
daily
life
plays
Source
Music.
Harp
Concerto
in
B
Flat
by
Handel
1:21
A
montage
is
Claudia
playing
the
piano
and
stalking
victims
while
being
mentored
by
Lestat.
49:27-‐50:25
Source
music.
Sonata
in
F
by
Antonio
Soler
0:58
Louis
beings
to
describe
the
changing
times
and
the
difficulty
of
being
immortal
and
adapting
The
piano
source
music
fades
as
the
new
music
rises.
4:48
Claudia
realizes
that
she
is
trapped
in
the
body
of
a
child.
She
becomes
52:25-‐57:13
57:33-‐58:19
58:19-‐59:28
from
60:58-‐64:15
angry
and
blames
Lestat.
As
the
fight
ends,
Louis
comforts
Claudia
and
she
reluctantly
accepts
her
future.
She
convinces
Louis
to
take
her
to
the
place
where
he
first
found
her.
Claudia
is
overcome
and
runs
away.
Piano
and
frantic
strings
with
brass
hits.
Chordal
strings
return
as
the
fight
ends
and
Louis
comforts
Claudia.
Claudia’s
theme
on
the
piano
returns
as
she
laments
her
unchangeable
future.
Orchestral
music
comes
in
as
Louis
and
Claudia
visit
the
place
where
Louis
found
Claudia
as
a
vulnerable
child.
0:46
Louis
finds
Claudia
and
they
discuss
killing
Lestat
and
living
the
rest
of
their
eternity
without
his
dark
influence.
Claudia’s
Theme
plays
on
the
piano.
The
B
section
of
the
theme
is
accompanied
by
stings.
1:10
Claudia
and
Lestat
argue
as
Lestat
plays
the
piano.
Source
music.
Adagio
e
Cantabile
from
Sonata
in
E
Flat
by
Haydn.
3:13
Claudia
tricks
Lestat
into
drinking
blood
from
dead
boys.
She
offers
them
to
Lestat
appearing
to
be
a
peace
offering
after
their
argument,
but
she
is
actually
trying
to
kill
him
with
the
dead
blood.
Lestat
begins
to
struggle
and
Claudia
slits
his
throat
to
quicken
the
process.
Louis
appears
disapproving,
but
still
supports
Claudia
dispose
of
the
Lestat’s
body
in
the
swamp.
64:20-‐65:11
65:33-‐65:53
65:53-‐66:56
66:56-‐70:02
Gentle
strings
and
bells
enter
as
Claudia
offers
Lestat
the
boys.
The
music
stays
sweet
before
the
audience
learns
that
Claudia
is
tricking
Lestat.
The
harpsichord
comes
in
and
out
as
Lestat
begins
to
struggle
and
it
becomes
clear
that
Claudia
has
betrayed
Lestat.
High
pitch
frantic
stings
come
in
as
Claudia
slits
his
throat.
The
music
becomes
more
dramatic
with
a
larger
group
as
Louis
and
Claudia
race
to
the
swamp
to
dump
Lestat’s
body.
Brass
stings
punctuate
the
action.
Strings
take
over
as
Lestat’s
body
sinks
into
the
water.
0:51
Louis
and
Claudia
plan
to
travel
to
Europe
in
search
of
more
vampires.
Source
music.
Sonata
in
F
by
Antonio
Soler.
0:20
Lestat
returns.
Claudia’s
assassination
has
failed.
Lestat
is
angry.
Brass
stings
with
frantic
high
range
violins
playing
unmeasured
tremolos
1:03
Lestat
is
playing
the
piano
to
announce
his
return.
Source
music
accompanied
by
the
string
section.
Adagio
e
Cantabile
from
Sonata
in
E
Flat
by
Haydn.
3:06
Lestat
leaves
the
piano
and
begins
to
attack
Louis
and
Claudia.
The
house
catches
on
fire
and
Louis
70:30-‐71:44
and
Claudia
are
able
to
escape
and
catch
their
boat
to
Europe.
Orchestral
music
with
frantic
piano
accompaniment.
The
music
intensifies
with
the
addition
of
the
brass
section
playing
the
Death
Theme
as
the
house
catches
fire.
music
slows
and
settles
into
a
chordal
texture
as
Louis
and
Claudia
escape
to
the
transatlantic
ship.
1:14
Louis
and
Claudia
set
sail
to
Europe.
They
are
ready
to
begin
their
new
life
together.
They
are
the
old
world
to
learn
the
secrets
of
the
history
of
vampires.
Orchestral.
Main
theme
in
the
strings.
71:44-‐72:48
72:48-‐74:28
1:04
Louis
and
Claudia
arrive
in
Europe.
They
are
dressed
in
their
finest
19th
century
clothes
and
attending
high
society
events.
Orchestral
music
playing.
Sounds
familiar..maybe
marriage
of
figaro.
1:40
Louis
wanders
the
streets
of
Paris
and
encounters
a
playful
vampire
and
the
much
more
serious
vampire,
Armand.
A
playful
solo
violin
line
introduces
the
first
vampire
and
is
replaced
by
a
low
drone
and
chordal
movement
in
the
brass
as
Armand
enters.
1:13
Louis
and
Claudia
attend
a
performance
at
the
vampire
theatre.
74:42-‐75:55
77:42-‐79:35
79:56-‐80:05
82:37-‐84:35
85:10-‐85:40
85:40-‐86:00
86:00-‐86:45
Diegetic
music.
Pipe
organ
accompanies
the
performance.
1:53
Armand
enters
the
stage.
Something
about
killing
the
girl.
The
performance
ends
and
music
cuts
as
the
curtain
drops.
Low
strings
replace
the
pipe
organ.
Brass
enters
as
Armand
feeds
on
the
girl.
0:09
Claudia
and
Louis
enter
the
vampire’s
underground
lair.
An
obscured
tam-‐tam
strike
with
reverb.
1:58
Armand
and
Louis
discuss
the
secrets
of
vampires.
Cello
solo
punctuated
by
glass
harmonica
and
high
strings
0:30
Claudia
and
Louis
fight
because
Claudia
is
jealous
of
Armand.
Chordal
strings
accompany
Claudia’s
Theme
on
the
piano
and
the
Love
Theme
in
strings
and
oboe
0:20
Louis
returns
to
the
vampire
theatre.
Diagetic
snare
drum.
0:45
Armand
and
Louis
discuss
Claudia’s
fate.
Claudia’s
Theme
plays
on
the
piano.
87:55-‐89:40
91:39-‐96:25
1:45
Armand
asks
Louis
to
stay
in
Paris
and
help
bring
the
group
of
vampires
into
the
new
era.
Low
strings
play
augmented
Death
Theme.
The
brass
section
joins
and
the
theme
is
played
in
its
original
version.
4:46
Claudia
begs
Louis
to
turn
her
new
friend,
Madeline,
into
a
vampire.
Louis
reluctantly
agrees
after
an
argument.
As
soon
as
Madeline’s
transformation
is
complete
the
old
world
vampires
arrive
to
punish
Louis
and
Claudia.
Strings
play
the
Death
Theme.
The
brass
section
joins
as
Louis
begins
to
transform
Madeline.
The
Love
Theme
enters
in
strings
and
piano,
but
is
interrupted
by
the
Vampire
Mischief
Theme
as
the
old
world
vampires
kidnap
Louis,
Claudia,
and
Madeline.
Additional Information
Music producer: Matthias Gohl
Orchestration: Robert Elhai and Elliot Goldenthal
Conductor: Jonathan Sheffer
Mixers: Stephen McLaughlin and Joel Iwataki
Electronic Music Production: Richard Martinez
Additional Music Editor: Christopher Brooks
Source Music Consultant: Eliza Thompson
Source Music Supervisor: George Fenton
Source Music
Terpsichore and Harp concerto in B flat – Handel –
adapted by George Fenton
Sonata in F Sharp – Soler –
adapted by George Fenton
Sonata in E Flat Adagio E Cantabile – Haydn (1732-1809) –
adapted by Fenton
Sympathy for the Devil – written by Jagger and Richards
cover performed by Guns’N’Roses
