Guy Woolfenden Composes for Shakespeare

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Music has been a vital part of staging Shakespeare’s plays from their first performances right up to the present day. But no original instrumental music survives from the plays themselves. So how can music still be used to make the plays come alive?

Obviously I think music in Shakespeare is extremely important. But before I started writing the music for the [Royal Shakespeare Company], the music was sometimes almost an afterthought. Composers sent in music without knowing anything about the production style.

It’s all a question of style, and it depends very much on the nature of the production one is working on. I was always guided by what the design team had planned for a production and had a much better idea of what was needed once I had seen the designs for the sets and costumes. Of course I relied on the director’s guidance to shape the music.

Reference: Writing the Music for Shakespeare's Plays: An Interview with Guy Woolfenden.

I suppose if a director knows exactly the music that he or she wants for a production, then the composer of that music or the creative process behind it is more or less secondary.  But to Woolfenden's point, I think it's vital to compose original music that speaks specifically to the theme, rhythm and direction of the production.