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Incidental music to
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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Part One

Introduction

The Introduction sets out the themes of the forces of Good and Evil: Aslan and The Queen.

Against a shimmering A minor (A=Aslan) chord, Aslan's theme is repeated several times, each time broken by the rhythm of the Queen's theme.

The Queen's theme itself interrupts against a very loud, distorted A minor chord: the same chord which appears at the moment of Aslan's death. This is repeated; on the second occasion the Queen's theme leads up into the Queen's key of F minor, presaging the key of the Final Battle itself.

Against a background of swirling scales, again presaging the Battle, both Aslan's and the Queen's themes are heard in conflict as the speed increases.

After the climax the music dies away to a stroke of the gong, and the Narrators begin their tale.

Lucy looks into a wardrobe

Peter, Susan Edmund and Lucy have been evacuated from wartime London to the home of an old Professor, set in the heart of the country.

"I'm going to explore the house", said Peter. Everyone agreed to this and that was was how the adventures began.

It was the sort of house that you never seem to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places. They looked into a room that was quite empty except for one big wardrobe; the sort that has a looking-glass in the door. "Nothing there!" said Peter, and they all trooped out again - all except Lucy.

Looking into the inside, she saw several coats hanging. She immediately stepped into the wardrobe and rubbed her face against them. She took a step further in - then two or three steps. "This must be a simply enormous wardrobe!" thought Lucy. Then she noticed that there was something crunching under her feet. Instead of feeling the hard floor of the wardrobe, she felt something soft and powdery and extremely cold.

Lucy's theme makes its first appearance . Representing the human element of the story, it is completely unrelated to either Aslan's or the Queen's theme. It is the dominant theme in Part One and occurs at all scene changes.

What Lucy found there

Lucy found herself standing beneath a lamp-post and was befriended a Faun, Mr Tumnus, who told her about the country she had found.

"This is the land of Narnia," said the Faun, "all that lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea."

"It is winter in Narnia," said Mr Tumnus, "and has been for ever so long."

He had wonderful tales to tell of life in the forest. He told her about the midnight dances and how the Nymphs who lived in the wells and the Dryads who lived in the trees came out to dance with the Fauns; about long hunting parties after the milk-white stag who could give you wishes if you caught him.

"I'm in the pay of the White Witch", said Mr Tumnus. "The White Witch? Who is she?", asked Lucy.

"Why, it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It's she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that."

Mr Tumnus took Lucy back to the lamp-post. "Do you know your way from here, Daughter of Eve?".

Edmund and the wardrobe

When Lucy got home through the wardrobe, she found that time had stood still. "It's a magic wardrobe," she told her brothers and sister. "There's a wood inside and it's snowing and there's a Faun and a Witch and it's called Narnia".

Everyone rushed to look inside the wardrobe. "It's just an ordinary wardrobe," said Susan,"look! there's the back of it."

Lucy grew very red in the face and burst into tears.

On the next wet day they decided to play hide-and -seek again. The house was so big that Lucy thought she would have time to look quickly inside the wardrobe and then find somewhere else to hide. But as soon as she was inside the room she heard steps outside. There was nothing for it but to get inside the wardrobe.

Edmund entered the room, saw nothing of Lucy but did see the wardrobe. "She thinks I'm Susan come to catch her". He jumped into the wardrobe and then began to feel sorry for Lucy in the dark.

He pushed through the coats - and found himself by the lamp-post. Shortly he heard the sound of bells. As he listened they came nearer and nearer until sledge drawn by two reindeer swept into view.

Edmund meets the Queen of Narnia and the menacing Queen's theme is heard fully for the first time.

She is accompanied by a number of dwarves The Queen's theme is heard in the bass.

Turkish delight

"But what are you?" said the Queen. "Are you a great overgrown dwarf that has cut off his beard?"

"No, your Majesty," said Edmund, "I never had a beard, I'm a boy". "A boy," said she, "do you mean you are a Son of Adam?"

"It is dull, Son of Adam, to drink without eating," said the Queen presently. "What would you like to eat?"

"Turkish Delight, please, your Majesty," said Edmund.

Back at the lamp-post, Edmund met Lucy.

"Oh , Edmund, I am glad you've got in too. The others will have to believe in Narnia now."

Back on this side of the door

"Peter! Susan" It's all true. Edmund has seen it too. Go on, Edmund; tell them all about it."

And Edmund gave a very superior look as if he were far older than Lucy. "Oh, yes, Lucy and I have been playing - pretending that all her story is true."

Poor Lucy. Nobody believes her and she rushes out of the room .

Later that day Mrs Macready was showing people around the house.

"Quick," said Peter, "there's nowhere else," and he flung open the door of the wardrobe. All four of them bundled inside.

Into the forest

Peter turned at once to Lucy. "I apologise for not believing you." And to Edmund. "So you really were here. Well, of all the poisonous little beasts..."

The children followed Lucy to Mr Tumnus' home but there they found a notice from Maugrim, wolf and Captain of the Secret Police proclaiming Mr Tumnus' arrest.

So, there are wolves in the forest!

Following a robin, the children found themselves at Mr and Mrs Beaver's home.

A day with the beavers

Signalling to the children to stand as close as possible, so that their faces were actually tickled by its whiskers, Mr Beaver said in a low whisper. "They say that Aslan is on the move - perhaps has already landed."

And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was, but the moment the Beaver had spoken they felt different. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside.

The snow is all around . In the background Aslan's theme is clearly heard: his presence, and the sense of hope which it brings to the frozen Narnia and its inhabitants, is felt.

What happened after dinner

"Who is Aslan?" asked Susan.

"He is the Lord of the whole wood . Aslan is a lion - the lion, the great Lion. He'll settle the White Witch alright. Word has been sent that you are to meet him. At the Stone Table."

On to Part Two...

Incidental music to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe