I Dreamed a Dream
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I Dreamed a Dream is a solo sung by Fantine during the first act of the musical Les Misérables.
Most of the music is soft and melancholy, but towards the end becomes louder and taut with frustration and anguish; as she cries aloud about the wretched state of her life and her unfair mistreatment.
[edit] Overview
Fantine sings I Dreamed a Dream directly after the song At the End of the Day, where she is wrongly dismissed from her job because of false accusations made from jealous co-workers. She is caught in deep distress, being that she just received a letter informing her that daughter is quite ill and needs money for a doctor.
In the lyrics she outlines her recent life, having been abandoned by her assumed-to-be husband, soon after birthing her child , Cosette. It seems that the male sex has oppressed her throughout her life, which is shown in which she is left broke by her husband, wrongly fired by her boss, and persuaded into prostitution by a pimp.
In the novel Les Misérables, Fantine's story is told in its entirety, and it is very close to the stroy told in the song. She was a poor but beautiful girl in a group of four friends. Four rich young men entered their lives, and all of them became a couple with one of the men. Fantine in particular was in love with the man with whom she was coupled. The men then had an idea for a "special surprise", which consisted of them making love to the women and then abandoning them for life. This left Fantine alone, poor, and pregnant with her daughter Euphrasie, nicknamed Cosette.
[edit] Relation to "On My Own"
Both the "plot" and music to "I Dreamed a Dream" bears an extreme resemblance to "On My Own," a solo sung by Eponine in Act II of the play. The two can in many ways be considered reprises of each other.
Some notable relations include:
- I Dreamed a Dream starts in Eb Major, then E Minor, then F Major - On My Own starts in D Major, moving to Bb Major, and ending in F Major
- "I Dreamed a Dream" outlines unfairness and woe in Fantine's life, the second half dedicated to her former male partner, who deserted her after the birth of Cosette. In "On My Own," Eponine outlines her desire to be with the character Marius, and (similarly to Fantine), dreams and imagines him by her side.
- Near the one-minute mark (slightly after in "I Dreamed a Dream"), the final key signature change is made and the music and singing grows louder and more intense, as is done in On My Own.
