Notes/Prima Donna Lyrics – Phantom of the Opera, The
Notes/Prima Donna Lyrics
"Mystery after gala night," it says, "mystery of sopranos flight".
"Mystified," all the papers say, "We are mystified. We suspect foul play!"
Bad news on soprano scene
First Carlotta, now Christine.
Still at least the seats get sold,
Gossip's worth its weight in gold.
What a way to run a business
Spare me these unending trials
Half your cast disappears
But the crowd still cheers
Opera!
To hell with Gluck and Handel
Have a scandal and you're sure to have a hit!
Andre
Damnable!
Will they all walk out?
This is damnable!
Firmin
Andre please don't shout
It's publicity and the take is vast
Free publicity
Andre
But we have no cast!
Firmin
Andre have you seen the queue
Ah, it seems you've got one too
Andre
"Dear Andre what a charming gala,
Christine was in a word sublime
We were hardly bereft when Carlotta left
On that note: The diva's a disaster,
Must you cast her when she's seasons past her prime?"
Firmin
"Dear Firmin just a brief reminder;
My salary has not been paid
Send it care of the ghost
By return of post
P.T.O No one likes a debter so it's better if my orders are obeyed!"
Andre & Firmin
Who would have the gall to send this?
Someone with a puerile brain
These are both signed O.G
Who the hell is he?
Opera Ghost!
Firmin
It is nothing short of shocking
Andre
He is mocking our position
Firmin
In addition he wants money
Andre
What a funny apparition
Andre & Firmin
To expect a large retainer
Nothing plainer
He is clearly quite insane
Raoul
Where is she?
Andre
You mean Carlotta?
Raoul
I mean Miss Daae.
Where is she?
Firmin
Well how should we know?
Raoul
I want an answer
I take it that you sent me this note
Andre
What all this nonsense?
Of course not
Firmin
Don't look at us
Raoul
She's not with you then?
Firmin
Of course not
Andre
We're in the dark
Raoul
Monsieur don't argue
Isn't this the letter you wrote
Firmin
And what is is that we're meant to have wrote?
...Written!
Andre
D"o not fear for Miss Daae
The Angel of Music has her under his wing
Make no attempt to see her again."
Raoul
If you didn't write it then who did?
Carlotta
Where is he?
Andre
Ah, welcome back!
Carlotta & Piangi
Where is he?
Your precious patron
Where is he?
Raoul
What is it now?
Carlotta
I have your letter
A letter that which I rather resent
Firmin
And did you send it?
Raoul
Of course not!
Andre
As if he would
Carlotta & Piangi
You didn't send it?
Raoul
Of course not!
Firmin
What going on?
Carlotta
You dare to tell me
That this is not the letter you sent
Raoul
And what is it that I'm meant to have sent?
"Your days at the Opera Populaire are numbered.
Christine Daae will be singing on your behalf tonight.
Be prepared for a great misfortune should you attempt to take her place."
Andre & Firmin
Far too many notes for my taste
And most of them about Christine
All we've heard since we came
Is Miss Daae's name
Madame Giry
Miss Daae has returned
Firmin
No worse for wear as far as we're concerned
Andre
Where precisely is she now?
Madame Giry
I thought it best she was alone
Meg
She needed rest
Raoul
May I see her?
Madame Giry
No monsieur she will see no one
Carlotta & Piangi
Will she sing?
Will she sing?
Madame Giry
Here I have a note
All (except Madame Giry and Meg)
Let me see it
Firmin
Please
"Gentlemen, I have now sent you several notes of the most aimnable nature detailing how my Opera House is to be run
You have ignored my orders...
Phantom
...I shall give you one last chance
Christine Daae has returned to you
And I am anxious her career should progress
In the new production of Il Muto
You will therefore cast Carlotta as the page boy
And put Miss Daae in the role of Countess
The role which Miss Daae plays calls for charm and appeal
The role of the page boy is silent which makes my casting in a word, ideal
I shall watch the performance from my normal seat in box 5 which will be kept empty for me
Should these commands be ignored a disaster beyond your imagination will occur
I remain, gentlemen, your obedient servant
O.G
Carlotta & Piangi
Christine!
Andre
What ever next?
Carlotta & Piangi
It's all a ploy to help Christine
Firmin
This is insane
Carlotta
I know who sent this
The Viscount, her lover
Raoul
Indeed, can you belive this?
Firmin
Signora
Carlotta
O tradori!
Andre
This is a joke
Firmin
This changes nothing
Carlotta
O mentitori
Firmin
Signora!
Andre
You are our star
Firmin
And always will be
Andre
Signora
Firmin
The man is made
Andre
We don't take orders
Firmin
Miss Daae will be playing the page boy
The silent role
Andre & Firmin
Carlotta will be playing the lead
Charlotta
It's useless trying to appease me
Piangi
Appease her!
Carlotta
You're only saying this to please me
Piangi
Please her!
Carlotta & Piangi
Lasciatemi morire!
O padre mio!
Dio!
Madame Giry
Who scorn his word beware to those
Carlotta
You have reviled me!
Madame Giry
The angel sees, the angel knows
Raoul
Why did Christine fly from my arms?
Carlotta
You have rebuked me!
Andre & Firmin
Sinora, pardon us
Carlotta
You have replaced me
Aandre & Firmin
Please Signora we beseech you
Madame Giry
This hour shall see your darkest fears
Raoul
I must see her
Carlotta & Piangi
Abbandonata!
Deseredata!
O, sventurata!
Madame Giry
The angel sees, the angel hears
Raoul
Where did she go?
Carlotta & Piangi
Abbandonata!
Andre & Firmin
Senora sing for us
Carlotta & Piangi
Disgraziata!
Andre & Firmin
Don't be a matyr
All
What new suprises lie in store
Andre
Your public needs you
Firmin
We need you too
Carlotta
Wouldn't you rather have your precious little ingenue?
Andre & Firmin
Signora no! The World wants you
Prima Donna first lady of the stage
Your devotees are on their knees to implore you
Andre
Can you bow out when they're shouting your name?
Firmin
Think of how they all adore you
Andre & Firmin
Prima donna enchant us once again
Andre
Think of your muse
Firmin
And all your queues 'round the theatre!
Andre & Firmin
Can you deny us the triumph in store?
Andre, Firmin & Piangi
Sing Prima Donna once more
Raoul
Christine spoke of an angel
Charlotta
Prima Donna your song shall live again
Andre & Firmin
Think of your public
Carlotta
You took a snub but there's a public who needs you
Madame Giry
She has heard the voice of the Angel of Music
Andre & Firmin
Those who hear you liken you to an angel
Carlotta
Think of the cry of undying support
Andre
We get her Opera
Firmin
She gets her limelight
Carlotta
Follow where the lime light leads you
Andre & Firmin
Leading ladies are a trial
Carlotta
Prima Donna your song shall never die
You'll sing again and to unending ovation
Raoul
Order, warnings lunatic!
Andre & Firmin
This misacating will invite damnation
Lunatic demands are regular occurences
Carlotta
Think how you'll sing in that final encore
Andre & Firmin
Sing Prima Donna once more
Raoul
I must see these demands are rejected
Andre & Firmin
Who'd believe a diva happy to relieve
A chorus girl whose gone and slept with the patron?
Raoul and the soubrette, entwined in love's duet!
Although he may demur, he must have been with her!
Carlotta
Fortunata!
Non ancor abbandonata!
Andre & Firmin
You'd never get away with all this in a play,
but if it's loudly sung and in a foreign tongue
It's just the sort of story audiences adore, in fact a perfect opera!
Meg & Christine
For if his curse is on this Opera
All
Prima Donna the world is at your feet
A nation waits, and how it hates to be cheated!
Light Up the stage with that age-old rapport,
Sing Prima Donna
Once more!
Phantom
So, it is to be war between us. If these demands are not met, a disaster beyond imagination will occur!
All
Once more!
Song Overview
Review & Highlights
Notes / Prima Donna is the musical’s pressure-cooker - plot, politics, and ego volleying in tight counterpoint until everyone sings at once. As far as ensemble showpieces go, it’s a master class: patter humor, boardroom panic, diva rhetoric, a threat from the rafters. I love how the scene weaponizes paperwork. A few letters, a few bruised prides, and suddenly the opera house is a chessboard. The lyrics bite but they also dance, snapping from office sarcasm to Italianate flourish without dropping tension.
Verse 1
It starts as gallows gossip. Managers count ticket lines and spin scandal into strategy while a city stares. The diction is clipped, the rhythm brisk - administrative panic with a beat.
Chorus
There isn’t a traditional chorus so much as a recurring obsession: Christine’s name becomes a refrain others can’t stop repeating. Every time it returns, stakes rise a notch.
Exchange/Bridge
The bridge is really the Phantom’s memo. His casting demands split the room - flattery for Christine, a silent demotion for Carlotta. The tonal gearshift from office banter to decree feels like a trap springing.
Final Build
By the end, lines stack in glorious chaos - managers pleading, Carlotta raging, Giry warning, Raoul scheming. The music braids the arguments into one ribbon and yanks. Curtain on peace, if only for a minute.
Song Meaning and Annotations
The number nails how institutions dress fear up as policy. The managers mock authority while counting receipts, a very human reflex when chaos helps the bottom line.
“According to Google, Sûreté are cops.”
Right - and the lyric’s jab at them frames the mood: deflect, joke, sell tickets. It’s crisis as marketing plan.
That salesmanship turns shameless. Reputation management beats artist safety in the pecking order, and the music leans into the smirk.
“The old adage, any publicity is good publicity.”
Ugly truth, sung pretty. You can almost hear the cash drawer in the orchestra pit.
Different productions tweak the management snark, but the core gag stays - bureaucratic spin set to patter.
“In the Royal Albert Hall version, here Firmin says: ‘Diva tenders resignation, cover does a moonlight flit.’”
It’s a newsroom headline as melody, and it lands every time.
Even the sacred names get tossed around. Gluck and Handel become punchlines when panic meets PR.
“In the 25th Anniversary Performance it says ‘Damn It with Gluck and Handel’.”
Low blow, high comedy - the score knows exactly what it’s doing.
The Phantom’s letter is administrative theater - ominous, formal, and chilling in its pettiness.
“The Phantom of the Opera’s abbreviation is for ‘please turn over’... It’s also the abbreviation for Phantom of the Opera, which is likely not a coincidence.”
A neat paper pun that doubles as brand stamp. He’s running the office from the shadows and enjoying it.
His casting logic is cruelty wrapped as efficiency, and the rhyme makes it sting sweet.
“The Phantom implies that the ‘ideal’ casting is one where Carlotta never speaks or sings, which is insulting and hilarious.”
The joke works because it’s vicious - a silent pageboy for the loudest voice in the room.
Meanwhile, “prima donna” does double duty - job title and temperament, both in capital letters.
“Although Prima Donna does mean ‘first lady’ in the context of opera, it also refers to a person who is excessively conceited and thus, demands special treatment.”
That linguistic fork gives the number its comic engine. Meaning fights itself while the band keeps time.
Giry’s lines cut through the noise like a scalpel. She isn’t buying the office spin, and neither should we.
“As in Magical Lasso, Madame Giry is warning about the dangers of disobeying the Phantom.”
Her warnings carry plot gravity, the closest thing to moral physics in a room full of agendas.
And yes, the vocal fireworks are a flex and a clue. Technique becomes character writing in real time.
“At this point in the song, Carlotta hits a D6... Carlotta is actually the hardest role in the entire show because she must be able to apply very difficult technique.”
So the scene’s not only funny - it’s a workout. Virtuosity as argument, high notes as leverage.
Message
Power writes the memo, but art exposes it. The song argues that institutions will protect revenue first and pretend it’s taste. The mask behind the desk is still a mask.
Emotional tone
Jittery, sardonic, then grand. The mood jumps from office lamp light to footlights in seconds, and the orchestra laughs along.
Historical context
Premiering in 1986, the scene sits at the heart of the megamusical era’s appetite for spectacle - but here the spectacle is gossip weaponized. It’s a chorus of agendas, not angels.
Production & instrumentation
Piano-led patter, nimble winds, brass punctuation, and those trademark choral stacks. Orchestration keeps dialogue audible while building to an operatic bloom.
Language & imagery
Ledger talk, legalese, and tabloid fizz collide with diva Italian - a mash that mirrors the house itself: half office, half stage, all pressure.
Creation history
Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, Notes / Prima Donna crystallizes the show’s power struggle. The Original 1986 London Cast etched the template - managers (David Firth, John Savident), diva Carlotta (Rosemary Ashe), Raoul (Steve Barton), Giry (Mary Millar), Meg (Janet Devenish), and the Phantom (Michael Crawford) singing at cross-purposes until the harmony turns into a verdict.
Key Facts
- Featured ensemble: David Firth, Janet Devenish, John Savident, Mary Millar, Michael Crawford, Rosemary Ashe, Steve Barton
- Producer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Lyricists: Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe
- Album: The Phantom of the Opera - Original 1986 London Cast
- Release Date: October 9, 1986
- Label: Polydor (later reissues on Decca/Verve)
- Genre: West End megamusical - comic ensemble scene
- Instruments: piano-led pit, woodwinds, brass punctuations, strings, offstage effects
- Mood: satirical, breathless, combustible
- Music style: patter recitative blooming into operatic ensemble
- Poetic meter: mixed syllabic patter with Italianate interjections
- Track position: typically Disc 1 - Track 10
- © Rights: The Really Useful Group Ltd. and associated publishers
Questions and Answers
- What story job do the Notes letters perform?
- They move the plot like stage directions in ink - the Phantom exerts control, the managers spin, and the company fractures before our ears.
- Why does Carlotta react so fiercely in this scene?
- The letter demotes her to a silent role while elevating Christine. It’s both an artistic insult and a public-power blow, so her rhetoric and notes go skyward.
- Is this number mainly comedy or mainly menace?
- Both. Office satire masks real danger. Giry’s warnings and the Phantom’s terms shift the tone from farce to threat without changing key.
- How does the music organize the chaos?
- Through layered counterpoint. Each character’s motif stacks until the texture turns from argument to anthem - the classic megamusical ensemble bloom.
- Does the title “Prima Donna” have a double meaning?
- Yes. It denotes “first lady” of the stage and also describes temperament - someone who demands special treatment. The lyric plays with both senses.
Awards and Chart Positions
Show honors: The Phantom of the Opera secured major awards on both sides of the Atlantic - including the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Actor for Michael Crawford - with the Original London Cast Recording becoming a multi-platinum seller. While Notes / Prima Donna was not a single, it remains a signature ensemble moment that critics and fans cite when praising the score’s architecture.
Music video
Phantom of the Opera, The Lyrics: Song List
- Act 1
- Prologue
- Overture/Hannibal
- Think of Me
- Angel of Music
- Little Lotte/The Mirror
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Music of the Night
- Magical Lasso
- I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It
- Notes/Prima Donna
- Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh/Il Muto
- Why Have You Brought Me Here / Raoul I've Been There
- All I Ask of You
- All I Ask of You (Reprise)
- Act 2
- Entr'Acte: Act Two / Six Months Later
- Masquerade / Why So Silent?
- Madame Giry's Tale / The Fairground
- Journey to the Cemetery
- Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
- Wandering Child
- The Swordfight
- We Hall All Been Blind
- A Rehearsal for Don Juan Triumphant
- Point of No Return / Chandelier Crash
- Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer
- Learn to Be Lonely