How was the Sweeney Todd soundtrack composed?

It wasn't composed as a soundtrack. It was composed as a stage musical, then adapted somewhat to suit the film. read more

Sondheim, since he composes both the music and the lyrics behind closed doors, hadn't really let us in on how he did it until he put out two books, "Finishing the Hat" and "Look I Made a Hat." His chapter on "Sweeney Todd" is in the first, "Finishing the Hat." Not surprisingly for those who are fans of his music, he spends a lot of time on lyrics. read more

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is the second film in Burton's directing career not to include music composed by Danny Elfman (the first being Ed Wood). Burton wanted to avoid the traditional approach of patches of dialogue interrupted by song. read more