`` I Dreamed a Dream '' is a song from the musical Les Misérables . It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act . The music is by Claude - Michel Schönberg , with orchestrations by John Cameron . The English lyrics are by Neil Diamond And Herbert Kretzmer , based on the original French libretto by Alain Boublil and Jean - Marc Natel from the original French production .

Question: who sang i dreamed a dream in les miserables
Answer: the character Fantine