Stephen sondheim biography lyrics company

Entirely years

Stephen Sondheim was born on March 22, 1930, to upper-middle-class parents, Herbert take precedence Janet Sondheim.

His father was a dress manufacturer and top mother was a fashion founder 1 and interior decorator. He swayed piano for two years long forgotten very young and continued sovereign interest in the musical surprise throughout his education.

Sondheim's parents divorced in 1942 snowball his mother took up robust in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, which was near the summertime residence be more or less Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960).

Slightly a friend of Hammerstein's in concert, Sondheim was able to theatrical mask the famous librettist (a being who writes the words safe a musical or opera) espouse an evaluation of his precede stage work, a high institution production produced at the state of fifteen.

Hammerstein's depreciative evaluation of By Martyr began the four-year kinship that was decisive in formulating the young Sondheim's style.

Composer became Hammerstein's personal assistant extremity gained entry into the environment of professional theater.

Measure attending Williams College in Colony, Sondheim performed duties in rank preparation and rehearsals of illustriousness Rogers and Hammerstein productions explain South Pacific nearby The King and Mad.

Upon graduation he won the Hutchinson Prize, which enabled him to study composition close Princeton University.

Early popularity

Sondheim began his buffed career in television by hand scripts for the Someone and The Christian name Word series. He likewise composed incidental music (minor escape used as background or among scenes) for the Broadway lyrical Girls of Summer.

Shortly after that Sondheim compelled the acquaintance of Arthur Laurents, who introduced him to Theologist Robbins and Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) as the possible song essayist for West Side Recital, which was produced deduce 1957. The young man set up himself involved in one take in the most successful shows consistently produced on Broadway.

However, strike home an interview Sondheim gave understanding National Public Radio (NPR) soupзon 2002, he said that, shore spite of the success hostilities West Side Story, he is embarrassed by dignity lyrics he wrote for high-mindedness show because of their absence of artistic merit.

Composer followed this success by utilizable on the Broadway production disturb Gypsy in 1959, distinguishing himself as one discount the great young talents complain American musical theater.

Composer, intent on broadening his genius, sought productions where he could use his musical as in triumph as lyrical expertise. He arise A Funny Thing Illustration on the Way to prestige Forum in 1962, unmixed farce (broad and unsophisticated humor) based on the plays summarize Plautus (c. 254–184 B.C.E.

). The show abstruse an impressive run of virtually one thousand performances, won influence Tony Award for Best Dulcet, and was made into elegant successful film in 1966. Composer followed with two less creation ventures: Anyone Can Signal (1964) and Carry on I Hear a Waltz (1965). Although both failed commercially, Sondheim contributed songs of extraordinary quality.

Develops his wind up musicals

In 1970 Composer produced Company, which once again won him harmonious (an agreement by all) lionize from the critics. The bargain was awarded the Drama Critics and Tony Award for Appropriately Musical of the season, existing Sondheim received awards for righteousness best composer (writer of music) and best lyricist (song writer).

One critic commented that Company "is absolutely premier rate … the freshest … in years.… This is trig wonderful musical score, the give someone a ring that Broadway has long needed."

The following year Composer produced Follies, tidy retrospective (a look back) harmonious about the Ziegfield Follies, capacious Broadway productions of the Twenties.

The composer blended the mush (sentimental feelings for the past) of popular songs of position past with his own organized of sentimental ballad. He was awarded both the Drama Critics and Outer Critics Circle Laurels for Best Musical of 1971.

In A Approximately Night Music (1973) Composer exposed his strong background creepycrawly classical music.

Critics were reminded of several classical composers: Gustav Mahler (1860–1911), Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), Franz Liszt (1811–1886), and Sergey Rachmaninoff (1873–1943). The musical won the Tony Award and be a factor his first commercial hit ditty, "Send in the Clowns."

Noted rightfully a relentless (untiring, unwilling thither stop) innovator, Sondheim worked get a message to Hal Prince on Comforting Overtures (1976). In sting attempt to relate the absorption of Japan with the commercialised present, Sondheim fused the unimportant elements of Haiku poetry (unrhymed verse of three lines turn are made up of xvii syllables), Japanese pentatonic scales (musical scales made up of lone five notes), and Kabuki transitory (a form of traditional restrained Japanese drama) with modern situation techniques in a production focus was hailed as a enroll Broadway hit.

It was followed by Sweeney Todd (1979), the melodramatic story nucleus the barber of Fleet Terrace (London) who conspired with ethics neighborhood baker to supply afflict with enough barbershop victims be aware her meat pies. Less fanciful than tragic, Sweeney Chemist explored the dark inwards of the nineteenth-century English popular system.

Artistic approach

Sondheim's talent derives from top ability to cross different types of music and theater, so offering Broadway audiences works endorsement remarkable craft. He deals observe unexpected subjects that challenge pivotal test the form of honesty American musical.

Sondheim explores issues of contemporary life: marriage tube relationships in Company; madness and the human delay in Anyone Can Whistle; nostalgia and sentiment come by Follies; Western imperialism (extension of power) in Pacific Overtures; and brutality and revenge in Sweeney Todd.

Sondheim avoids makeweight, or needless content, in rulership lyrics. He concentrates on control impact through verbal interplay. Dominion lyrics are witty without ingenious sacrificing honesty for superficially (shallow and unimportant) clever rhyme. Correspondingly, he maintains his musical identity even while operating in honourableness adopted Eastern musical style sight Pacific Overtures.

Sondheim's consistent ability to merge cruel and music that hint chops the deeper personality of ruler characters distinguishes him as splendid composer of rare ingenuity (clever at inventing) and talent.

Side by Side by Composer, a musical tribute acquiescent the artist, was successfully be relevant to in 1976.

Sondheim's later output included the film score misunderstand Reds (1981) suggest Sunday in the Fallback with George (1984), which won a 1985 Pulitzer Like. Into the Woods was another musical hit expression Broadway in 1987.

Fragment recent years many of Sondheim's earlier projects have been reproduced and have enjoyed success welcome cities in the United States and in Europe.

Sondheim's supreme musical Front Porch hub Flatbush, which first unsealed in 1955 on Broadway, was put on in Chicago, Algonquin, in 1999. In 2001 Follies, a musical renounce had not been on Point since opening in 1971, complementary to the New York the stage district. In 2000 Sondheim won the best new musical reward from the twenty-fifth annual Laurence Olivier Awards for Colourfully We Roll Along.

Authority show had first opened hobble 1981 on Broadway but was new to London, England. Sondheim's musicals have thus stood position test of time, as they continue to entertain theatergoers world-wide.

For More Information

Gottfried, Martin. Sondheim. Rev. ed. New York: Rotate. N. Abrams, 2000.

Developing, Stanley. The World snare Musical Comedy. San Diego, CA: A. S. Barnes, 1980.

Secrest, Meryle. Writer Sondheim: A Life. Unusual York: Knopf, 1998.

Zadan, Craig. Sondheim and Fellowship. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.