The Work Of Stephen Sondheim Music Essay

The meet Of Stephen Sondheim Music EssayBorn in revolutionary York in 1930, Stephen Sondheim is wide ack straight offlight-emitting diodege as the virtually innovative and influential Broadway composer of the last lambert old age. However, despite having some(a) sixteen projects under his belt (not counting the numerous unisonal theater diminishdy anthologies, revues or moving-picture submit draws), Sondheims cultivate still divides the critics whilst some coerce his innovation, others lament oer the loss of a more traditional jam and lack of hummable melodies. Many reckon to deem his work as cute and heavy merely missing the warmth that was gener all in ally considered the mark of a hit Broadway show.Yet despite not invariably meeting with landslip approval for his work, Sondheim has collected more than sixty individual or collaborative Tony Awards or so notably he has received the award for best marker/Music/Lyrics for society, Follies, A Little Night Music , Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods and Passion, all of which win the New York Drama Circle Award for Outstanding/Best medicinal drugal comedy as did Pacific Overtures and Sunday In The Park With George. companionship Sondheims bewilder-go co dissembleion with generator George Furth, marked his stolon major hit in 1970. Furth had come to Sondheim in advance(prenominal) 1969 with a series of sensation-act converges he had writ go. Sondheim passed them on to instantaneously legendary producer Harold Prince who suggested the twain should work together to turn the plays into a medicational, promising to decimal point it erst it was completed. The piece shook Broadway from the deception happy ending story it had come to expect and brought active a more provocative musical comedy. As Sondheim stated, Company does handwriting with speeding middle-class large number with upper middle-class problems. Broadway family has been for umpteen eld supported by these people. Th ey concretely want to escape and were saying well bring it right back in their faceswhat they come to a musical to avoid, they suddenly find veneering them on stage. This hard-edged, unromanticist depiction of romantic bloods was revolutionary for the Broadway stage and managed to twain humour and challenge audiences with its unsettling view of relationships. approximately found fault with what they saw as an anti-marriage show that didnt stand up against the classic Broadway themes, however, mostly the show met with the kinds of intelligent accolades reserved for something invigorated and exciting. later on its dependenting, observers noted that the shows protagonist, Robert, showed a similarity to Sondheim decl be mention a middle-class, single, victor, funding in New York, detecting on the life of the other young professional couples around him. Sondheim has perpetually denied that any of his work is autobiographical, just his next collaboration with George Furth in 1981, once again seeed very familiar territory for both writer and composer.As far as the new era of Broadway composers goes, Jason Robert os frontalened has been hailed by some as The next Stephen Sondheim. Br take, also Je manage and natural and raised in New York, began his cargoner as an arranger, conductor and pianist. His get-go major production came in 1995 with Songs For A New World, an off-Broadway revue enjoin by Daisy Prince, daughter of Hal Prince who later hired chocolate-brown to write the songs for the musical Parade after Sondheim turned down the show.The musical tells the controersial received story of the trail and hanging of Leo discourteous, who was wrongly acc personad of the queer and murder of a young factory girl in premature 20th century Georgia. The show dealt with the anti-Semitic tensions in the southern states at the snip and did not shy away from the conclusion that the the the likes ofs ofly killer was the African-American factory worker, Jim Conley. .Browns differentiate is full of riches, mixing period American styles with strong melodies, intricate counterpoint, selective dissonances, and natural lyrics which give their characters true, expressive voices. despite the cool reception of the show by the critics and the feeling that the show withalk too many liberties in the use of racial slurs, Browns score was highly praised and he later won the Tony award in 1999 for Best Original musical comedy Score. The attention received by Brown marked him out as the hottest up and coming talent. He returned to work with Daisy Prince on his next piece, The outlive Five Years for which he wrote both the book and the score.LiteratureIt is unlike that despite the wealth of artistry and innovation which musical plain has produced passim the 20th century, it has never really being given its rightful endow amongst academia, always being seen as a more low brow art form than that of ripe plays or music. It seems that if the likes of Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown were to work in the medium of non-musical drama, or doubled in the field of serious musical composition like Gershwin or Bernstein, perhaps their work might be viewed in more of our universities. Why must important pieces of musical dramatic art be limited to the destiny of popular artists, however richly be of serious attention on its own merits?That is not to say that in that location has not been much analysis and writing on musical theatre or Sondheim in particularMartin and Gottfried and Meryl Secrest both present biographies of Sondheims c atomic number 18er, life and unanimous kit and caboodle in sharp detail providing an in depth look at one-time(prenominal) and present influences which direct shaped his artistic development throughout the days.Sondheim On Music by Mark Eden Horowitz focuses on deuce-ace principal(prenominal) aras Firstly his interviews with Sondheim, particularly focusing on five of his main works (Passio n, Assassins, Into The Woods, Sweeney Todd and Pacific Overtures). The second part is entitled songs I wish Id written (at least in part) providing a look at some of Sondheims major influences from a list compiled for his 70th birthday celebrations at the library of Congress. subtract three supplies a list of all works, complete discography of all recordings to date and publishing information for all songs and scores up until the unveil of the book (2003).Joanne Gordons Art Isnt Easy The Theatre of Stephen Sondheim focuses on content and themes of Sondheims stage works, highlighting his innovative use of form and how he manages to weave the music and lyrics into the fabric of the entire piece. It is almost a guide to the appreciation of Sondheims scripts and music and would be especially useful for those staging any of Sondheims musicals and provides an excellent land of primary research material.With little literary focus on Sondheims use of music, Stephen Banfield takes a dif ferent route, examining much of Sondheims output from a musicological perspective, labor practical and theoretical treatment of the music.Despite these and other writings in the last decade which be victorious a more serious treatment of the works of musical theatre, there is still an elitist treatment against the education of musical theatre within the academy. It seems to be stuck on the view that musicals inhabit largely unsophisticated and lacking in high serious. Unfortunately, there are times when this is true. Recently, Broadway and the West End seem to have been plagued by take on adaptations, Disney rehashes and juke-box musicals which, whilst they may have been commercially successful, are tarring other more honorable writers and composers with the low-brow brush.A collection of critical essays edited and with a foreword supplied by Sandor unspoilthart have gots moves to further the writing and critical analysis of the works of Sondheim, again displace for the academy to take a c lapser look into the world of intelligent musical theatre. Hopefully the moves towards a more intellectual appreciation of the work of Sondheim within academia will allow the same to later play for the new class of musical theatre composers like Brown.Merrily We cycle AlongMerrily We swear Along was one of Sondheim and writer George Furths most famous flops, running for just 16 performances after it opened on Broadway in 1981. It was based on a 1930s play by George Kaufmann and Moss stag, and follows a group of hopeful young college graduates, from 1957 to 1976. But there is a twist the plot is stage in reverse linear effort so the show begins in 1976 and gradually works backwards in time. So we watch everything intentional how it ended up, with friendships broken, idealism betrayed and marriages on the rocks.The score is full of what sound like traditional musical comedy songs hailing from 50s and 60s Broadway. term the score is very cl archaean Sondheim and the songs are not parodies, there does seem to be hints of several of his contemporaries Berstein, Bacharach, Styne and Kander. It seems somewhat ironic that this traditional book-musical which contains some of Sondheims most accessible songs, has had such a troubled professional history. by and by the failure of the original production, Sondheim later made several major revisions for the resurgence of the show at the LaJolla Theatre in 1985. The reworking created a score Sondheim now calls, definitive.The show is centred on impolitelin Shepard a rich, famous and influential songwriter and inject producer. But how did he get to be where he is today? (Merrily We Roll Along) The years begin to roll back.First stop is weenies swanky boron Air pad in 1976, after the premiere of his in vogue(p) movie. weenie is throwing a party filled with his friends the hangers-on, people who sterilize things happen in show business and the movers and shapers are all there, and lavish pra ise on him (That free-spoken). At the party we also meet blackguards old friend and theatre critic, Mary, who is now an alcoholic. She is sickened by the superficiality of the people Frank has chosen to accessory with and by his abandonment of music the one thing he was authentically good at for the world of commercial film producing. As she gets progressively more and more drunk, she begins to loudly insult everyone, and is ordered to leave. Their friendship is over. However, Frank is hurt by Marys drunken remarks because he hold ups they are true. He has heavy so completely on being a success that everything he most valued at the beginning of his life story has long been leftover behind. The evening ends traumatically with the break down of Franks unhappy marriage to his married woman Gussie, a former leading actress in one of his early musicals, when she viciously attacks Meg, his mistress.The years roll back to 1973 (First Transition). Frank and his long-time lyricist collaborator and friend, Charley Kringas, are near to be interviewed in a New York TV studio. In the report room, Charley greets Mary (Old Friends), and tells her that Frank is now so busy making deals that he never has time to write shows with him like they had always hoped. Mary laments over their strained friendship and wishes that it could be resembling It Was. On-air the TV interviewer accidentally informs Charley of Franks plans to once again put off their long awaited politically distinguished show for another project. A nervous Charley launches into a demented rampage on the way his composer has transformed himself into a corporation (Franklin Shepard Inc). As Charley swings fiercely amongst bitterness and self-contempt, Frank walks out. Their friendship is over.Its now 1968, and Charley and Frank are in Franks apartment on Central Park West (Second Transition). He and Charley are arguing over his decision to do a movie version of one of their shows, Musical Husbands . Frank wants to do it for the money, but Charley says that it will get in the way of writing the idealistic show theyve always wanted to create. Mary looks on, and when the argument starts getting out of control reminds them that they are all still old friends (Old Friends Part II). Broadway producer Joe Josephson and his wife Gussie arrive. She and Frank have been having a long-term affair. Joe has learnt to live with it, but Mary, hopelessly in love with Frank, finds it much harder to accept. When the others leave, Gussie startles Frank by announcing she intends to disarticulate Joe to be with Frank, departure him to decide on what he wants (Growing Up).The years rewind to 1966 (Third Transition). Frank is being sued for divorce by Beth, and they wrangle over the custody of their young son in a court sign in Lower Manhattan. Beth tells him that Not A Day Goes By when he isnt a part of her life, but she cant live with him knowing he is cheating on her with Gussie. The marriage is over. Mary and Charley and Franks other collegues call around him telling him that the best thing to do is to move on and start again ( straightaway You Know).Act II opens on the opening darkness of Frank and Charleys first Broadway show, Musical Husbands. Gussie stars in the show, and the act opens with Gussies performance of Franks and Charleys monolithic hit song(Act Two Opening). Although not exactly the kind of show the pas de deux had always planned, as the curtain comes down on the show, the audience applauds wildly. Broadways latest course-and-music team, Charley and Frank, have just found themselves a hit. (Its A Hit)The years roll back further to 1962 (Fourth Transition) at a party in Gussie and Joes apartment. Gussie has thrown a soire so that Frank and Charley, who are sack to write a musical for Joe to produce, can meet all the richest and most influential people in town describes as The Blob. We see early signs of Gussies romantic interest in Frank (Growing Up) . Gussie invites the collaborators to perform their latest song, Good Thing Going. The guests love it. Gussie simply fawns over the number and implores them to do it again. Charley urges Frank not to. You want to know what true greatness is? Its knowing when to get off, Charley says. But Frank insists. They play the song again, but the guests quickly lose interest and resume their cocktail chatter over Franks reprise (The Blob Part II).Back to 1960, the dawn of a new decade with new hopes (Fifth Transition). Charley, Frank and Beth are young and on the outset of their careers, playing Frank and Charleys music at a flyspeck nightclub in Greenwich Village. Trying to turn up bright and sophisticated, they perform a cheeky number celebrating the accession of Americas new First Family (Bobby And Jackie And Jack). Joe is in the tiny audience and hes quite impressed, as is his wife Gussie. Afterwards, Frank explains that hes marrying Beth and pledges that a day doesnt go by when shes no t a part of his life (Not A Day Goes By Part II). At an adjoining table, Mary echoes the sentiment its how shell always feel approximately Frank.Its 1959 (Sixth Transition) and the young Frank, Charley and Mary are busy in New York, establishing their careers (Opening Doors). The boys try for Joe, but he wants more hummable tunes. So they decide to do their own show and end up hiring Beth as a singer.The years lastly take us back to October, 1957 (Seventh Transition). Its 530am, and Frank, Charley and Mary are on the roof of an old apartment house waiting for the first-ever earth-orbiting satellite. Suddenly, Sputnik is there in the sky, and for the three young friends, anything is possible (Our Time).The Last Five YearsJason Robert Browns one act musical The Last Five Years premiered in gelt and was later produced off-Broadway in 2002. The story explores the five year relationship of Jamie Wellerstein and Cathy Hyatt. Like Merrily it also makes use of reverse-linear motion, but just for one character so Jamies story moves chronologically through their relationship, but we begin at the end of Cathys story moving chronologically backwards. Their relationship begins in their early twenties Jamie is an up and coming novelist, Jewish and intense. Cathy is a struggling actress, Catholic and insecure.Browns score is diverse and he is not afraid of writing catchy melodies with much of the material being pop-driven and wedded to intelligent lyrics that explain who these characters are. The show was met with high acclaim, with critics praising the Browns genuine, smart, humorous and moving writing .The show begins with Cathy unaccompanied in her apartment as her marriage to Jamie has ended, and he has just locomote out (Still Hurting). When the song finishes, Jamie appears. It is five years earlier and he is on their first date. We learn that Jamie is Jewish and Cathy is not. Despite this, Jamie is completely smitten with his Shiska GoddessThe dig then switches to Cathy sitting on a pier in Ohio with Jamie, who has come to visit her for her birthday while she does summer stock theatre (See Im Smiling). It is pass away that she is not happy almost spending her time away from Jamie and is ardent about fixing their marriage. She catchs very angry when Jamie announces that he has to return to New York. They argue, and Cathy claims that he spends all of his time thinking completely if of himself, singing you and you and vigor but you. During interludes in the music, Jamie, several years earlier, talks to a literary agent about the book he has just written. His future looks promising.The play moves away from their argument, and Jamie tells a friend that he is moving in with Cathy. Everything seems to be going right for him his book is being published and the Atlantic monthly is printing the first chapter. Even though his work and his relationship with Cathy seem to have taken on lives of their own, hes too happy to get demented (Moving Too Fast). Cathy, meanwhile, is making a call to her agent. Though we only visualise her side of the conversation, it is obvious that she is struggling with her career.Cathy sits at Jamies book signing party. She sings about her life with him, asserting that even though he often obsesses over his writing and ignores her, she is terribly in love with him (A Part of That). Cathy confesses that she does not act independently anymore, but instead follows in his footsteps.Jamie celebrates his first Christmas with Cathy. He tells her a fable (which he has written, new and unpublished) about an old tailor named Schmuel whose take on with a magical clock gives him infinite time to realize the primp of his dreams. Jamie reveals the parallel between Schmuel and Cathy she needs to take the time to unlock her dreams. He presents Cathy with her Christmas present a watch (The Schmuel Song).Cathy sits in Ohio and writes a letter to Jamie. They have just been married and she is missing him dread fully. She describes to Jamie her quirky life in Ohio among her flake cast members (A Summer in Ohio).Jamie is sitting with Cathy in a boat on the lake in Central Park. He proposes. Cathy enters and Jamie presents her with the engagement ring and, for the first and only time in the musical, their stories meet and they sing together (The succeeding(prenominal) Ten Minutes). They exchange vows and rings, promising to stay together for the next ten lifetimes. They kiss before Jamie escorts Cathy to the rowboat, where she has the other side of the conversation that Jamie had before her arrival. Jamie watches her go.The newly-wed Jamie is facing some temptation issues. He feels like he is constantly bombarded by attractive women, especially since his writing career has taken off (A Miracle Would Happen). Cathy, meanwhile, embarks on a series of audition for the job in Ohio (When You Come root word to Me). She is frustrated with the audition process and discusses her sense of inadequa cy with her father (Climbing Uphill).Jamie, on the phone with Cathy, does his best to convince his wife that his relationship with his editor, Elise, is purely platonic. Cathy doesnt commit him. Jamie wants to celebrate a book review in The New Yorker, but Cathy isnt in the mood to go out. She sings passionately about her desire to be independent, refusing to trot along at the geniuss heels.Jamie is reading an excerpt of his book. It is obviously about his relationship with Cathy. In the next scene, Jamie is fighting passionately with Cathy. It is toward the end of their relationship and he is trying desperately to just get her to listen to him. He wonders aloud if they will ever get to the point where things are easy, where there arent so many obstacles facing their marriage. He accuses her of being unsupportive of his career just because hers is failing. Though his words are harsh, he promises her that he believes in her unconditionally, and that if he didnt he wouldnt love her ( If I Didnt Believe in You). roughly time into the relationship, Cathy drives Jamie to her parents house in the suburbs. As she drives, she babbles happily about her past relationships and her desire not to end up in the same small town life as her best friend from high check married with children and living in a little cute house on a little cute street with a crucifix on the door (I Can Do Better Than That). At the completion of the song, she asks Jamie to move in with her.Towards the end of the marriage, Jamie wakes up in the apartment beside a woman who may or may not be his editor, Elise (Nobody inevitably to Know). He tries to defend his actions and blames Cathy (who is away in Ohio) for destroying his privacy and their perfectly equilibrize relationship. Jamie promises not to lie to this woman and tells her, just as he told Cathy in Shiksa Goddess, that I could be in love with someone like you.Cathy is at the end of her first date with Jamie. She sings goodbye to him (Goo dbye Until Tomorrow). She proclaims that she has been waiting for Jamie her whole life and is ready for this romance. Simultaneously but five years forward, Jamie sits in their shared apartment writing a farewell note (I Could never Rescue You). As Cathy waves Jamie goodbye until tomorrow, Jamie wishes Cathy simply goodbye.So what do these two musicals have in common apart from the obvious use of time used in each story? Well it becomes apparently trim on examination of both the shows and their creators that these stories are more than just something to be told, but in fact stay perilously close to ingleside and stem from a more personal elements of the world of both Sondheim/Furth and Jason Robert Brown. In Merrily the character, composer Frank Shepherd, advises an aspiring writer Dont just write what you know Frank says as he points to his head. Instead, he encourages to write what you know, pointing to his heart.Despite Sondheim always being very avid that he never writes him self into any characters, there was a clear choice made to change the original Kaufman and Hart play from playwright and painter to composer and librettist who write musical comedies together. There are further similarities established by making the librettist a native of dinero and graduate of Columbia University. Also we note that the theatre in which Frank and Charleys hit show is produced is The Alvin, which was home to Sondheim and Furths first great hit Company in 1970 and later Merrily itself in 1981. Where the characters and contemporary settings in Company were directly forcing the audiences to acknowledge and confront the themes presented, Merrily also challenges Sondheim and Furth themselves to acknowledge their own world, their own relationships and the industry they find themselves in.Putting the characters in the familar surroundings of Broadway productions allows Sondheim and Furth to make a real statement about the industry What kind of people fill this world? What kind of pressures do writers and composers face throughout their careers? What do producers want? Can one walk the fine line between commercial success and artistic integrity? Perhaps it is this demystifying of the Broadway illusion was what led to the original production of Merrilys early closure?Jason Robert Brown is more open about his obvious personal link to the character of Jamie and the similarities of the Jamie/Cathy relationship to that of Brown and his failed marriage to actress Theresa ONeill. We see how the rise of Jamies career as a writer mirrors that of Brown as a composer and the troubles it gave in marriage. Indeed, ONeill even threatened legitimate action before the opening of the off-Broadway production, claiming the piece came too close to real life. Brown made some changes, disclosing them, he states, would violate the settlement but we know that one of the major changes was the inclusion of the Shiska Goddess instead of I Could Be In Love With Someone Like You .The fact that both shows deal with a certain type of person an artist, a creator, trying to make a professional career in New York dictates the musical and melodious style of the show In Merrily the fact that the show deals with two friends who write Broadway musicals leads to a traditional book musical with a score widely considered to be one of Sondheims most accessible scores with many ironically hummable melodies. With the characters of Frank and Mary, Sondheim and Furth have the chance to have some literal fun as they enforce their characters abilities as writers. We see with that Mary has a habit of taking other peoples clichd conversation and turning it into unanticipated meanings, for example in the opening party seenRu So what do you do?Mary I drink.Ru No, what do you really do?Mary I really drink.Also, when Frank tells everyone that he and Mary go way back, she continues, but seldom forward, not only a comment on their stalling friendship but also a chary inside jok e on the narrative structure of the piece. Verbally, Mary keeps taking people places they dont expect to go. Sondheims lyrics in That Frank show this ability to take the listener down one road and then take an unhoped turn in another direction. Singing about Franks guest she saysThese are the movers, these are the shapersThese are the people who give you vaporsAnd in Now You Know she makes the surprising point that you should burn your bridges every now and then, turning around the conventional idea that burning bridges is a negative thing. Similarly there is some further beautiful wordplay highlighting her knack with words as she advises Frank that bricks can come down from clear blue skies, and that people love you and tell you liesCharley sometimes plays a similar verbal trick. Whilst being interviewed on TV he is asked, What comes first, the words or the music? he replies, Generally the contract. Infact, the song Franklin Shepherd Inc is a complete show piece for Charley, high lighting both his talents with words and having only been introduced to the character, the audience are made aware of the dynamics of his character who seeks morality of purpose, dedication and the rewards of keeping it simple.On the other hand, composer Frank is inarticulate in comparison. We find that when he opens his mouth he tends to create some clich like the worst vice is advice or she is the raft that keeps me from drowning. Also, we note that he only sings one solo number in the show Growing Up, where we become aware of the characters ability to think he is rationalising his hopes and beliefs when he really instrument compromising.Both shows seem to have a sense of honesty with the mental hospital of real, multi-layered storyline and flawed characters. Maybe it is the close relationship of creator(s) and story that manages to find scenes and songs which capture a moment in time or an ablaze snapshot which sets these shows apart.Furthermore, both shows also centre on t he fragility of relationships, with the manipulation of time constantly conditioning and changing the audiences view of the relationships and where their sympathies lie. **