How Sondheim Found His Sound

How Sondheim Found His Sound

by SteveSwayne (Author)

Synopsis

Stephen Sondheim has made it clear that he considers himself a playwright in song. How he arrived at this unique appellation is the subject of How Sondheim Found His Sound - an absorbing study of the influences on Sondheim's work not normally associated with musical composition, such as theater and film. The book also traces the development of Sondheim's musical language, showing how that language, forged before Sondheim had a successful Broadway show, appears throughout his career.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Edition: New edition
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press
Published: 07 May 2007

ISBN 10: 0472032291
ISBN 13: 9780472032297

Media Reviews
The research is voluminous, as is the artistry and perceptiveness. Swayne has lived richly within the world of Sondheim's music. - Richard Crawford, author of America's Musical Life: A History Sondheim's career and music have never been so skillfully dissected, examined, and put in context. With its focus on his work as composer, this book is surprising and welcome. - Theodore S. Chapin, President and Executive Director, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization ... an intriguing 'biography' of the songwriter's style.... Swayne is to be congratulated for taking the study of this unique composer/lyricist into hitherto unnavigated waters. - Stage Directions Amid the ever-more-crowded bookshelf of writings on Sondheim, Swayne's analysis of Sondheim's development as a composer stands up as a unique and worthy study.... For the Sondheim aficionados, there are new ideas and new information, and for others, Swayne's How Sondheim Found His Sound will provide an intriguing introduction into the mind of arguably the greatest and most influential living Broadway composer. - talkinbroadway.com
Author Bio
Steve Swayne is Associate Professor of Music at Dartmouth College.