By Dr. Bjorn Mercer
Department Chair, Communication and World Languages Programs, American Public University
One of the greatest names in contemporary American music passed away on November 26, 2021: Stephen Sondheim. Stephen Sondheim was one of the titans of musical theater, and he greatly contributed not only to American music but to American culture for decades.
There have been countless articles about Stephen Sondheim discussing his place in American musical theater or the Broadway pantheon. Melissa Roberto at Fox News stated, “Stephen Sondheim was considered one of the best composers of Broadway.”
Similarly, Bruce Weber at The New York Times said, “An intellectually rigorous artist who perpetually sought new creative paths, Mr. Sondheim was the theater’s most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th century, if not its most popular.”
Adam Gopnik at The New Yorker commented that “it was Sondheim who was the most personal, the most truly confessional, of all the great American songwriters…when we listen to his music what we hear is not characters, not scenes, but a long, unwinding, timeless soliloquy, charting a psyche at once unimaginably large-souled and thwarted, with sensitivity and guardedness combined — a wounded talent reaching out beyond itself for love and meaning and, above all, for connection.”
Much like the other great Broadway composers of the past such as George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim will be part of American musical culture for generations to come.
Stephen Sondheim’s Background and Musical Development
Born in New York City in 1930 to parents in the clothing business, Stephen Sondheim had a well-to-do, although rocky, upbringing. He went to Williams College in Massachusetts to study music.
Early in Sondheim’s career, he met Oscar Hammerstein II, the famous lyricist and playwright who helped guide his early development as a composer. Hammerstein II collaborated with some of the great Broadway composers of the 20th century, including Jerome Kern, Sigmund Romberg and Richard Rodgers.
Because Sondheim was exposed to such immense talent via Oscar Hammerstein II and worked especially hard on his own craft, he was able to be successful at a young age. Since Sondheim was living in New York City in his 20s, he was at the epicenter of American musical theater and was soon connected with the indomitable Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins.
Their collaboration, an updated version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” was “West Side Story.” It was one of the great musical theater productions of the 1950s, which later became a classic film starring Natalie Wood in 1961.
After “West Side Story,” Sondheim collaborated with Jule Styne on “Gypsy.” “Gypsy” also became a huge theater hit and a 1962 film, again starring Natalie Wood.
Sondheim’s last collaboration was with the legendary Richard Rodgers on “Do I Hear a Waltz?” in 1965. By this point in his career, Sondheim’s own works — both music and lyrics — were becoming famous in their own right.
Sondheim’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” became a hit in 1962 and was made into a 1966 film starring Zero Mostel. In 1970, his musical “Company” became a huge hit and included one of his greatest songs, “Send in the Clowns.”
In the 1970s and ’80s, Sondheim had several hits, including:
· “Follies” in 1971
· “Sweeney Todd” in 1979
· “Sunday in the Park with George” in 1984
· “Into the Woods” in 1987
Sondheim’s last works were “Assassins” in 1990, “Passions” in 1994 and “Road Show” in 2008.
Sondheim’s Unique Perspective
Throughout musical history, there have been countless brilliant writers and composers. Being able to write musicals by itself is not unique. Sondheim’s brilliance comes from the fact that he was able to communicate his unique perspective, wit, observations of the world, and love of life through his music and lyrics.
Sondheim’s brilliance comes from his background and his approach to not only the music but the lyrics. Many musicals have a lyricist and a composer who work together, much like how Sondheim worked with Bernstein and Rodgers. However, Sondheim created most of his musicals on his own, creating works that are truly unique.
PBS commented, “Sondheim avoided filler in his lyrics and concentrated on direct impact through verbal interplay. His lyrics were witty without his ever sacrificing integrity for superficially clever rhyme.” Sondheim’s musicals focused on the characters who lived the stories being told, and the actual music was there to support the words.
Mark Harris at Vulture observed, “Because Sondheim had such a restless intellect, because he was such a virtuoso with language, and perhaps because he first rose to fame as a lyricist, it is possible that, incredibly, we still underrate him as a composer.” Sondheim’s music has always been good, but his lyrics, his prodigious storytelling, and his witty turn of phrase has always stood out to the musical theater public.
Film Adaptations of Sondheim’s Musicals
Of all the Broadway composers of the last two generations, Stephen Sondheim had incredible success with film adaptations of his musicals. His most famous big screen adaptations are:
● 1961: “West Side Story,” starring Natalie Wood
● 1962: “Gypsy,” starring Natalie Wood
● 1993: “Gypsy,” starring Bette Midler
● 2007: “Sweeney Todd,” directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman
● 2014: “Into the Woods,” starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Anna Kendrick
● 2021: “West Side Story,” directed by Stephen Spielberg
If you are not that familiar with Stephen Sondheim’s works and music, I suggest that you start with “Sweeney Todd.” This brilliant, bloody and highly stylized film is the perfect entry into the world of Sondheim.
After “Sweeney Todd,” the 1961 version of “West Side Story,” often considered one of the best films and musicals of all time, is the next one you should watch. Next, the 2014 version of “Into the Woods” is a well-crafted Disney film that has a star-studded cast that you will enjoy especially Meryl Streep’s show-stealing performance.
Finally, a new version of “West Side Story,” directed by Steven Spielberg, came out this year. The reviews have been spectacular.
One way to learn more about Stephen Sondheim, American musical theater, and the intersection of music and culture is our class in music appreciation, MUSI200. In MUSI200, you will learn about the major epochs in Western Classical music, American jazz, world music and more. Learning about music not only teaches you about your own musical heritage, but also teaches them about what other people find important, what other people like, and how music connects you to the world and the people around you.
For more information about Stephen Sondheim, please visit the following resources:
● Sondheim’s biography at the Sondheim Society.
● A wonderful interview when Sondheim was around 81: “The Art of Songwriting with Stephen Sondheim and Adam Guettel”
● Playbill entry about Stephen Sondheim.
● Sondheim receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 from then-President Obama.
About the Author
Dr. Bjorn Mercer is a Department Chair at American Public University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Missouri State University, a master’s and doctorate in music from the University of Arizona, and a MBA from the University of Phoenix. Dr. Mercer writes about culture, leadership, and why the humanities and liberal arts are critical to career success. He also writes children’s music.
