Musical Review: West Side Story
Background:

A 1950s twist on Shakespeare’s most-beloved, Romeo and Juliet, Arthur Laurents (book author) and Leonard Bernstein (composer) join forces to create: West Side Story. West Side Story made its Broadway debut in 1957, but I will be specifically referencing the film version from 1961. This version was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (the choreographer of the musical).
The story is around the on-going, dangerous rivalry between two of New York’s Upper West Side gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Riff, the leader of the Jets, convinces his friend, Tony, to join him at the neighborhood dance one fateful night. The teenage boy meets Maria, the sister of the Sharks’ leader, Bernardo, and their tragic love story begins to unfold. Among hasty deaths and misunderstandings, both Maria and Tony go through trials of their love. It all tragically ends with Maria holding Tony’s lifeless body in her arms as she cries for peace. This peace between the two gangs is finally achieved through Tony’s death (1).

General Musical Overview of West Side Story:
The original gangs were going to be differentiated by religion (Jews and Catholics), but when this distinction was thrown out, there was no way to differentiate the two gangs. This is where Latin/Hispanic came in (2).
The Jets have a distinct feel of “cool Jazz” and even hints of the Blues. Their style is best represented in “Cool”. The Sharks, on the other hand, are true to their Hispanic heritage. Their style is best represented in “America.” Bernstein made great effort to authentically represent Puerto Rican music and even took a week-long trip to get to know the music and also gather inspiration. To create the sound of “America”, he combined a Mexican genre called, the “huapango” and a Puerto Rican genre called, the “seis” (2).
A real comparison
Compare the following two videos. The first one is an example of Mambo, and the second one is an excerpt from the film version of West Side Story. There is an obvious correlation to the style of dance and music from Mambo (although other Latin genres influenced the musical as well). The excerpt from the musical is part of the suite of orchestral music Bernstein composed, titled: “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story” (1).
Listen carefully to the piercing timbre of the trumpet(s) that stands out in the sea of other wind instruments. The ensemble as a whole highly resembles the big bands of Jazz. There is also a variety of percussion instruments that lay the foundation of the rhythm and tempo of the song, and you can see all three instruments in the first video, behind the dancers. It is the deeper timbre of a conga, higher/two-tone timbre of a bongo, and finally the timbale drums (3). They can be heard in both examples.
The orchestra behaves like a movie score. It sets the mood and pace of the scene. It never outshines the soloists or the scene itself. It is an accompaniment and a tool for storytelling.
As for the actors, I made an observation that I had not previously made before. I saw that their dialogue kept the plot moving, while their singing conveyed an insight to the inner workings of the characters. It could be as personal as “Somewhere”, where Tony and Maria dream of a place they can be together. It could also be as humorous as “Gee, Officer Krupke,” where the Jets boys imitate the system of law and ultimately voice their dislike for the police. The use of the word, “pig” is nothing compared to the animosity the audience can see and feel through this song.
The above example also shows how the Jets boys sing together (especially around 1:36). There is no harmony or polyphony shown here. They sing together as one voice. This is comparable to the duet between Maria and Tony in “Somewhere” or “One Hand, One Heart”. The differences in range of the two singers are highlighted when they harmonize, and although they may sing the same melody multiple times in the same song, it does not sound exactly the same. We will see this clearly in the next section of the article.
Looking more closely: Bridal Shop Scene
Characters: Tony & Maria
Duration: ~17 minutes
Relevant song(s): One Hand, One Heart (lyrics)

My excerpt of Act 1 begins when Tony enters the bridal shop after closing time, where he unintentionally runs into Anita, who has not left the shop yet. Maria and Anita had been talking about the rumble between the Sharks and the Jets before Tony arrived. After Anita reluctantly leaves the couple alone, they embrace passionately, and Tony touches the ends of Maria’s hair as they embrace (these subtle touches can be seen throughout this scene). Maria begs Tony to stop the rumble, and he eventually promises that he will. There is no orchestral accompaniment until they begin to discuss where they should meet after the rumble (this is also where the YouTube video begins).
This serious conversation is followed by a little bit of lighthearted role-playing where the two meet each other’s parents. In the background, the orchestra plays a playful version of “Maria”, the song Tony sings after he first meets Maria at the dance. They continue on to planning their play-wedding, but the mood turns more somber, when they finally realize what they’re doing. The playfulness of the orchestra is gone, and the tempo slows down with the harp. A preview of “Somewhere” is played by the strings to introduce the somberness.
During their vows, the clarinet and flute solos create a hopeful atmosphere with a slow tempo and a simple melody. The clarinet seems to reflect a stronger conviction to their love because of its louder and clearer timbre. The flute, on the other hand, seems to reflect the shy and insecure undertones of their love with its rapid vibrato and quieter timbre.
This is followed by Tony and Maria’s beautiful duet. The rich vibrato in their singing fits perfectly with the heavenly mood set by a delicate harp and grandiose orchestra. During the entire duet, Maria and Tony lovingly look towards each other while holding hands, and this only enhances the exhibition of their devotion to one another.
The couple begins to harmonize (~4:07 in the YouTube video), and their difference of vocal range is highlighted here. They have a small polyphonic part, where Tony sings every word, while Maria sings some of them ahead of Tony, creating a small amount of tension before they meet on the final word.
Each note is stretched and pulled to its fullest extent, but not enough to deter from the beat. Each note is also round and full. There are no abrupt breaks between them, therefore they flow and move the song along smoothly. The phrases swell with subtle crescendos and decrescendos, and at the end, the two singers decrescendo almost in a step-wise manner and finally fade on the same word and note.
Concluding remarks:
West Side Story has always been a favorite of mine. I am pleased with the cultural elements of this musical (although many would argue that it is washed down for the purposes of mass consumption). I do enjoy the later versions a tad bit more. Some of the songs were translated and sung in Spanish, and I think it adds another level of authenticity. Although with this, less of the audience understands what is actually being sung, but I believe that can be easily remedied with translations in booklets or subtitles like I have seen in operas which are sung in a foreign language.
I liked the way the musical addressed issues of gangs, which was highly relevant during that time. It had light and heavy elements within the musical itself, which I think is why it has been so pleasing to many — among other reasons.
I am really happy to have been able to analyze this musical more in depth, and it has given me more to appreciate about it.
Citations:
- “West Side Story” Wikipedia. Accessed July 22, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Side_Story
- Wells, Elizabeth Anne. 2011. West Side story: cultural perspectives on an American musical.
- “The Percussion Instruments” Mambo Tutorials.com. Accessed July 22, 2017. http://mambo-tutorials.com/percussion-instrument.html
