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pbraue13's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful examination of the late composers lyrics with his own input, stories, and anecdotes! so good
cpweiden's review against another edition
4.0
For any musical theatre hag, nothing is better than this bible. On my coffee table for all time.
marthaeve's review against another edition
5.0
Started at the end of the year but feels like an auspicious book to start a year of creativity with. Brilliant, occasionally bitchy, generous, surprising…it’s got it all. You don’t have to be a songwriter (I’m not) to get a lot of pleasure and knowledge from this book.
gbliss's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating trip through some of the finest musicals of my lifetime. I say "some of the finest," because Sondheim's book stops in 1981, after the much maligned (unfairly) "Merrily We Roll Along," with the rest of his output to be discussed in a promised Volume II. For anyone who cares about musicals, who wants to understand the craft of lyric writing, who wants insight into the creative process, this book is a must read. Additionally, the book offers insight into the laserlike focus on craft and creation which are necessary to achieve works of staggering genius. I have read more interviews with and books about a certain songwriter from Liverpool than Broadway composers, and I always marvel at the way McCartney can remember details of songwriting sessions that occurred decades earlier and which are just one among hundreds (completely ignoring the question of the impact of pharmaceuticals). I chalk this up to being a manifestation of the same obsession which allowed him (with a little help from his friends) to create the masterpiece in the first place. All of this is to say,that this book further demonstrates that character trait, with Sondheim dissecting his own work...sometimes down to the syllable. The full paragraph he devotes to the strengths (he declares early on: expect no false modesty....expect no lack of critical honesty, either) of the very fist LINE of Sweeny Todd is just one example. His asides and commentaries on other song writers are fascinating. I disagree with his take on Alan Jay Lerner, but you gotta love the line that Lerner was "a chameleon of one color." His criticism of Noel Coward does not diminish how much I enjoy his songs, but I had never noticed that sincerity of emotion was reserved for his songs about England and London. Interesting. His relationship to Hammerstein is clearly complex, but we've always known this. A good analyst could have a field day here. At the end of the day, the praise (deserved) outweighs the criticism (again, deserved, but often it feels snarky), and he agrees with and carries through with the theme that his career has been an attempt to "fix" "Allegro." Finally, while I would love another Sondheim musical or two, I have to say that I hope he hurries up with Volume II.
cjhcjh's review against another edition
5.0
I poked away at this for years, dipping in and out before finally finishing this week. Sheer genius! Can't wait to crack Volume 2.
jlo615's review against another edition
4.0
4.5⭐️ I am the target audience for this book. The only reason it is 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because there are some shows in this volume that I do not know inside out and backwards.
elaineruss's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book for die-hard Sondheim fans, budding lyricists or lyric aficionados only.
With the lyrics to all his shows between 1954 - 1981 as well as many additional tidbits, this is a fascinating insight into the most talented man in musical theatre.
Sondheim studies his own work and dissects his lyrics, as well as those of others in an open and rather frank manner.
A simply superb insight into songwriting.
With the lyrics to all his shows between 1954 - 1981 as well as many additional tidbits, this is a fascinating insight into the most talented man in musical theatre.
Sondheim studies his own work and dissects his lyrics, as well as those of others in an open and rather frank manner.
A simply superb insight into songwriting.
blankpagealex's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a master class in the form and function of musical composition and Sondheim's precise, critical, and often quite sassy writing is a joy to behold along side some of the greatest song lyrics ever written. This book will teach you a lot about Sondheim the technician, the musician, and the scholar, but it will tell you very little about Sondheim the man. He waxes endlessly about rhyme schemes and agonizes about his decisions to end a song with a particular beat, while telling you very little about the reason he chooses particular lyrics from a personal perspective. His introductions about each show tell us about the process that went into bringing it to stage, the critical reception, what it was like to work with certain writers, producers, and directors. However, it does not delve into Sondheim's personal life so we don't learn what circumstances would lead a person to write lyrics like like "Make me confused, Mock me with praise, Let me be used, Vary my days, But alone, Is alone, Not alive."
Sondheim is hilariously bitchy about people with whom he didn't get on and he is particularly savage about any critics who discounted his work. He disdains what he calls "academic theatre" and his introduction to The Frogs is particularly sharp-tongued. However, this is clearly a composer who loves the work, loves the stage, loves the form and is happy to be able to collaborate with the talents that helped bring the master's works to life. Any Sondheim fan would do well to pick up this book and enjoy it while listening to the masterpieces outlined within.
Sondheim is hilariously bitchy about people with whom he didn't get on and he is particularly savage about any critics who discounted his work. He disdains what he calls "academic theatre" and his introduction to The Frogs is particularly sharp-tongued. However, this is clearly a composer who loves the work, loves the stage, loves the form and is happy to be able to collaborate with the talents that helped bring the master's works to life. Any Sondheim fan would do well to pick up this book and enjoy it while listening to the masterpieces outlined within.