Product Description

Sondheim on Music is primarily a transcript of a series of interviews with Stephen Sondheim, focusing on his work as a composer. During the interviews, he and the author look through Sondheim's manuscripts and sketches and discuss the creative process. The discussions focus on six shows: Passion, Assassins, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and Pacific Overtures, but every Sondheim score comes up in conversation. Among the topics discussed, are how Sondheim approaches musicalizing characters and dramatic moments, how motifs and thematic material are created and used, how harmony, melody, and rhythm reflect character, the structuring of a score, the use of pastiche, and the practical aspects of collaboration.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #490604 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

Review
"Sondheim devotees will be forever grateful to Library of Congress music specialist Mark Horowitz for the interviews he conducted with Sondheim in 1997, the most extensive about how the composer works and the basis of Sondheim On Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions."

About the Author
"Mark Eden Horowitz is Senior Music Specialist at the Library of Congress where he has worked as archivist or co-archivist for the Library's collections of the manuscrips and papers of: Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Vernon Duke, Jascha Heifetz, Jerome Kern, Frederick Loewe, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and Vincent Youmans."

Customer Reviews

For anyone who wants more insight on Sondheim
This was a beautiful book, capturing every reason why Sondheim's music is so brilliant. This series of interviews explores several of his most celebrated works, and goes into everything from music theory, to lyric phrasing, to lyric choices, to what inspired him. If you really want to know what goes on in his head while he is composing his masterpieces then buy this book! Though it concentrates heavily on musical theory and sondheim's pieces from a composer's point of view, you do not need to be an expert in music theory to appreciate this book, because it is filled with exciting tidbits of everything you would ever want to know about his pieces. You also really get to know the man behind the music, and you get to see what his original manuscripts looked like! This is an exciting read for a Sondheim fan (or someone curious about what the big fuss is over him)...you will not be dissapointed!

Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions
This book gives us a view within the process of Stephen Sondheim as a creative genius. At the same time it is encouraging because he takes us into glimpses in his creations: methods, favorites, changes, mistakes and growth that illustrate how he actualized his dreams into reality. For anyone that has ever considered writing for an audience with a level that takes into consideration all the nuances of color, texture, overt and underlying meaning, this book is a must read. It is followed with lists of suggested material for review based on the personal influence they had for Sondheim.

Excellent insight, but couldn't there have been more?
This is a great book for the Sondheim aficionado. I learned a lot about the technical aspects of his style. My only complaint is that Merrily We Roll Along is mentioned only briefly in the book. I consider Merrily to be one of Sondheim's three best scores, and its absence made very little sense. Further, all Sondheim musicals pre-Overtures are also absent (perhaps more understandable because I suppose Sondheim remembers those less and there was little time in the interviews). Nevertheless, for the hefty price I would have expected more info. Perhaps a second volume?