Well, I just did a search, and in over a year of blogging, the name “Sondheim” has only been mentioned in passing in 7 posts. I’m not sure why this is, considering that Stephen Sondheim is by far the most influential composer upon my aesthetic and even my choice of a career.
To catch up on that, rather than create a huge mega-post that no one will read, I’ve decided to do several normal-sized posts that no one will read. This one is just a little bit of background for starters.
When I was in my teens, I was interested in music and musical theater, but not in any focused way. Hearing the score of Sweeney Todd for the first time in the early Eighties changed all that forever. That was the first score that motivated me to learn how to read music properly, because I’d never heard anything like it, and I wanted to understand what made it tick. (After over 20 years, I’m getting closer to that goal ;))
Having quickly moved on to get familiar with other Sondheim scores, in particular Company, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures and Merrily We Roll Along, I began to explore some of the composers who were reported to have influenced Sondheim, but whom I hadn’t heard of. Starting with Stravinsky, I checked out an album at the public library, almost at random. Turns out it was the Dumbarton Oaks Concerto along with a bunch of what I now know to be fairly obscure works.
So, skipping ahead, by the time college-pickin’ time came around I already knew I wanted to be a composer. Of course, in college I was exposed to all sorts of other things, but I never stopped wanting to be Sondheim when I grew up. All of my music is influenced by him in one way or another, however remotely in some cases.
In recent years I’ve gone in and out of periods of oversaturation with Sondheim, and I’m just coming out of one of these now. During these periods I avoid listening to his music, because I’m just so familiar with everything already, and it just becomes sort of noise. But, at the moment, I’m in the middle of reading the new book How Sondheim Found His Sound
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2 Responses to “Addressing Sondheim”
After I finish my book on Rufus Wainwright, I plan to do one on Joni Mitchell, then Stephen Sondheim, and then Danny Elfman. These will be musical analysis books, not coffee table books, biographies or tell-all books. I hope I live that long to do it!
RB
The book I refer to above is a dense and technical study of the elements (musical and otherwise) that influence(d) Sondheim’s work. I find it fascinating, but I’m not crazy about the writing. I’ll post more about it after I’m finished.
Knowing Roger, I can already predict that his book will be a lot more fun to read. Can’t wait.
