- Show everything (128)
- Released as Stephen Sondheim (94)
-
Credits on others' music (37)
- Tracks on others' music (19)
Retrieving genre information...
Stephen Sondheim is a multi-award winning theatrical and film music composer whose lyrics for West Side Story are probably his best known.
The young Sondheim was taken under the wing of writer Oscar Hammerstein II, who gave him guidance in the business and helped to give him a head start. Sondheim's big break came in 1957 with the opportunity to write the lyrics for a theatrical production of Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story. The venture was a huge and enduring success: the stage version won a Tony Award for Best Musical, while the translation to film won an incredible ten Oscars. It was a hard act to follow but Sondheim's next project, writing the lyrics for the musical Gypsy (based on the life of burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee), was another hit and was been described by critics as one of the greatest American musicals. His follow-up, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, was another award-winner and it too was transferred to the big screen.
This early success was repeated by most of Sondheim's output. Throughout the 70s and 80s he was involved in a string of successful musicals, including Company, Follies and A Little Night Music. These and other shows produced hits such as "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "America", "Maria" and "Send in the Clowns", which was a Top 40 hit for Judy Collins. Although this was Sondheim's only 'popular' success, his work has always been a favourite of cabaret performers, with Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Barry Manilow all performing Sondheim's work.
He also wrote songs for the Warren Beatty film Dick Tracy, of which "Sooner or Later" won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The track appeared on Madonna's I'm Breathless album. In addition to his many Tony and Grammy wins, in 1985 Sondheim received the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for Sunday in the Park with George - one of the few times that a musical has received that award.
To use the music player, install Flash.
| Editor | Edits |
|---|---|
| Esthero | 1 |
| Opera Critic | 1 |