Stephen Sondheim, a towering figure in theater, crafted songs for various characters across numerous shows and films, including West Side Story and Sweeney Todd. He maintained a clear distinction between his personal identity and his work, focusing on the voices of characters rather than self-expression. Under the mentorship of Oscar Hammerstein II, Sondheim embraced the role of a playwright who integrates song into storytelling. His compositions addressed a wide range of themes, reflecting unique narratives and emotional landscapes in American musical theater.
"Sondheim never sought to make creations in his own image. The songs he wrote...had nothing to do with him as a person, or so he would always insist."
"Under the rigorous tutelage of his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II, he learned to work as 'a playwright who writes with song.'"
"Sondheim wrote- always wrote-for specific characters in specific situations."
"The songs accommodated a wild variety of needs, conjuring teenage longing in the tenements of postwar New York, bloodlust in Georgian England, and artistic obsession in the era of French Postimpressionism."
Read at The Atlantic
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