"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."
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.
Read at The Atlantic
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