February 2012
1 post
August 2011
13 posts
"No Place Like London" from "Sweeney Todd"
“No Place like London” is, like “Color and Light” a great example of a Sondheimian scene. The dialogue and music is intertwined so beautifully, it gives the impression of an opera, even though it is clearly not. But this is what Sondheim was going for in Sweeny Todd, a quasi-parody of opera. The song begins with a brass fanfare. The first two phrases are two measures each; both mirroring the...
"Color and Light" from "Sunday in the Park with...
Color and light is the classic example of a Sondheim scene. It is dialogue intertwined with music, which makes his style much more intricate, almost through composed. The piece starts with George, at his painting, dabbing at his work, accompanied by a series of staccato eighth notes in a quasi-chromatic motif, which is the motif of his art work, also found in “Finishing the Hat,” in which the...
"Children and Art" from "Sunday in the Park with...
“Children and Art” is one of the more heart-wrenching songs in “Sunday in the Park with George.” It’s beauty and sophistication lies not in it’s form, such as “Color and Light” or “The Day Off,” but in small “Sondheimian” nuances- much like “Send in the Clowns.” It is strophic in form, yet complex in the detail and reasoning for each note.
The song begins with an underscore of the...
"Ladies Who Lunch" from "Company"
So, In “The Ladies Who Lunch,” Joanne sings her final song about how upper class women sit around all day, try to seem perfect, and swallow their troubles, letting them build up inside of them. Towards the end of the song, Joanne comes to the startling realization that she is one of these obnoxious women who just drinks to hide herself from her troubles. The song starts with Joanne saying, “I’d...
Musical Parallels between Sondheim's "Epiphany"...
Okay, we all know Sweeney Todd is filled with motifs and allusions from other operas, so I figured I could dissect one.
In “Epiphany” the soaring theme that occurs throughout the song is the “I’ll never see Johanna, no I’ll never hug my girl to me…” along with other lyrics speaking of loss. This theme consists of (in this particular key) Ab, G, F,Eb, Ab, G. Ne-ver see Jo-ha-nna. Throughout all...
"Me and My Town" from "Anyone Can Whistle"
So, as far as Anyone Can Whistle goes, there was a reason it was a flop. It was bizzare music to say the least, which explains why the public didn’t like it. But the music was bizzare for the sake of being bizzare. I think that was Sondheim’s mistake. While it was set in a fictional world, a dystopia almost, the score just doesn’t reflect that well enough, in my opinion, because it’s...
"We Do Not Belong Together" from "Sunday in the...
Assuming you’ve read my other blurbs about Sunday, and you’ve watched my videos, the important thing to know about this show is that it relies HEAVILY on motifs. This is because Sondheim had to tie the characters in the first act to the characters in the second act as well as having to show the relationship between Dot and George grow and become resolved.
There are a few main motifs to know...
"Could I Leave You?" from "Follies"
The important thing to remember about Follies is that it is unlike most Sondheim shows because the music is about pastiche, not character development through “musical rhetoric.” That is not to say that it doesn’t include Sondheim’s normal traits. It does, but a significant amount less. It is also due to the fact that this show was early on in Sondheim’s career (relatively speaking). I mean,...
"No One Is Alone" from "Into the Woods"
This is by far one of my favorite Sondheim songs. Its beauty is stunning, and it is marvelously written. This is actually one of the few tunes that I actually like from the 2002 revival-musically speaking that is. As much as I love Lauren Benanti, she and the other actors didn’t quite get it, as with most of the other songs in the show. Here’s what I think.
Into the Woods is about filial flaws- it...
"Not a Day Goes By" from "Merrily we Roll Along"
So here we have one of the more sad songs Sondheim has written. “Not a Day Goes By” from Merrily We Roll Along takes place when Beth, Frank’s wife is in the midst of their divorce. She is also dealing with the fact that Frank is cheating on her with Gussie. In this song, Beth is essentially saying that she will never be able to live with herself knowing that Franks has cheated on...
This Blog:
As many of you know, on my other Tumblr, Saxyspence, (too many commas, I know) I put my writings up of Stephen Sondheim’s work. They’ve become somewhat popular in our small circle, so I’ve decided to create a blog dedicated to my writings and analyses. Mainly for me to keep track of what I’ve written about and what I haven’t. It will also give me incentive to write...