Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers
Show Tunes fully chronicles the shows, songs, and careers of the major composers of the American musical theatre, from Jerome Kern's earliest interpolations to the latest hits on Broadway. Legendary composers like Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter, Berlin, Bernstein, and Sondheim have been joined by more recent songwriters like Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Flaherty, Michael John LaChiusa, and Adam Guettel. This majestic reference book covers their work, their innovations, their successes, and their...
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Show Tunes fully chronicles the shows, songs, and careers of the major composers of the American musical theatre, from Jerome Kern's earliest interpolations to the latest hits on Broadway. Legendary composers like Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter, Berlin, Bernstein, and Sondheim have been joined by more recent songwriters like Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Flaherty, Michael John LaChiusa, and Adam Guettel. This majestic reference book covers their work, their innovations, their successes, and their failures. Show Tunes is simply the most comprehensive volume of its kind ever produced, and this newly revised and updated edition discusses almost 1,000 shows and 9,000 show tunes. The book has been called "a concise skeleton key to the Broadway musical" (Variety) and "a ground-breaking reference work with a difference" (Show Music)-or, as the Washington Post observed, "It makes you sing and dance all over your memory." The eagerly anticipated Fourth Edition, updated through May, 2009, features the entire theatrical output of forty of Broadway's leading composers, in addition to a wide selection of work by other songwriters. The listings include essential production data and statistics, the most extensive information available on published and recorded songs, and lively commentary on the shows, songs, and diverse careers. Based on meticulous research, the book also uncovers dozens of lost musicals-including shows that either closed out of town or were never headed for Broadway-and catalogs hundreds of previously unknown songs, including a number of musical gems that have been misplaced, cut, or forgotten. Informative, insightful, and provocative, Show Tunes is an essential guide for anyone interested in the American musical. Library Journal This is an impressive compilation of the work of 30 top Broadway composers, divided into three parts by generation. Spanning 1905 to June 1985, the productions covered are presented in three sections: Show Data, including relevant dates, theaters and cities, composers, lyricists, and choreographers; Song Information, a guide to all published songs from each show; and Commentary, the author's brief comments on why and how composers wrote what they did. The book's greatest assets are its exhaustive song listings (which include songs reused in different productions, and differing versions of songs), and its coverage of recent productions. While good as a comprehensive reference work, it doesn't attempt as much exposition as other books like Stanley Green's Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre (Dodd, 1976). Recommended. Daniel J. Lombardo, Jones Lib., Amherst, Mass.
ForewordixPreface to the Third EditionxiPrefaces to the Earlier EditionsxiiiAcknowledgmentsxvHow to Use This BookxviiPart IComposers of the Early YearsIntroduction1Jerome Kern3Irving Berlin37George Gershwin57Vincent Youmans77Richard Rodgers85Cole Porter117Arthur Schwartz135Harold Arlen149Vernon Duke159Burton Lane169Kurt Weill173Marc Blitzstein185Harold Rome193Part IINew Composers of the 1940s and 1950sIntroduction203Hugh Martin205Leonard Bernstein211Frederick Loewe221Jule Styne227Frank Loesser243Richard Adler251Jerry Bock255Bob Merrill263Meredith Willson269Stephen Sondheim273Part IIINew Composers of the 1960s and BeyondIntroduction291Charles Strouse293Harvey Schmidt305Cy Coleman313Jerry Herman323John Kander331Mitch Leigh343Larry Grossman349Stephen Schwartz355Marvin Hamlisch359Alan Menken363William Finn369Maury Yeston375Stephen Flaherty381Part IVNotable Scores by Other ComposersIntroduction385Irene387Shuffle Along387George White's Scandals of 1926388Good News!388Blackbirds of 1928389Whoopee389Fine and Dandy390Walk With Music390Early to Bed391Beggar's Holiday391Flahooley392Top Banana392Kismet393The Golden Apple394Plain and Fancy394Li'l Abner395Goldilocks396Redhead396Once Upon a Mattress397You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown397Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris398Hair399Promises, Promises4001776400Promenade401Purlie402Grease402The Wiz403Shenandoah403The Robber Bridegroom404The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas404Dreamgirls405Baby405Big River406The Secret Garden406Jelly's Last Jam407Victor/Victoria408Floyd Collins408Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk409Big409Rent410Jekyll & Hyde411Side Show412The Lion King413Saturn Returns: A Concert413Parade414AppendicesAppendix 1Chronological Listing of Productions417Appendix 2Collaborator Reference Listing441Appendix 3Bibliography and a Word about Finding Music463Song Title Index467Show Index543People Index557
\ Library JournalThis is an impressive compilation of the work of 30 top Broadway composers, divided into three parts by generation. Spanning 1905 to June 1985, the productions covered are presented in three sections: Show Data, including relevant dates, theaters and cities, composers, lyricists, and choreographers; Song Information, a guide to all published songs from each show; and Commentary, the author's brief comments on why and how composers wrote what they did. The book's greatest assets are its exhaustive song listings (which include songs reused in different productions, and differing versions of songs), and its coverage of recent productions. While good as a comprehensive reference work, it doesn't attempt as much exposition as other books like Stanley Green's Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre (Dodd, 1976). Recommended. Daniel J. Lombardo, Jones Lib., Amherst, Mass.\ \
