Abstract

Stephen Sondheim is one of the most important composer-lyricists in the world, and certainly one of the greatest artists to work in American musical theater over the past half-century. He has not only collaborated on more than a dozen landmark shows and written countless standard songs, but has also been the single most influential force in bringing the Broadway musical into the modern age. Sondheim demands that vocalists be singing actors but writes music so challenging that only a singer with a high degree of musicality can cleanly execute what he has written. Recurring characteristics for each voice type are defined by analyzing representative songs from the musicals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Passion. The technical challenges of singing Sondheim are also discussed, including difficult tessituras, or having to sing out of the comfortable range of a certain voice type; extensive singing on the bridges or passagios; use of "character-type" voice inflections; and instrumental-type lines and leaps that are difficult to execute.

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Discussion and Analysis1

The Singing Musician4

Vocal Characteristics5

Conclusion5

Stephen Sondheim's Influence on American Musical Theater

Introduction

The “American Musical”, as it has evolved over the last century, has become a remarkable model of interdisciplinary practice (Horowitz, 8). From its early iterations and influences in burlesque, vaudeville, and operetta to the complex contemporary amalgams of book, music, lyrics, and dance - the American musical has proven a rich crucible for the exploration of identity and culture, form and content, and ideas and emotions (Horowitz, 8).

Discussion and Analysis

It takes a special performer to sing a Stephen Sondheim song. His musicals are extremely popular among musical theatre performers and are viewed as challenging and musically satisfying to the professional singer (Lipton, 258).

Sondheim demands that his vocalists be singing actors but writes music so challenging that only a singer with a high degree of musicality can cleanly execute what he has written. He requires that communication and character be understood above all, by writing speech-pattern rhythms-lines that require speech-type singing-and low tessituras (Lipton, 258). In addition, his melodies can be extremely chromatic, often with little or no reinforcement from the accompaniment. He writes with a vague and shifting tonality, complex rhythms for the voice and accompaniment, awkward intervals, and, occasionally, crowded lyrics with no apparent space for breath. All these issues are analyzed using examples from his body of work (Lipton, 258).

Some recurring characteristics for each voice type can be defined by analyzing representative songs from the musicals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Passion. Ranges, tessituras, vocal colors, and styles are addressed as they uniquely apply to the songs and characters Sondheim has created (Marks, 24). In addition to score study, reviews, Broadway cast recordings, and videos are referenced to give examples of the type of singers that often appear on the Sondheim stage (Marks, ...