The Art of Songwriting with Stephen Sondheim and Adam Guettel
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- Опубликовано: 27 апр 2020
- Legendary theatrical composer Stephen Sondheim invites Adam Guettel into his studio to break down the art of songwriting for this episode of "Legacy Project," presented by the Dramatists Guild Foundation.
This episode was filmed in September 2009 and originally premiered in 2011.
Produced by the Dramatists Guild Foundation, the Legacy Project is a series of interviews featuring prominent contemporary American playwrights, lyricists, and composers. Each interview offers an intimate look into the lives and creative process of these writers of the theater.
Subscribe for more episodes and new videos from DGF Galas, events, workshops, and much more.
The Legacy Project was originally conceived by Jonathan Reynolds. Producers include Nancy Ford, Carol Hall, Peter Ratray and Jonathan Reynolds. The interviews are filmed and directed by Jeremy Levine and Landon Van Soest of Transient Pictures. The Dramatists Guild Fund’s Media Advisor is Leonard Majzlin.
The Legacy Project: Volume III is made possible through the support of DGF Board Member Roe Green & The Roe Green Foundation.
To support theater writers to keep creating, visit DGF.org/donate. 
Развлечения
I will miss this stranger more than some people I have met. It's like I lost a father and he never even met me, and yet has shaped who I am as a person in such a profound way. I cannot fathom his passing still, not fully, it's not right somehow, I hope he knew his impact. May his memory be a blessing.
I really relate to this comment. My composition teacher often talks about that feeling when you connect so deeply with a piece of music that it feels like the composer is speaking to you, directly to you. I feel that way about so much of Sondheim's music, and after reading his books and watching so many of his interviews it feels like I know him so well. Thank you so, so much, Sondheim, for teaching us how to see. RIP
Your comment brings me to tears. I understand so well your feelings. I love him as much as you could possibly love someone you never actually met.
"I will miss this stranger more than some people I have met." Truer words and very beautifully said. I am neither a musician nor a performer but a lover of musical theater, which he made into a religion for me. Many of his songs have been like sermons about God, love, and life...all the challenges that come with each. "Yesterday is done", "Now you know, life is crummy so now you know". "Move on". Yes, all about "Being alive". My heart sank when I'd heard that he had died, but his memory is indeed a blessing. As for his impact, he's been gone almost 2 years and here in 2023 he's still a hit on Broadway!
@ samanthakerger3273 What a lovely tribute to an obviously shyish, extremely talented artist.He appears to be so thoughtful and kind but also direct and would tolerate nothing fake or superficial, a sharp mind and polite and thoughtful ....a great person .
Me too ❤
I'd like to think Steve knew that by leaving so many of these conversations about his process around he will never be missed. It doesn't feel like he's gone. And every one of them can be watched repeatedly to just hear him talk - just like his songs his conversational style of speaking is very musical. What an amazing artist. We are the lucky ones. Thanks for making more. RIP
We like to think that, too. Thanks for watching!
In the wake of his death, THIS brings such comfort for some reason.
Adam comparing hands sizes with Stephen: “At least I exceed you in SOME way.”
Such a great moment.
This is the finest conversation about theater songwriting I have ever heard! It made me cry. Thank goodness it exists!
A fascinating conversation.
And, since Steve's passing there is a flood of these interviews where he participated with such animation a sign of how much he cherished his role of teacher. Regardless of interviewer the Sondheim flash occurred at the teachable moments; his soul woke up and he taught this and future generations of viewers. The more I watch the younger he becomes.
1:01:28 (describing Oscar Hammerstein) "My life was saved by teachers, first a Latin teacher.... and then Oscar Hammerstein, who was a teacher, who, just before he died, gave me a portrait of himself, and I asked him to inscribe it, which is weird, when ... it's like asking your father to inscribe something... and he wrote... _for Stevie, my friend and teacher_ ... and that describes Oscar better than any other way I can describe him."
"He understood .. in _The King And I_ he said _By your pupils you are taught_ "
... [other teachers]
"... Milton Babbit and then my collaborators like Arthur Lawrence taught me a lot... and Burt Shevelov ...and Hal Prince .. so teaching, to me is a necessity. I can't live without it."
Rest In Peace, Mr. Sondheim.
Two months ago I commented below how much this wonderful man means to me - and it breaks me heart to have to now talk about him in the past tense. Steve, all I can really say - all I'm sure so many people can say - is THANK YOU. Thank you for teaching me how to express myself through music and lyrics. Thank you for opening my ears, my mind, and my heart. While you may be gone, your music and legacy shall live on until the end of time. I will carry with me, forever, the words that I live by each day: "Anything you do, let it come from you, then it will be new." You gave us more to see Steve, and we are all better for it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
You've said, much better than I could, what's in my heart. Thank YOU.
His passing brought me back here after a year of not seeing it, the world will never be the same.
Stephen, thank you for finishing so many hats for us. Thank you for everything.
Stephen Sondheim’s words are “jaw-dropping”! Once upon a time, he kindly gave me feedback on a few songs
during a Workshop. In one magical moment, this playwright embraced being a Songwriter, & a Librettist.
He changed my creative life forever....am forever grateful to him. And to the DGA. Forever.
Sincerely, Maureen Barnes. ⚓️🦋
What did he say to you?? I'm dying to know..and did you finish those songs you were working on?
Yes let us know more about what he said and taught you.
This is the best Sondheim interview I've seen, and I've seen a lot. Sondheim is so consistent in what he talks about that if you watch lots of footage, he can get pretty boring. This one however, probably because he's being interviewed by a close family friend / mentee, really explores some new territory, and he lets his guard down a bit.
I think, besides the excellent observations you make, Adam didn't ask (and didn't feel the need to ask) the usual, pardon the swearing, bullshit journalist questions like "What was Ethel Merman really like?" and "You REALLY don't like 'I Feel Pretty?'" I think Steve's interviews depend on the person interviewing him, and not just how comfortable he is with him, but how interested they are in him beyond the usual stuff. As it would be for any artist.
Tony awards
I agree... the very best Sondheim interview ever. He seems so comfortable speaking with Adam Guettel. I suppose because he is the son of a very good friend, Mary Rogers. I found it interesting at times when Sondheim would ask Adam about his approach to writing.... Sondheim is so very candid in this interview. Thanks so much for sharing.
P
I think a lot of the good stuff in this interview comes from his comfort level with Adam due to familiarity and also they are talking exactly the same language about writing for the theatre. They are working peers so to speak, I'm not referring to talent but work.
An interview that happens when someone who knows asks the right questions. A joy.
I didn't want it to end.
My heart is devestated.
There will NEVER ever be another Stephen Sondheim.
An unforgettable genius who changed the face on how we see Live Theater today.
Thank you for inspiring me to be the artist that I want to be.
RIP
man i’m sad.
Stephen Sondheim, A true legend.
let his memory be a blessing
Sondheims mantra @ 48:35 , three principles for lyric writing :
1. Content dictates form and style
2. Less is more
3. God is in the details
Above all, clarity
For the first point, I wonder how much he'd ever considered the reverse. There is this idea in media studies that "The medium IS the message." Maybe he already took the medium for granted I guess, but this idea can help you think about the things that musical theatre highlights over traditional plays or movies. And with that understanding, you can lean into them.
The best hour and four minutes I've spent in some time. RIP, dear man.
I am so glad I found this. I've done 3 Sondheim shows (Into the Woods, twice). The first, A Little Night Music, in New York, in 1981. It was a great production. Sondheim and Prince came to see it. One of my memories......
I'm in the middle of writing my own show at the moment - and adaptation - and am currently working with a collaborator. And I've come back to this interview almost every week. It is full of knowledge. I'll send my collaborator a quote every other day, and then say "ooo we should try doing it this way". I owe so much of who I am as a writer to Stephen Sondheim, and I know there are thousands of writers who could most definitely say the same thing. Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher Steve.
This is incredibly beautiful and inspiring. Thank you for sharing with us!
it takes an artist to interview an artist. this is a treasure. thank you.
This man is an absolute genius and no one can tell me different
43:45 his smile is melting my heart!!! miss him so much ❤️❤️❤️
I thought he was mildly piqued and amused at markings on his floor or rug. lol
The fact he wrote the words to Somewhere is one of reasons this man is so important to me.
a genius with a heart of gold. we miss you so much already. thank you for your art
RIP - amazing everything including him #love
Sondheim really seems to embrace radical candor. I love it. He pulls no punches about who he is and how he works.
This is more precious than gold. More insights in a brief hour than in years of study. Reminds us how lucky we were to have this brilliant man share his work with us, to have lived in the same era with him.
What a wonderful hour.
Significantly we might note Mr. Sondheim teared up more speaking of those who taught him than when Adam thanked him or in speaking about his own teaching.
Showing appreciation clearly was important to both of these creative men.
And, Adam, if you're reading this: excellent job and I'm so grateful to have been a the fly on the wall during your visit.
Stunning. Thank you so much. I was shocked to hear Sondheim say that Richard Rodgers' scores after the King and I are plodding and not up to the standards his earlier work. But it's true because Rodgers' earlier work is so miraculous. I also loved his observation about Hammerstein's lyrics. While not diminishing his genius or legacy in any way, it's true that too many characters in a Hammerstein show are nature lovers to an implausable degree. Pretty lyrics versus character-driven lyrics.
This is such an important interview of a person whose life and work was a master class. You don't have to be a composer or lyricist to learn from him.
Agreed! His words and art give so many lessons that anyone can take.
This is amazing! It's great to see two professionals discussing these insider topics; these aren't the sort of questions people outside the profession or even novices would think of, but only someone who has had experience and already crafted their own approach to music-writing would know to ask. The answers were also only possible because the question comes from a place of knowledge; often I don't even necessarily know what Guettel was aiming for, but Sondheim knows what he's asking because they're sitting from the same perspective. And the answers aren't to show the right way to do things, just what had worked for Sondheim or what made sense to him. Fascinating!
Spot on!
First broadway play I saw was Company in 1971.Loved it and have been an enormous fan of Sondheim ever since. He is in a class by himself.
He certainly is !!
He defined the class
As an architect, it's nice to see the interior of the house and its furnishings.
"the house that Gypsy built"
@@janinegliener4884 Yes, one of the great lines in the interview!
Best "free&casual" ever interview given by him. He was sharp&cool as ever. /R.I.P. Stephen... (-_-)
I'm not sad you're dad. May his memory be a blessing.
Thank you, Adam Guettel and the Dramatists Guild, for this amazing interview! It is probably the most complete, encompassing interview I've ever seen with the legendary Stephen Sondheim. Well done! 👏💗
In 1973 I was told I would play controller shoe and anyone can whistle as part of the second generation teen theater group at the now long dead Washington theater club once a major independent theater in Washington DC having performed it two further times playing Dr detmold and treasurer Cooley I became inoculated with Sondheim from the first...
My girlfriend was a friend of Herbert's in the '60s and met Steven more than once to her recollection recollection and I have to give you the highest praise for an important piece of the puzzle that is America's Beethoven Steven Sondheim Sondheim!!
This is a fascinating interview. Well worth watching.
Thank you Stephen, for making a hat where there never was a hat.
This was a simply brilliant conversation between two geniuses of the theatre - and all-time theatre hall-of-famer in Sondheim, and in my estimation, a future hall-of-famer in Adam Guettel. We have lost a giant, and oh my God that comes through so clearly in this fascinating, deeply absorbing conversation. I agree with others who note Sondheim’s comfort level with not just a fellow composer, but with this particular fellow composer, who connects Sondheim back to his roots and the most important influence in his life. It is so utterly sad that this brilliant voice has been silenced, but his immense contribution to musical theatre is something to be cherished forever.
Stephen Sondheim is a legend ❤❤❤
This is the best Sondheim interview, ever! Bravo.
So good to see him at home talking and sharing his thoughts.....RIPxx
RIP Stephen Sondheim 1930-2021
what a gorgeous home . . . totally fitting
I am delighted that a number of you watched and enjoyed this "Master Class," interview with Stephen Sondheim by Adam Guettel (Richard Rodgers' grandson and a songwriter in his own right). !!!
Been on a Sondheim bender this week, may he rest in peace, and this is the motherlode. Great, relaxed conversation, but solid gold content. Thanks for posting it.
So brilliant, very sad to hear of his passing. Intelligent questions, so grateful,
Amazing he picked Stevie’s Innervisions....very good record....
I wholeheartedly agree with the other commentators here. This hour spent with gifted composer Adam Guettel interviewing Broadway titan Stephen Sondheim is priceless. The content is educational and inspiring. Not only was Sondheim an innovative genius as a composer, but he is obviously a brilliant and compassionate teacher. Despite his magnificent career and richly deserved success, he retains his humility and perspective. He's a good man.
A brilliant, articulate and respectful artist..
This is just a gem.
This was such a wonderful, inspiring and insightful interview! Mr. Sondheim was very candidly forthcoming with information and Adam Guettel asked intelligent and useful questions.
There's a great quote from the film Steve Jobs: "It's not binary. You can be decent and gifted at the same time." Sondheim, as well as so many of the guys and gals filmed for this series are perfect examples of this, and I think it's a wonderful lesson to aspiring dramatists and, really, anyone who wants to be successful in any industry. That's why they appeal to me more than famous people in other fields. I hope one day I get to meet them in person. Thanks DGA
Rona Moriah it’s not a Jobs original. And it’s devalued by saying it comes from him, who was not known for ‘decency’
@@reasonrestored9116 It's not a Steve Jobs quote, it's a quote in the film "Steve Jobs" written by Aaron Sorkin. The line is delivered to Jobs by Steve Wozniak.
This is so inspiring and wonderful to watch! Two amazing artists at the top of their craft exploring every bit of their processes and how they differ and how they’re similar! Also loved hearing their musical influences and who they look up to, so I can venture into those avenues and get a better sense of these artists as artists and also humans 💖💖
at 48:40 his mantra: "Content dictate form and style, less is more, and God is in the details".
I'm not even a fan of musical theater, but I could watch and listen to Stephen Sondheim all day. He's so eloquent and interesting and engaged. He is also very happy to talk about the mechanics and specifics of songwriting, which I find fascinating as an amateur songwriter myself. I always learn something from him, even though his genre is so very differnt than mine. He was a master.
This is possibly the best Sondheim conversation/interview I've ever heard!!
To listen to these two geniuses discuss is elating, moving, and profoundly educational
Thank you DGF for doing it and sharing it.
We are so thrilled you enjoyed it, Tom!
I love how feisty and passionate about art he was. one of my all time inspirations.
What a privilege to see these two extraordinary genius talents together! RIP Mr. Sondheim and thank you for your walk on this planet.
Diana Lee one genius only sondheim and only sondheim
his creative process -- inspires storytelling- above and beyond. Thank you.
It’s fascinating to compare Sondheim with another musical genius and contemporary, Burt Bacharach. Bacharach was about the music, the charts, the celebration of the arrangement. He cared much less about the lyrics. Sondheim was about melody and, most importantly, the libretto and it’s clean articulation. His arrangements and instrumentation were understated and never competed with the vocalist. Tunic was brilliant in supporting the vocals but not competing with them.
I don’t know if I would say Bacharach doesn’t or didn’t care about lyrics; he just wasn’t a lyricist (or at least not until very late in his career, and then just briefly). Sondheim doesn’t arrange at all in the sense of orchestration (using the term “orchestration” broadly to include scoring for ensembles that would never be considered orchestras as well for as more-or-less conventional orchestras.). Bacharach usually does arrange in this sense, and his arrangements are a significant part of his distinctive sound. With very few, not very notable exceptions, Sondheim writes strictly for the theatre, whereas Bacharach has written only once for the theatre. That show, “Promises, Promises”, superficially resembled just one of Sondheim’s musicals, “Company”, which is more just a matter of freak happenstance. What Bacharach and Sondheim have in common is that they’re around the same age; they’re both formally trained as composers; they’re both perfectionists; and they were both less conservative with time signatures, phrase-length, and harmonic structure than most others working in their field in the eras in which they came into prominence.
Man, this is GREAT stuff! The depth, scope and humanity of the both of them is so astounding and compelling. Just amazing.
This is a brilliant interview.. thanks
Thanks to the artists.
Wonderful interview!
Magnificent! Thank you so much for sharing this.
What a treat.
By far, the best Sondheim interview of so many......what a treasure!
Brilliant interview 👏🏻 Thank you🙏🏻
Adam! This is incredibly great! Thank you SO much!
I am so touched by this interview. Seeing it will change the way I see my next musical! I intend to see as many of his plays as I can and I will see them with more enjoyment because of knowing what he was trying to do with the music. I'll watch this video again. It's a great lesson. I'm coming back, in my next life, with a music talent.
Thank you!! This is a wonderful interview!!!!
Best interview of all time!
This is just a fantastic interview. "Miss me but let me go" truly applies here. A fantastic life that left great foot prints. Informative, and especially for those who followed theater music.
This is amazing and applicable to all forms of writing or creative work.
Wow. Thanks for sharing this. I’ve loved his music for decades, and it’s really touching to meet the human being behind it. It makes sense that he’d be such a kind and insightful person…And so interesting to connect so specifically with his process! ❤
Fabulous! Thank you so much for thiis wonderful capturing of Stephen's history from him. Really wonderful! Thanks! 🙂
Thank you for this interview. I've just watched it after Sondheim's passing. Mourning and being sad that I'll never get to meet him in person. But also happy that we have his legacy, this conversation included, to guide us through and further.
That was just fantastic.
I learned so much from this interview. So many great tidbits and anecdotes. Both men are/were fantastic. We lived in SS's time! Amazing.
Wow! Just wow.
The greatest interviewee of all time. Every sentence a gem.
It's odd that there is no indication of when this interview took place, not even a copyright date. The only clue I found was at 40:25 Sondheim points to a drawing on the wall and says it was drawn by Larry Gelbart "who just died last week." That would make it September 2009.
This episode was filmed in September 2009 and originally premiered in 2011.
Thank you. I was wondering about that, too.
Sondheim’s dogs’ names are a decent clue as well ;-)
thank you for this
I'm SO glad and grateful we have this fascinating and delightful conversation to learn from, appreciate and enjoy!
We are so honored to share it!
GREAT HAIRCUT, MR. SONDHEIM!!
"Music by David Shire" [!!]
For anyone wondering why that's interesting, David Shire wrote the dance arrangements for Company, back in 1970.
Another fun tidbit from Company! Adam Guettel's parents are offstage characters in it: _"Hank and Mary get into town tomorrow!"_
ZT"l Stephen - you've inspired so many young composers and song writers and you were a true mensch. Great discussion, thanks!
Love, love, love, love this, thank you so much!
Thank you for watching!
A phenomenal interview. They discuss the nuts and bolts of the craft of songwriting for the theater. Incredibly lucid, no celebrity, no cult of personality, just what two great theater composers encounter when they do the work. In a strange way it’s not about either of them at all but about the process, the craft.
Amazing! Thank you so much!!!
Reflecting on what Stephen said about composer over 50 not writing much anymore, I have begun in my 50s (after many years of book writing previously) and hope it's just a matter of how much musical theatre you have written, rather than being over a certain age, that might slow you down.
My understanding is the pressure he was talking about was coming from his perceived expectations of other people. Good luck with your composing, I'm sure it will be awesome and you'll have years of experience to draw on to enhance your work
One thing I love about Broadway musicals is the overture. I mean, once you've heard the overture to Gypsy, how can you ever forget it. There's an excitement to the, a sudden rush, many end with the curtain immediately going up on the last note, the joy of hearing the music to a song you love from the show being heard briefly & knowing you'll hear the entire song & music before the night is over. Sondheim has written such beautiful music over the years that I would have loved to hear from the orchestra before the curtain went up. I have not seen all his shows; but the ones I've seen and/or bought the Broadway cast albums to, don't have overtures. So why did he not want overtures to his musicals? I loved this interview. It was honest and I heard things I was surprised to hear. I remember flying to NYC to see A Little Night Music with Catherine Zita Jones and my thrill was catching a glimpse of Sondheim entering the theatre via the stage door after the show was over. I said to myself, "Wow that was Sondheim I just saw!"
I love overtures, too. You owe it to yourself to listen to the overture to "Merrily We Roll Along" (the first version of it, when "Rich and Happy" was still in the score and therefore the overture). It's thrilling and one of my favorites, along with the overtures to "Gypsy," "Funny Girl" and "Mack & Mabel" (which was actually the entr'acte when the show was on Broadway but was recorded as the overture for the original cast album, and which I understand is now played as the overture on the rare occasions that show is produced).
@@ChipL955 came here to say this. The merrily overwrite is perfection.
God, this is fascinating!
This is an excellent interview! Also, can we talk about his beautiful house!
Terrific!
Wonderful!
He did what he came to do. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Well worth attending to.
Fantastic