Customer Reviews

Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

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If you write lyrics (or just love reading them) this is a fascinating read. It's much more than a collection of lyrics, it is the author's commentary on how he went about creating them, plus his views on what makes good lyric-writing and what does not. A little gem, this book is.

LYRICS by Oscar Hammerstein II remains the definitive manual for anyone writing lyrics for the music theatre. This update with new lyrics and forward by the author and preface by Steven Sondheim is the classic companion to Lehman Engel's book on the making of a musical. And no matter how far we look there will never be a better source for what works in the theatre. Mr. Hammerstein's lyrics remain the quintessential guide to writers, young and old alike, writing for characters on the stage. God bless Oscar!

I was both pleased and a little disappointed with this book. Oscar Hammerstein, II, was one of the greatest lyricists of our time, and others have said that his words inspired Richard Rodgers to write some of his most soaring melodies. Hammerstein was gracious in sharing many of his experiences honestly with the reader--which many celebrities will not do--and tells very succinctly how to strive for the best lyrics of which you might be capable of achieving.
The book, edited by his son, lists all of his lyrics, written for several different composers. You can learn a lot by reading his words and hearing how he composed them.
I was a bit disappointed, though, that Hammerstein's instructions were only about 50 pages or so. To learn more about songwriting, I have turned to other sources. But, this book is truly a classic and should be in the collection of anyone who admires the highest quality of talent, especially in literature and the theater. I would recommend it to anyone.

This is more than a collection of masterful song lyrics, the long introductions by Stephen Sondheim and Oscar Hammerstein make it something of a treatise on lyric-writing by two of the art's greatest practitioners.

Also recommended: "Pentatonic Scales for the Jazz Rock Keyboardist" by Jeff Burns.