Customer Reviews

Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions

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This was a beautiful book, capturing every reason why Sondheim's music is so brilliant. This series of interviews explores several of his most celebrated works, and goes into everything from music theory, to lyric phrasing, to lyric choices, to what inspired him. If you really want to know what goes on in his head while he is composing his masterpieces then buy this book! Though it concentrates heavily on musical theory and sondheim's pieces from a composer's point of view, you do not need to be an expert in music theory to appreciate this book, because it is filled with exciting tidbits of everything you would ever want to know about his pieces. You also really get to know the man behind the music, and you get to see what his original manuscripts looked like! This is an exciting read for a Sondheim fan (or someone curious about what the big fuss is over him)...you will not be dissapointed!

I have a strong love of Sondheim's work. The genius lyrics, the engaging music, but most of all his attention to detail made me fall for him from "Attend the tale..." As someone who is exploring the world of composition I have looked to his works for encouragement and inspiration. When I heard that there was a book that housed interviews with the man himself I immediately put it on the top of my reading list. When I finally found it I was not dissapointed.

Mark Eden Horowitz has presented a series of interviews that delve into the mind of Broadway's leading composer. The insight that Mr. Horowitz has into Sondheim's works is clearly evident as he helps us see the creative process that went into masterworks such as Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George. The discussion is broken up into a chapter for each show with each giving a focus on what concept was best exhibited in that musical. Certain works such as "A Little Night Music" and "The Frogs" are not discussed as their own chapter, but some of the works that weren't given their own chapter come up in conversation.

I should take this time to point out that if you don't have an understanding of music theory some of this book will be much harder to decipher. With a year of college theory under my belt I still had to consult my professor on a few passages. Mr. Horowitz assists the reader by printing the musical examples pertaining to the topic, but it still requires a certain level of theoretical knowledge. Most of this book delves into concepts of writing and therefore manages to stay accesible, but be warned that parts of the books will need to be read over a few times for full academic digestion.

My sole gripe with this book comes from the fact that it is a 401 page book and only 168 of these pages are devoted to the interview. The rest are filled with a list of songs that Sondheim wishes he had written (and the reply from the composers chosen) and a full discography. When I saw the size of the book initially I was overjoyed to think that every one of the pages was slathered with musical knowledge. When I read the interviews and found them stopping half way through the book I was crushed. With this I felt the need to shave a star off the rating of this book.

Whether you are an avid fan, an aspiring writer or someone who is interested in learning something new about music I would suggest investing in this book. It sheds a light on how this amazing writer brings order to his musical universe.

This book gives us a view within the process of Stephen Sondheim as a creative genius. At the same time it is encouraging because he takes us into glimpses in his creations: methods, favorites, changes, mistakes and growth that illustrate how he actualized his dreams into reality. For anyone that has ever considered writing for an audience with a level that takes into consideration all the nuances of color, texture, overt and underlying meaning, this book is a must read. It is followed with lists of suggested material for review based on the personal influence they had for Sondheim.

This is a great book for the Sondheim aficionado. I learned a lot about the technical aspects of his style. My only complaint is that Merrily We Roll Along is mentioned only briefly in the book. I consider Merrily to be one of Sondheim's three best scores, and its absence made very little sense. Further, all Sondheim musicals pre-Overtures are also absent (perhaps more understandable because I suppose Sondheim remembers those less and there was little time in the interviews). Nevertheless, for the hefty price I would have expected more info. Perhaps a second volume?

If you are buying this book secondhand, as I am, please note that there is more to this 2nd edition than just a cover art change. This is not a reprint! There is new material in this edition not included in the first one, an entirely new interview, and a refreshed discography, so to speak. I thought I should mention this because 1) I happened to use Amazon's Look Inside feature and read the introduction to the 2nd edition and found this out, and 2) Amazon is using reviews for the 1st edition as if they were for the 2nd edition, which they clearly are not and shouldn't do because they are practically two different books. Please use the Look Inside to read the author's intro and note the changes. The new Sondheim interview included in this book happened in 2009. The first edition of this book came out in 2002! Thanks.

If you write music or are curious about how music is written, buy this book. Period. Not only are the interviews excellent and the printed excerpts of Sondheim's scores priceless, but the extra step of including excerpts of even Sondheim's drafts of songs is an unmatched idea. To have two different versions of 'The Worst Pies In London' and then have the composer explain why he picked one over the other...well, it would be harder to get much closer to reading a composer's mind than that. As with other reviewers, I can wish for a chapter each on 'Follies,' 'Merrily,' and 'Company' (at least), but it's hard to complain when there is so much invaluable material here. One note: you may also want to get a hold of a Classical Harmony book, since Sondheim uses figured bass to indicate chords (which sent me digging for my college Tonal Harmony textbook).

This is a great collection of transcripts of a long form interview with Stephen Sondheim. It starts with "Passion" his most recent work at the time of writing, and works backward chronologically. While quite musically deep, there is still something for everyone...not just the musicologist. Well worth the read!

If you don't know much about Sondheim works or even about music language and theory, you won't understand much about this book. This is not an easy guide to Sondheim's music (in that case, I'd recommend "Finishing the hat"). But if you do, you'll probably enjoy it.

What really disappointed me about this book, is that from its 580 pages, almost 300 are just a song list and discography, so the really new and "interesting" contest are less than half of the book. Be aware of that if you buy it.

Mark Horowitz is a genius of one kind, writing about a genius of another kind....

We have had the privilege of working with Mark at his home base at the Library of Congress - he is beyond well-versed in all things Sondheim and you can tell when you're reading this terrific book. A true pleasure for all fans of Mr. Sondheim and American Musical Theater.