Best of Each Composer Playlist

I really want to make a playlist of one or two (three if it must) songs from each composer (both classic and modern.. but all MT related and within the last 100 years ) found worthy. I'd prefer it be on the more sophisticated side, but exceptions can be made for whatever necessary. I'm just basing it on who composed the music, because having to include one from each lyricist will be too much (there can be another playlist for that ) I think this will be a nice listen when just wanting to listen to some good quality theatre, and a great introduction to theatre to those who are new.

Some ideas of composers (please edit by making additions or taking off what you feel unnecessary.)

Stephen Sondheim
Jule Styne
Leonard Benstien
Adam Guettal
Maury Yeston
Cole Porter
Jason Robert Brown
Jerry Bock
Richard Rodgers
Claude Michel Schonberg
Michael John Lachuisa
John Kander
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Scott Frankel
George Gershwin
Stephen Schwartz
Kurt Weil

Clearly an incomplete list.... Just what came to mind. And what songs? I'm clueless where to begin with Sondheim.... :)

Updated On: 1/10/09 at 10:43 AM

Alan Menken
(Don't forget to sample King David for songs to include)

Jerry Herman

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Personally I take more offense to Schonberg and ALW...

Marvin Hamlisch

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Laurence O'Keefe! (Hey, if JRB counts...)

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"WHY does everyone think Jason Robert Brown belongs in the same list as Rodgers and Hammerstein and Sondhiem?!?!"

Well, I wanted to include modern composers as well... and honestly out of the modern composers I think he is one of the better ones.

And for ALW and Schonberg, they are the best of their era, and no matter what are very important to musical theatre history. Perhaps just one can be used.

Most of the additions you guys have suggested are all needed.... except maybe Laurence O'keefe? What would could by used by him? Something from Bat Boy? I really don't like Legally Blonde's score.

And I'm also not crazy about Alan Menken, but if more insist he can be included.

Composers so far:
Stephen Sondheim
Jule Styne
Leonard Benstien
Adam Guettal
Maury Yeston
Cole Porter
Jason Robert Brown
Jerry Bock
Richard Rodgers
Claude Michel Schonberg
Michael John Lachuisa
John Kander
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Scott Frankel
George Gershwin
Stephen Schwartz
Kurt Weil
Jerome Kern
Irving Berlin
Bob Merrill
Stephen Flaherty
Cy Coleman
Marvin Hamlisch (btw does he have anything else besides A Chorus Line?)
Frederick Loewe
Jeanine Tesori
William Finn
Jerry Herman

Ideas on songs?

Updated On: 1/11/09 at 10:52 AM

Some very personal choices here and trying to avoid the most famous songs. I'm tempted to suggest performances in some cases, but that would get crazy (though feel free to ask for them). Sorry but I did list three in most cases (and four in one case). It's too tough to cut it down to just two. I added Gershwin, Loesser and Arlen to the list.

Sondheim: "Someone in a Tree," "Goodbye for Now," "The Road You Didn't Take"
Styne: "The Music That Makes Me Dance," "That Something Extra Special," "I Don't Want to Walk Without You"
Bernstein: "Some Other Time," "Dream With Me," "Duet for One"
Guettel: "Lucky," "Passegiatta"
Yeston: "Guido's Song," "Getting Tall"
Porter: "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," "Nobody's Chasing Me," "Every Time We Say Goodbye"
Bock: "When Did I Fall in Love?", "Little Old New York," "Go to Sleep, Whatever You Are"
Rodgers: "Here We Are Again," "A Ship Without a Sail," "The Shortest Day of the Year," "Everybody's Got a Home But Me"
Kern: "I'm Old Fashioned," "Nobody Else But Me," "Go, Little Boat"
Weill: "Surabaya Johnny," "Mister Right," "Lonely House"
Arlen: "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Sing, My Heart," "God's Country"
Coleman: "The Rhythm of Life," "Our Private World," "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This"
Herman: "Ribbons Down My Back," "Time Heals Everything," "I Promise You a Happy Ending"
Berlin: "Let's Face the Music and Dance," "Let's Get Another Cup of Coffee," "You'd Be Surprised"
Merrill: "Mira," "In Some Little World"
Loewe: "You Haven't Changed at All," "I Loved You Once in Silence," "Wanderin' Star"
Gershwin: "My Cousin in Milwaukee," "He Loves and She Loves," "Isn't It a Pity?"
Loesser: "Make a Miracle," "Never Will I Marry," "Marry the Man Today"
Strouse: "There's Always One You Can't Forget," "You've Got Possibilities," "Baby, Talk to Me"

Updated On: 1/11/09 at 12:01 PM

A fabulous newer composer: Scott Alan. His songs are beautiful and his youtube channel is great: scottalannet or something like that. His website is scottalan.net

Craig Carnelia's Flight is beautiful (especially the Megan McGinnis/Sutton Foster duet version)

WHY does everyone think Jason Robert Brown belongs in the same list as Rodgers and Hammerstein and Sondhiem?!?!

Because they were listing composers and they are all composers? Duh? No one's saying they're all in the "greatest of all time" list. Geez.

I would definitely NOT add Scott Alan seeing as he hasn't written a show that's been produced yet. He's good, but he's not a theatre composer yet.

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"nobodyhome, you have some great choices- I always thought I was alone in thinking 'The Rhythm of Life' was one of Coleman's best songs."

Thanks, laura is broadway. I have to admit that I didn't realize what an amazing song "The Rhythm of Life" was till I listened to the JAY recording. Not that I think the performance is better than on the OBCR or the OLCR. I think it was just because I grew up knowing the song from the OBCR. Then because the JAY was a new recording, I heard the song in a new way that made me realize what an extraordinary piece it is from a compositional point of view. Very few Broadway composers could have written that kind of polyphony.

I'll add songs for Larry Grossman: "Merci, Bon Dieu," "Power," "All Things to One Man"