Best of Each Composer Playlist

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 1/10/09 at 10:43am

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

[i*heart*fame]

Posted: 1/10/09 at 11:15am

William Finn

[LadyDramaturg2]

Posted: 1/10/09 at 4:11pm

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

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/10/09 at 4:16pm

Cy Coleman

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/10/09 at 4:19pm

Jerry Herman

[cello_dude]

Posted: 1/10/09 at 4:50pm

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

[hortonhearsasam]

Posted: 1/10/09 at 5:11pm

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

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 1/10/09 at 5:21pm

I don't understand JRB either, but he's had two shows and his latest was just on Broadway so why not.

I'd like to add Jeanine Tesori (just for Caroline, or Change pretty much) and Stephen Flaherty to the list.

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/10/09 at 6:35pm

Marvin Hamlisch

[dented146]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 1:39am

Lerner and Loewe--hello

[Kelly2]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 1:56am

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

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 2:28am

Jerome Kern
Irving Berlin
Bob Merrill
Larry Grossman

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 10:52am

"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

[commasplice]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 11:59am

Charles Strouse
Craig Carnelia

laura, Marvin Hamlisch also composed They're Playing Our Song, The Goodbye Girl, Sweet Smell of Success, and Smile (no legal recording, but "Disneyland" is on Kerry Butler's CD).

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 12:01pm

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

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 11:03pm

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.

For Guettel I have to add "Octet"; It's one of my favorite songs of all time.... I think this is going to be more difficult than I originally thought!

List:

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
Frederick Loewe
Jeanine Tesori
William Finn
Jerry Herman
Craig Carnelia
Charles Strouse

I feel like the list is getting a bit lengthy... should I delete some?

[SteamHeat2]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 11:24pm

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)

[SteamHeat2]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 11:30pm

By the way, I am now copying you :) But I am going to make a playlist for each composer of 15-20 songs. I guess I have some cds to get...

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 11:39pm

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.

[SteamHeat2]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 12:25am

RE: Scott Alan
true..but he has a place on my list :)
and, as a side note, it wasn't broadway (or anything close to it) bu this musical Piece was produced at Village Theatre Originals in Seattle

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 4:33am

"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"

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 10:09pm

:)