Most beautiful scores?

[HistoryBoy2]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 4:46pm

I was just thinking on this today, because I'm nerdy that way:
What do you think are the most beautiful scores ever written for musicals?

My immediate thoughts would be Sunday in the Park with George, The Light in the Piazza and A Little Night Music. While I'm not saying they're necessarily the BEST scores ever written (well, I think Sunday might be), I think they are most adequately served by the word "beautiful".

What are your thoughts, you clever, knowledgeable people?

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 4:49pm

I agree with your three and would add:

Most Happy Fella
Brigadoon
Carousel

[philitalia]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 4:56pm

Miss Saigon I'd say right now, but tomorrow it might be something different

Of the newer musicals Love Never Dies has an incredibly beautiful score. I hope they get the staging right and that it gets to Broadway.

Updated On: 8/14/10 at 04:56 PM

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 4:59pm

philitalia, I agree with you about the score of Love Never Dies. It's just a shame that the book is...what it is.

[philitalia]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 5:04pm

Indeed, and it took 4 people to mess it up like this

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 5:21pm

The lyrics are pretty bad, too.

Anyway, my contributions would be Passion and My Life With Albertine.

[jamiekennywicked]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 5:22pm

Fiddler On The Roof has some pretty beautiful songs (Sunrise Sunset, Sabbath Prayer etc)

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 5:23pm

I agree with Fiddler, Sunday, Light in the Piazza and Night Music.
La Cage also has a beautiful score

[orlandog]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 5:24pm

Passion (Sondheim) is just breath-taking
Violet is a great score

[monestere]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 5:33pm

Also: KISMET, SHOW BOAT, THE NEW MOON, DEAR WORLD & THE KING AND I

[suttonfoster]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 5:35pm

South Pacific has some gorgeous songs

[musicalfan3]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 5:45pm

I think Into the Woods has some songs that could be described as beautiful- Stay with me, Children will Listen, On the Steps of the Palace. Also, Loosing My Mind in Follies is quite beautiful. I know they're not full scores, but just thought I'd throw them out there. I agree with Sunday in the Park with George and Light in the Piazza especially.

[HistoryBoy2]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 5:47pm

Oh, South Pacific and Passion definitely. Also Ragtime as well.

[singerunlimited]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 6:04pm

The Secret Garden... one of the most hauntingly beautiful scores I can remember.

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 6:21pm

I will suggest a few

Cirque Du Soleil: Quidam
The Threepenny Opera (especially the famous instrumental suite)
Children of Eden (it's a shame the lyrics are often insipid, because a lot of the music is nice)

Posted: 8/14/10 at 6:45pm

musicalfan3, you don't have to be apologetic for saying Into The Woods is a beautiful score. I would agree with that. I think there are some really wonderful songs in that show. Not to be obvious but West Side Story would have to be near the very top of outstanding scores. I personally am a Company guy myself. I also have very nostalgic feelings about Annie as a score. I think that has beautiful songs. "Tomorrow" is kind of like the "Hey Jude" of showtunes. It's been burned into our brains with soooo many crappy versions that it's easy to forget that it is actually a really wonderfully constructed little tune.

[kchenofan]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 7:23pm

I agree with Sunday in the Park, A Little Night Music, and Light in the Piazza. I think Phantom of the Opera has some beautiful music as well. Beautiful in a different way than the first three, but beautiful no less.

[twinbelters]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 7:27pm

She Loves Me is a lush and lovely score. I can smell the soaps and perfumes while I listen to it.

The Baker's Wife has some of the most beautiful songs, and Patti LuPone sounds amazing on the original cast recording.

As was already mentioned, Kismet is a marvelous and grandly beautiful score as is Magdelena, an earlier work by the Wright/Forrest team. It has a spectacular studio recording where Judy Kaye provides some impressive vocals alongside some amazing orchestrations. They also made a beautiful original score for Kean.

Do I Hear A Waltz? is gorgeous, I feel. The Gay Life is another lovely 1960s score, and has a wonderful Viennese sound. Highly recommended. I also think another Barbara Cook musical, The Grass Harp, has some beautiful soaring melodies.

I think the original London cast of Children of Eden is beautiful but the Papermill recording is lacking in the beauty department.

Dare I say Les Miserables? Chess? The duet "You And I" is excruciatingly beautiful as are "I Know Him So Well" and "Someone Else's Story."

[jeffmiele]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 7:28pm

Finian's Rainbow
South Pacific
Ragtime

[Boq101]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 7:53pm

I wanna add Caroline, or Change to the list. I think some parts of it are breathtaking, especially when it gets into trios or duets. I also love the orchestrations

[twinbelters]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 7:59pm

Regina and Juno, how could I forget!?

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 8:03pm

Oh, I'd also like to add Floyd Collins

[trentsketch]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 8:05pm

Amour has to be up there, right?

City of Angels

Candide

My Fair Lady

Metro is none too shabby for a Rock/Pop show, but much easier to appreciate if you listen to the original Polish version which flows better.

The original songs for Taboo are lovely, especially Stranger in this World, Pie in the Sky, Guttersnipe, and Petrified.

[BellatrixxLestrangee]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 8:31pm

I think Pippin has some lovely songs.

[TrpleThreat89]

Posted: 8/14/10 at 9:07pm

IMO:
Light in the Piazza
Carousel
A Little Night Music

They are exquisite - just incredibly beautiful scores (well, except the "Clambake" song . . .haha).