Focusing on composers who wrote predominantly for Broadway, writing at least 5 Broadway scores...
1. RICHARD RODGERS - for his gift of melody in evidence even in his very last show coupled with his ability to write longer pieces such as Slaughter on 10th Avenue and Carousel Waltz.
2. GEORGE GERSHWIN - from his delightful musical comedies and revues of the 1920s, through comic operetta (OF THEE I SING) and ultimately a Folk Opera, he did it all. His concert music (Rhapsody in Blue, American in Paris) isn't too shabby either.
3. JEROME KERN - SHOW BOAT alone would have assured him a place on the list but he wrote dozens of shows that sadly are not really revivable now (ROBERTA, MUSIC IN THE AIR, LEAVE IT TO JANE) but his scores overflow with rich melodies.
4. LEONARD BERNSTEIN - in 5 years he wrote a jaunty score for WONDERFUL TOWN, the opera-buffa CANDIDE and the electric WEST SIDE STORY. Too bad he abandoned theatre for the concert hall.
5. FRANK LOESSER - his range is impressive: GUYS AND DOLLS, THE MOST HAPPY FELLA and HOW TO SUCCEED in a dozen years. Even his cut songs have inventive ideas.
6. JULE STYNE - Even his flop shows overflow with wonderful tunes. BELLS ARE RINGING, FUNNY GIRL, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES/LORELEI, and GYPSY would alone guarantee him a place of honour.
7. JERRY HERMAN - the master of the reconstituted show tune. A shame he essentially retired after LA CAGE we could have had another 4 or 5 scores from him.
8. JOHN KANDER - Can anyone pack so much emotion into a simple melodic phrase. It's too bad so many of the shows he wrote with Fred Ebb flopped but their two big hits CABARET and CHICAGO live on and encourage fans to explore their lesser shows.
9. CY COLEMAN - Perhaps not among many people's top choices but listen to the scores for SWEET CHARITY, ON THE 20TH CENTURY, and CITY OF ANGELS back to back and you'll hear his remarkable range.
10. STEPHEN SONDHEIM - For years I endured endless complaints about how unmelodious his scores were when I heard fascinating tunes set to dazzling lyrics. He is now revered for what he is: the greatest gift to modern musical theatre.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
IRVING BERLIN - Not as musically venturesome as Rodgers or Gershwin, but as a tunesmith he's one of the very best.
COLE PORTER - another tunesmith, but when his melodies take flight there is nothing to compare.
HAROLD ARLEN - Sadly most of his Broadway shows flopped but the flops contain some of his most interesting music: HOUSE OF FLOWERS, ST. LOUIS WOMAN are two that deserve to be better known. Of course THE WIZARD OF OZ score was written for the screen but his contributions to Broadway and Hollywood musicals should not be neglected.
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER - He has a Rodgers-like gift of melody. Unfortunately wealth gave him the power to appoint himself a producer and here he falls down badly, failing to see that the book and lyric writers he works with are vastly inferior. But judged on his compositional ability he is a master.
CHARLES STROUSE - I hedged on including Strouse as his output is wildly inconsistent but when at his best, he is very good indeed.
Most of the "new" generation of composers (J.R.Brown, LaChuisa, Guettel, Frankel) haven't written enough sores yet to determine but they are talents to watch.
I notice I lean towards composers with either classical training or who wrote 16 or 32-bar tunes in the style of Tin Pan Alley's glory days. I guess I just like symmetry.
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com
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