Trends/Similarities in Composers' Work

[dramarama2]

Posted: 7/19/08 at 11:08pm

Yes, there's a thread on this from a while back that I remember, but I cannot find it in the search, but just because it's such an interesting subject, let's do it again.

Have you ever noticed similarities from one musical score to another by the same composer? Most people think I'm mad, but I've always found Sweeney & Sunday so alike. Putting it Together reminds me of By The Sea for example. Any others you've noticed?

And yes, I'm very aware that every composer will no doubt has there own style, but are there trends you notice in different musicals' scores by the same composer?

Discuss.

[pli1018]

Posted: 7/19/08 at 11:14pm

Bounce and Sweeney are uncannily alike.

[dramarama2]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 6:33am

I don't know Bounce very well, but there's definitely a "Sondheim" sound to each of his scores.

[Weez]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 7:01am

Sondheim often has that very Sondheim sound in his works. When I finally went to see 'Into The Woods', I came out humming 'Sunday In The Park With George'.

[westcoast_wannabe]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 7:48am

Follies, of course, is the exception. Those songs distinctly sound like Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers, et al.

[jagfkb]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 8:04am

Ok, I also included ones which just sound like others:

For some reason, Camelot and South Pacific have an extremly similar sound, and, if you think about it, the songs are structured in a very similar way: 3 songs for two lovers in the beginning, the end being the most successful. Bali Hai= Follow Me. I don't know, and they're both ridiculously long, yet they're both such amazing shows.

Sunday and Woods, yeah... I agree.

Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, especially Les Poissons and Be Our Guest.

I do agree with By the sea and Putting it Together, to a degree, but I can still hear it thinking back...

Drowsy Chpaerone sounds like No No Nanette, but then again, it's supposed to.

Also, to end the list, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

[outdamnwench]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 3:09pm

Yeah, I hear a lot of similarities between Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. There are a few melodies that are identical.

I also find that Jeanie Tesorie's work has a certain feel to it. I think it's the fact that a lot of her songs are very rhythmic and use a lot of acoustic guitar.

[dramarama2]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 6:54pm

Tesori takes ideas/influences from a VAST range of styles of music.

eg. Country and Gospel for Violet, Blues and Soul for Caroline

[SahDu]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 9:53pm

For Menken:

My eight year old campers found striking similarities between the melodies of "Somewhere That's Green" from Little Shop and "Part of Your World" from Little Mermaid...very similar. Updated On: 2/15/14 at 09:53 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 10:17pm

They're almost exactly the same at the very end of each medlody wise...

"Far from Skid Row. I dream we'll go somewhere that's green."

"Out of the sea. Wish I could be. Part of that world."

[Natch]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 11:02pm

Weez - I had the opposite- I came out of Sunday humming into the woods! haha. Love both shows a lot but there are definitely some very common melodies. There was one in particular that struck me- I'll have to post if I can recall it.

[Jon]

Posted: 7/20/08 at 11:10pm

Kander & Ebb: "The Grass is Always Greener" from WOMAN OF THE YEAR is very similar in structure to "The Apple Doesn't Fall" from THE RINK.

Jerry Herman: "It Takes a Woman" from HELLO DOLLY and "We Need a Little Xmas" from MAME have virtuaslly identical melodies at the start of the chorus.

Likewise, "Before the Parade Passes By" (DOLLY), "Open a New Window" (MAME) and "One Person" (DEAR WORLD)all start the same way, with a slow march, sparsely orchestrated (mostly just a snare drum), building in tempo and intensity to a big booming production number.