Sondheim on Music is primarily a transcript of a series of interviews with Stephen Sondheim, focusing on his work as a composer. During the interviews, he and the author look through Sondheim's manuscripts and sketches and discuss the creative process. The discussions focus on six shows: Passion, Assassins, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and Pacific Overtures, but every Sondheim score comes up in conversation. Among the topics discussed, are how Sondheim approaches musicalizing characters and dramatic moments, how motifs and thematic material are created and used, how harmony, melody, and rhythm reflect character, the structuring of a score, the use of pastiche, and the practical aspects of collaboration. Theatre Library Association Award Finalist 2003; ASCAP Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award 2004; ARSC Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research_Best Research in Recorded Popular Music, Best History 2004

Author Biography

Mark Eden Horowitz is Senior Music Specialist at the Library of Congress where he has worked as archivist or co-archivist for the Library's collections of the manuscripts and papers of Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Vernon Duke, Jascha Heifetz, Jerome Kern, Frederick Loewe, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and Vincent Youmans.