How Sondheim Found His Sound

2 Sondheim the Tunesmith

2 — — — — — Sondheim the Tunesmith The Big Six and Broadway As was revealed in the previous chapter, Sondheim named George Gershwin and Harold Arlen as signi‹cant in›uences on his musical development. Together with Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, and Cole Porter, Gershwin and Arlen make up what many writers consider the Big Six of American songwriters who created the golden era, if not of Tin Pan Alley, then certainly of Broadway and Hollywood .1 Sondheim arguably chose the best-known and the least-known members of the Big Six, and it happens that he, Gershwin, and Arlen share some unusual traits, including a few “possibles” (Arlen’s word) for future stage works. Sondheim’s choice also raises questions about the differences among the three, differences that, upon examination, may not separate them as much as ‹rst glance would suggest. I cannot hope to talk about all of the show, ‹lm, and independent songs that the Big Six introduced to the world. Instead, I will steer my remarks toward some of the Broadway shows and revivals that appeared from Sondheim’s youth to his ‹rst professional Broadway shows in the late 1950s. (See table 1.) Such a focus serves a number of purposes. First, it shows that the Big Six ruled Broadway during this time when Sondheim was developing his creative skills. Even though one of them, Gershwin, died in 1937 and another, Kern, died in 1945, every year between 1935 and 1959, save for 1956, has at least one show that was composed by a member of the Big Six. Other older composers occasionally emerged from the shadows of time and newer composers began to assert themselves, but the Big Six remained unrivaled. Second, a narrower swath of time—1944 to 1948—witnessed the premieres of some of the ‹nest Broadway scores of the living members of the Big Six. Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun and Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate are universally held to represent the pinnacles of these two men’s Broadway efforts, and Rodgers considered Carousel his favorite, with its score Table 1. A Selective List of Broadway Shows, 1935–59 Year Show Composer/Lyricist 1935 Porgy and Bess George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin Jubilee Cole Porter/Porter Jumbo Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart 1936 On Your Toes Rodgers/Hart The White Horse Inn Ralph Benatzky/Benatzky Red, Hot and Blue! Porter/Porter 1937 Babes in Arms Rodgers/Hart I’d Rather Be Right Rodgers/Hart Pins and Needles Harold Rome/Rome Hooray for What! Harold Arlen/E. Y. Harburg 1938 The Cradle Will Rock Marc Blitzstein/Blitzstein I Married an Angel Rodgers/Hart You Never Know Porter/Porter Knickerbocker Holiday Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson Leave It to Me Porter/Porter The Boys from Syracuse Rodgers/Hart 1939 Too Many Girls Rodgers/Hart Very Warm for May Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II DuBarry Was a Lady Porter/Porter 1940 Higher and Higher Rodgers/Hart Louisiana Purchase Irving Berlin/Berlin Hold on to Your Hats Burton Lane/Harburg Cabin in the Sky Vernon Duke/John LaTouche Panama Hattie Porter/Porter Pal Joey Rodgers/Hart 1941 Lady in the Dark Weill/I. Gershwin Best Foot Forward Hugh Martin/Ralph Blane Let’s Face It Porter/Porter 1942 Porgy and Bess (revival) G. Gershwin/Heyward and I. Gershwin By Jupiter Rodgers/Hart This Is the Army Berlin/Berlin 1943 Something for the Boys Porter/Porter Oklahoma! Rodgers/Hammerstein One Touch of Venus Weill/Ogden Nash A Connecticut Yankee Rodgers/Hart (revival) Carmen Jones Georges Bizet/Hammerstein 1944 Mexican Hayride Porter/Porter Follow the Girls Phil Charig/Dan Shapiro and Milton Pascal Song of Norway Edvard Grieg/Robert Wright and George Forrest Bloomer Girl Arlen/Harburg The Seven Lively Arts Porter (incl. Stravinsky’s Scènes de Ballet)/Porter On the Town Leonard Bernstein/Betty Comden and Adolph Green 1945 Up in Central Park Sigmund Romberg/Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields Table 1. Continued Year Show Composer/Lyricist Carousel Rodgers/Hammerstein The Red Mill (revival) Victor Herbert/Henry Blossom The Day before Spring Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner Billion Dollar Baby Morton Gould/Comden and Green 1946 Show Boat (revival) Kern/Hammerstein St. Louis Woman Arlen/Johnny Mercer Call Me Mister Rome/Rome Annie Get Your Gun Berlin/Berlin Around the World Porter/Porter Beggar’s Holiday Duke Ellington/LaTouche 1947 Street Scene Weill/Langston Hughes Finian’s Rainbow Lane/Harburg and Fred Saidy Brigadoon...