Leonard Bernstein was the quintessential American musician. Through his careers as conductor, pianist, teacher and television personality he became known across the US and the world, his flamboyance and theatricality making him a favourite with audiences, if not with critics. However, he is perhaps best remembered as a composer, particularly of the musical West Side Story, and for songs such as 'America', 'Tonight' and 'Somewhere'. Dr Helen Smith takes an in-depth look at all eight of Bernstein's musical theatre works, from the early On the Town written by the 26-year-old composer at the start of his career, to his second and last opera A Quiet Place in 1983; in between these two pieces he composed music for Trouble in Tahiti, Wonderful Town, Candide, West Side Story, Mass and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. These works are analysed and considered against a background of musical and social context, as well as looking at Bernstein's other orchestral, choral and chamber works. One important aspect examined is Bernstein's use of motifs in his theatre compositions, which takes them out of the realms of Broadway and into the sphere of symphonic writing. Smith provides an indispensable overview of the musical theatre works of an eclectic composer, and shows what it is that constitutes the Bernstein 'sound'.
Author(s): Helen Smith
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 313
Cover
Half Title
Dedication
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Music Examples
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1: On the Town
2: Trouble in Tahiti
3: Wonderful Town
4: Candide
5: West Side Story
6: Mass
7: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
8: A Quiet Place
Conclusion
Bibliography
Leonard Bernstein Pieces Index
General Index
