August 2007
"Which Comes First...?"
When discussing
songwriters, the inevitable question is always “which comes first, the music or
the lyrics?”, to which Richard Rodgers famously replied “the Contract”. And
while Mr. Rodgers' answer may be the reality, there is definitely a wide variety
of work habits among musical theater writers. Let's examine some of the many
ways these writers have created magic…
Richard Rodgers
is our first subject, a man who had new musical scores produced as early as 1919
and as late as 1979. His earliest produced work was FLY WITH ME, a musical he
wrote for Columbia University in collaboration with both Lorenz Hart & Oscar
Hammerstein II. From the early 20's until 1943, Rodgers worked exclusively with
Hart, creating dozens of shows including their first hit “Manhattan” (for the
GARRICK GAIETIES - 1925) to their final revisions of A CONNECTICUT YANKEE in
1943. Rodgers & Hart wrote in different order depending on the song, but as the
relationship waned Rodgers often found himself creating a tune first and then
tracking down Hart to supply a much needed lyric. In Hammerstein, Rodgers found
a much more dependable partner and a dramatist who would often have whole lyrics
created for Rodgers to musicalize. (This was sometimes frustrating for
Hammerstein, for he would spend weeks perfecting a lyric that Rodgers could set
to the perfect tune in mere minutes.) From OKLAHOMA! to THE SOUND OF MUSIC,
Rodgers & Hammerstein created a veritable string of hit shows, with only
ALLEGRO, PIPE DREAM and ME & JULIET being financially unsuccessful.
After the death
of Hammerstein, Rodgers turned to himself as collaborator, writing both music &
lyrics for NO STRINGS, the film remake of STATE FAIR, the TV Musical ANDROCLES &
THE LION and the new songs for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Rodgers
then famously collaborated (and feuded) with lyricist Stephen Sondheim on DO I
HEAR A WALTZ?, worked with lyricist Martin Charnin on TWO BY TWO, wrote with
lyricist Sheldon Harnick on REX and ended his Broadway career with I REMEMBER
MAMA in 1979, featuring lyrics by both Martin Charnin & Raymond Jessel.
The timeless
image of two musical writers hovered around a piano is often mythical, according
to many of the Broadway writers themselves. While the movies loved the scene
where the two writers get inspiration from a ticking clock or a buzzing bee, in
reality there are a lot more processes involved. After finding out what needed
to be created, many writers preferred to go off on their own in private and
return with their contribution, while some preferred the one on one exchange of
ideas. Songwriters Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane each wrote complete songs
separately, which were then combined into one score while longtime collaborators
John Kander & Fred Ebb loved the stimulation and friendship of creating
together, having a free flow of ideas that was always fun, even if the early
drafts wound up in the trash can. Some teams even had three players, like the
hit writing team of the twenties & thirties - Buddy DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray
Henderson.
Some teams break
up after a while, with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice being a famous example,
both moving on to other collaborations after such hits as JESUS CHRIST
SUPERSTAR, JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and EVITA. Jerry Bock &
Sheldon Harnick created musical theater magic with their scores to FIORELLO,
TENDERLOIN, SHE LOVES ME, THE APPLE TREE and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, but after
their collaboration on THE ROTHSCHILDS they went their separate ways. Alan Jay
Lerner did his best writing when paired with composer Frederick Loewe, but
during & after Loewe's many “retirements” Lerner continued to work with other
composers such as Burton Lane, Charles Strouse, John Barry and Leonard
Bernstein. Reportedly it was Lerner's legendary procrastination that caused
Richard Rodgers to cease his tentative partnership with Lerner on a project
entitled I PICKED A DAISY, later to be reworked with Burton Lane as ON A CLEAR
DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER. (Interestingly, Rodgers also tried his hand at
musicalizing PYGMALION with Hammerstein, but after months of work, they gave up,
claiming the characters just didn't “sing”.)
Betty Comden &
Adolph Green were unique in the fact that they co-wrote lyrics and books,
something that was not common among writers. They each contributed their own
knowledge to the project and were great friends in their collaboration, allowing
them to write with a long string of composers including Leonard Bernstein, Jule
Styne, Morton Gould, Cy Coleman and Strouse & Adams.
Stephen Sondheim & lyricist James Lapine
Source:
PBS.org |
Some composers
preferred to be their own collaborator, writing both music and lyrics for their
shows. Cole Porter was always his own co-writer, creating both music and lyrics
to such shows as ANYTHING GOES, KISS ME KATE and CAN-CAN. Frank Loesser wrote
with collaborators in his pop music days, but on Broadway he supplied both music
& lyrics to such scores as WHERE'S CHARLEY?, GUYS & DOLLS, GREENWILLOW, and HOW
TO SUCCEED… Jerry Herman has always contributed both as well, from his early
revue days on through to hits like MAME, HELLO DOLLY! and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES,
while his contemporary Stephen Sondheim got his first breaks as a lyricist and
then moved on to being the sole musical writer on such shows as FOLLIES, PASSION
and INTO THE WOODS. Maury Yeston has been his own co-writer for years, supplying
scores to shows like NINE and TITANIC while Stephen Schwartz has moved back and
forth depending on the project, sometimes composer/lyricist (PIPPIN, WICKED),
sometimes just lyrics. Today writers like Adam Guettel (grandson of Richard
Rodgers), Jason Robert Brown, Michael John LaChiusa and Andrew Lippa create new
works sans collaborators.
For THE MYSTERY
OF EDWIN DROOD creator Rupert Holmes wrote book, music, lyrics AND
orchestrations, a daunting task he said he would never repeat.
Irving Berlin in the film "This Is The Army"
Source:
Rutgers.edu |
Throughout is
sixty plus years in the theater Irving Berlin wrote both music & lyrics, even
though he could not formally read or write music and could only play on the
black keys of the piano. Writer Bob Merrill, a popular lyricist in pop music and
on Broadway, also wrote the music to such shows as NEW GIRL IN TOWN, TAKE ME
ALONG, CARNIVAL even though he allegedly created the tunes on a toy xylophone.
To create the songs for his films and stage shows, Mel Brooks sings it all into
a tape recorder and depends upon the musical director, orchestrator and arranger
to create the finished product.
So, is there a
tried and true formula for success in the musical theater? The answer seems to
be a resounding NO.
Charles Strouse
had great success with Lee Adams on many of their projects (BYE BYE BIRDIE,
APPLAUSE) and great failure as well (ALL AMERICAN, SUPERMAN). He moved on to
other collaborators and found his greatest hit (ANNIE with Martin Charnin) and a
long, long string of flops such as DANCE A LITTLE CLOSER (with Alan Jay Lerner)
, RAGS (with Stephen Schwartz), and NICK & NORA (with Richard Maltby, Jr.).
Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens have created great scores with their partnership,
often garnering critical acclaim, but have yet to create a true blockbuster
musical success. Yet their shows like ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, RAGTIME, A MAN OF NO
IMPORTANCE, DESSA ROSE, and MY FAVORITE YEAR contain some of the greatest
musical theater writing of the past decades.
Perhaps it's the
volatile nature of the business that keeps us guessing which shows will make it
big. Could anyone have known that MAMMA MIA would be the international sensation
it has become, a show with a totally recycled songbook? And who could predict
that the Encores concert version of CHICAGO would run over 11 years on Broadway,
besting the original run three times over? Perhaps Mr. Rodgers was right in his
assessment that the contract is the key ingredient to the collaboration? But
sometimes the optimist in me wants to see those two writers locked in a dusty
room with an old out of tune upright piano, searching for the right word or
musical hook to create the next big hit.
What rhymes with
June & moon?
