Stephen Sondheim

This volume tells the complete story of Sondheim's remarkable career - from his earliest days under the wing of Oscar Hammerstein II, through his latest controversial musical, "Assassins". In between is Sondheim's brilliant but largely unheralded work as a lyric writer for Leonard Bernstein (in "West Side Story") and Jule Styne (in "Gypsy"), his first experience writing both music and lyrics (for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum") and the legendary collaborations with producer Harold Prince. Author Martin Gottfried's narrative overview of Sondheim's life and his analysis of the music and lyrics are enhanced by numerous quotations from the composer/lyricist himself.