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 | | Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers by Steven Suskin ISBN-10: 0195125991 ISBN-10: 0-19-512599-1 ISBN-13: 9780195125993 ISBN-13: 978-0-19-512599-3 Hardcover 1999-12-16 Oxford University Press, USA Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description This majestic reference book fully chronicles the shows, songs, and careers of the major composers of the American musical theater, from Jerome Kern's earliest interpolations to the latest hits on Broadway. Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter, Berlin, Bernstein, Loesser, Sondheim, Kander, Finn, Flaherty, and more--this book covers their work, their innovations, their successes, and their failures. Show Tunes is simply the most comprehensive volume of its kind ever produced, and this newly revised and updated edition discusses over 900 shows and almost 8,000 show tunes. The book has been called "a concise skeleton key to the Broadway musical" (Variety) and "a ground-breaking reference work with a difference" (Show Music)--or, as the Washington Post observed, "It makes you sing and dance all over your memory." The eagerly anticipated Third Edition, updated through January 1999, features the entire theatrical output of thirty-six of Broadway's leading composers, in addition to a wide selection of work by other composers. The listings include essential production data and statistics, the most extensive information available on published and recorded songs, and lively commentary on the shows, songs, and diverse careers. Based on meticulous research, the book also uncovers dozens of lost musicals--including shows that either closed out of town or were never headed for Broadway--and catalogs hundreds of previously unknown songs, including a number of musical gems that have been misplaced, cut, or forgotten. The book also includes a detailed chronology of the musicals and a show-by-show guide to the careers of Broadway's most important lyricists, librettists, producers, directors, and choreographers. Informative, insightful, and provocative, Show Tunes is an essential guide for anyone interested in the American musical. | ||
Reviews | ||
suskin does it again! for fans of the broadway musical, steven suskin's books are indispensable. this time around he manages to explore the full bodies of work of some 36 broadway composers, as well as the work of various "lesser" lights. if you are any kind of fan beyond the most basic, there will be few reference books on the subject you will turn to more often. mine is beside my cd player, as i constantly am cross-referencing. if i can have a complaint, its that the book is too short -- but im sure thats the fault of suskin's publisher, who cant be making a fortune on this book as is. btw, highly recommended: suskin's bi-weekly review of new recording.... for fans of show music, this is a MUST HAVE. | ||
A most valuable reference tool Anyone interested in Broadway lore must own at least three books, all by Steven Suskin. The first is The third edition of his Then comes a feature or two, which to students of the American musical like myself, are almost worth the price of the book alone. There is a year by year listing of all the major Broadway productions from 1904-1998, a list of all people who collaborated on the shows (George Abbott, Guy Bolton, etc.), an index of song titles, and finally an index of show titles. Talk about user friendly! Turning back to the main section and taking Gershwin as an example, Suskin gives us in chronological order facts about each of the shows from 1916 to a 1951 production that used Gershwin's music. For each, he lists all the published songs, indicates which were dropped by opening night, and gives some general comments about the show itself. Then he ends with an evaluation of Gershwin's Broadway output in general. Concise, accurate (as far as I can see), beautifully organized. A real Grabbit. | ||