Sondheim, Stephen Joshua
[key], 1930–2021, American composer and lyricist, b. New York City.
As a young man, he studied lyric writing with Oscar Hammerstein 2d,
and early in his career he wrote lyrics for Leonard Bernstein's West Side
Story (1957) and collaborated with Jule Styne in the writing of
Gypsy (1959). Later he composed his own music and
lyrics for such musicals as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum (1962), Company (1970),
Follies (1971), A Little Night Music
(1973), Pacific Overtures (1976), Sweeney
Todd (1979), and Merrily We Roll Along (1981).
His later works include Sunday in the Park with George
(1984; Pulitzer Prize), Into the Woods (1987),
Assassins (1991), and Passion (1994).
Widely regarded as the most important figure in the American musical theater
of the late 20th cent., Sondheim expanded the boundaries of lyric writing
and subject matter, introduced complex characters and situations, brought a
mordant wit and sophisticated lyricism to his words and music, and in the
process reinvented the Broadway musical. Sondheim won many awards in his
lifetime, including a Kennedy Center Honor (1993), a Tony Lifetime
Achievement Award (2008), and the Presdiential Medal of Freedom (2015). In
2010, Broadway's Henry Miller Theater was renamed in his honor.
See his collected lyrics (with his commentary), Vol. I (1954–1981), Finishing the Hat (2010) and Vol. II (1981–2011), Look, I Made a Hat (2011); biographies by G. Martin (1993) and M. Secrest (1998); studies by J. Gordon (1990, 1997); E. Mordden, On Sondheim: An Opinionated Guide (2015).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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