West Side Story is a musical with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents. It opened on Broadway in 1957 and had two major revivals, in 1980 and 2009. The plot is based on Romeo and Juliet but transposed to mid-20th century New York City and revolving around rival gangs, the Jets and Sharks. It features famous musical numbers like "Somewhere", "Jet Song", "Tonight", and "America". The 2009 revival incorporated some Spanish dialogue into the English lyrics.
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West Side Story The Musical Essay
West Side Story The Musical
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West Side Story is one of the most influential musicals of all time. It s integration of dance and song into the plot was very innovative, because even though it had been done before, it had never been done this well. Jerome Robbins had thought of an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet to a Broadway musical in 1949. He began discussions with librettist Arthur Laurents and composer Leonard Bernstein of a musical called East Side Story, with a plot concentrating on a Catholic girl and a Jewish boy. Other projects forced the work aside for six years, and when they returned to it, times had changed. Their idea became West Side Story, (another early title was Gangway!) and the Montague Capulet...show more content...The Latin American rhythms gave Bernstein a good musical base to start from, and the whole score benefited from a jazzy Manhattan feel, which had been inherited from Gershwin, as well as Copland s romantic Americana feel. Robbins choice of a cast was very meticulously done. He wanted a real feeling that had never been reached before in Musical history. He wanted actors that were not well known, and that would get his theme of reality across to the audience. During rehearsals he actually separated the Jets and the Sharks and didn t allow them to socialize or even talk to one another. He also didn t allow the actress playing Anybodys to eat lunch with anyone at all. The show opened on Broadway on September 16, 1957. At first, the critics were not able to fully appreciate the magnitude of the achievement, but one critic, Brooks Atkinson wrote that the ballets convey the things that Laurents is inh
Chapter 24Music in AmericaMusical TheaterPop Music .docxcravennichole326
Chapter 24
Music in America:
Musical Theater
Pop Music Forms
OperettaSpoken dialogueLight musical numbersMany dance numbersAmusing, far-fetched plotsPopular on Broadway in 1800s, early 1900s
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Popular OperettasGilbert & Sullivan- The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of PenzanceVictor Herbert- The Serenade, Babes in Toyland, Sweethearts
Musical ComediesPopular theater picked up jazz accentsDemand for up-to-date, American stories and lyricsClosely tied to popular songs of the 1920s and 1930sThose written in Tin Pan Alley: N.Y. based collection of publishing/song writing offices.
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Gershwin’s “Who Cares?” from Of Thee I Sing can be found on the Listen Companion DVD.
George Gershwin (1898 to 1937)Born in New YorkQuit school at 16 to become a song writerBegan writing his own hit songs with brother IraWrote concert works fusing jazz and ClassicalRhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Catfish Row (from Porgy and Bess)Musicals- Strike Up the Band, Girl Crazy, Funny Face, Nice Work If You Can Get It
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The Musical after 1940Plots worked out with more careMusical numbers tied in logicallyRichard Rodgers and Oscar HammersteinOklahoma! (1943); The King and I (1951)
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Leonard Bernstein
(1918–1990)One of America’s most brilliant and versatile musiciansWrote classical symphonies, musicals, and film musicAcclaimed conductor, pianist, and authorWon Grammys, Emmys, and a Tony
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Bernstein, West Side StoryUpdate of Romeo and JulietThe classical reaching out to the popular stylesStephen Sondheim, Jerome RobbinsCombines classical forms and techniques with 1950s jazz styles
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Bernstein’s Thematic TransformationThree-note motive first appears as a cha-chaThen as a slow, questioning motive in the Meeting SceneNext as the motive for “Maria”Finally turns into the intro to “Cool”
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Bernstein’s Thematic Transformation
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West Side Story, “Cool”Big production number of Act IHighly charged, syncopated introRiff sings first two stanzas1950s street dialectDance sequence begins with fugueMusic gets more angry as Jets lose their coolStanza 2 of Riff’s song returns
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Later MusicalsInfluence of rock revolutionHair, Grease, RentConnection to filmShowboat, Rent, West Side Story, Disney’s musicals for filmContinual reinventionInfluence of hip-hop: Hamilton
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Key TermsOperettaMusical comedyMusicals
Chapter 24
Music in America:
Jazz and Beyond
Secular Popular MusicStephen Collins FosterSongs popularized by Christie’s Minstrels“Camptown Races”, “Oh Susanna”Minstrel show: 19thc. variety show in the U.S. performed in blackface John Philip SousaMarine Corps bandmaster, known for marches: “The Stars and Stripes Forever”
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African American MusicBoth parodied and acknowledged by minstrel showsNo one wrote down slaves’ musicCall-and-response procedures:
-Descended from African traditionsSpirituals: religious folk songsEx. Wade in the Water
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RagtimeA precursor of jazzA style of piano playing developed by ...
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