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Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers Revised Edition
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.
- ISBN-100195125991
- ISBN-13978-0195125993
- EditionRevised
- PublisherOxford University Press
- Publication dateDecember 16, 1999
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions10.1 x 1.9 x 7.1 inches
- Print length608 pages
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- Publisher : Oxford University Press; Revised edition (December 16, 1999)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 608 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0195125991
- ISBN-13 : 978-0195125993
- Lexile measure : 1180L
- Item Weight : 2.78 pounds
- Dimensions : 10.1 x 1.9 x 7.1 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #8,449,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,441 in Musicals (Books)
- #7,252 in Music Encyclopedias
- #7,338 in Popular Music (Books)
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The third edition of his <Show Tunes> (Oxford University Press, 2000) is an encyclopedia of facts about the composers of the shows dealt with in the other volumes. The organization is like this. After several introductory pages, we are given facts about the composers of the early years from Jerome Kern to Harold Rome, new composers of the 40s and 50s, and those of the 60s and beyond. Having dealt with what Suskin considers (mostly rightly) to be the major composers, he then devotes the fourth part of the volume to "Notable scores by other composers": "Irene," "Shuffle Along," "Hair," and so on up to "Parade."
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.
btw, highly recommended: suskin's bi-weekly review of new recording....
for fans of show music, this is a MUST HAVE.