How did stephen sondheim die

After early practice at songwriting, Stephen Sondheim's knowledge of musical theater was influenced by master lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II , who served as a mentor. Sondheim's contributions to West Side Story and Gypsy in the s brought him recognition as a rising star of Broadway. They divorced in and Sondheim moved to Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with his mother.

Stephen sondheim young

He began studying piano and organ at a young age, and he was already practicing songwriting as a student at the George School. In Pennsylvania, Sondheim became friends with the son of Broadway lyricist and producer Oscar Hammerstein II, who gave the young Sondheim advice and tutelage in musical theater, and served as a surrogate father during a time of tumult.

In his teens, Sondheim had penned a satire about his school, the musical By George! Sondheim also worked as an assistant on 's Allegro , one of Hammerstein's theater collaborations with composer Richard Rodgers , the experience having long-lasting implications on the young composer's approach to his work. Sondheim attended Williams College, where he majored in music.

After graduating from the school in , he studied further with avant-garde composer Milton Babbitt and moved to New York City. An acquaintance with director Arthur Laurents brought Sondheim into contact with composer Leonard Bernstein and choreographer Jerome Robbins , who were looking for a lyricist for a contemporary musical adaptation of William Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet.

Writing the song lyrics for West Side Story , which opened in , Sondheim thus became part of one of Broadway's most successful productions of all time. Sondheim's next theater project was similarly high profile: He teamed up with composer Jule Styne to write the lyrics for Gyps y , which opened in with Ethel Merman as its star. After musical contributions to 's Invitation to a March , Sondheim then wrote both lyrics and music for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , a farce starring Zero Mostel based on comedies by ancient playwright Plautus.

It opened in , ran for nearly 1, performances and won a Tony Award for best musical. Sondheim became known for his witty, conversational lyrics, his seamless merging of words with music and the variety of his source materials. Kaufman and Moss Hart.