Sondheim said that, instead, his collected books of lyrics, Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made a Hat, take that place in his œuvre.īy including annotations about his lyrics and sidebars on other lyricists, those books offer a full curriculum both on the history and the process of making musical theatre. Sondheim never wrote an autobiography, although Meryle Secrest wrote an excellent ‘authorised’ biography in 1998. He taught that detail is important, that without the fundamental hard work that leads to craft, the results are meaningless, and that half rhymes don’t cut it. And then not just in their subject matter, but also in the very fabric of the music and lyrics. While he did teach in the literal sense, giving masterclasses and talks and interviews on his work, he also taught through his songs themselves. In reflecting on Sondheim these past few days, seeing all the beautiful tributes coming in from all corners and all generations of the theatre world, I came to realise that he was, above all, a teacher. Just before he died in 1960, the great lyricist inscribed a picture for Sondheim, ‘For Stevie, my friend and teacher’. The great lyricist Stephen Sondheim was not just an observer of New York's cultural scene of the 20th Century but an active participant, writes Gregory Camp.Ĭomment: One of the anecdotes Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) was most fond of telling was his last encounter with his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II. Arts Stephen Sondheim: teacher of art and life
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