Modern Composers Flashcards
When was Cy Colman born?
June 14th, 1929
Where was Cy Colman born?
Bronx of New York, New York
When did Cy Colman start his career?
Age 9
When did Cy Colman die?
November 18th, 2004
What was Cy Colman’s first major musical?
“Wildcat”
When did Cy Colman compose “Wildcat”?
1962
Where did Cy Colman study?
The High School of Music and Art and New York College of Music
What famous places did Cy Colman play piano?
Town Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Skinway Hall
What were Cy Colman’s best works?
“Will Rodger’s Follies”, “Wildcat”, “City of Angels”, “Sweet Charity”, “Little Me”, “On the Twentieth Century”, “Barnum”, “I Love My Wife”, and “The Life”
When was the “City of Angels” composed?
1990
What awards did Cy Colman receive for “City of Angels” and “Will Rodger’s Follies”?
Tonys for Best Musical and Best Original Score two years in a row
When was “Will Rodger’s Follies” composed?
1991
What was Cy Colman’s writing style?
Jazzy with upbeat songs
When was Charles Strouse born?
July 2nd, 1928
Where was Charles Strouse born?
New York
Who were Charles Strouse’s parents?
Ethel and Ira Strouse
Where did Charles Strouse’s parents work?
In the tobacco industry
When did Charles Strouse take piano lessons?
Age 10
What were some of Charles Strouse’s most famous musicals?
“Annie”, “Bye Bye Birdy”, and “Applause”
What was Charles Strouse’s writing style?
He took unassuming subjects with a raw and realistic attitude
When was Claude-Michael Schoenburg born?
July 6th, 1944
Where was Claude-Michael Schoenburg born?
Vannes, France
What was Claude-Michael Schoenburg’s father’s job?
He was an organ repairer
What was Claude-Michael Schoenburg’s mother’s job?
She was a piano tutor
Who did Claude-Michael Schoenburg collaborate with?
A lyricist by the name of Alain Boubili
When did Claude-Micahel Schoenburg and Alain Boubili first team up? Why?
1973; to write La Revoultion Française
What musical did Alain Boubili and Claude-Michael Schoenburg team up to make in 1978?
Les Miserables
When did Les Mis open?
1980
Where did Les Mis first open?
Paris
What award did Les Mis win?
A Tony Award for Best Musical Score
When was the movie based on Les Mis released?
2012
When was Stephen Sondheim born?
March 22nd, 1930
Is Stephen Sondheim still alive?
Yes
Where was Stephen Sondheim born?
New York City
When did Stephen Sondheim’s father leave him?
Age 10
What did Stephen Sondheim’s mother do to him after his father left?
She emotionally abused him
What awards did Stephen Sondheim win?
An Academy Award, 8 Tony Awards, a special Toby for Lifetime Achievement, a Pulitzer Prize, and a Laurence Oliver Award
Who was Stephen Sondheim’s mentor?
Oscar Hammerstien
What were Stephen Sondheim’s best known musicals?
The lyrics for “West Side Story”, lyrics for “Gypsy”, score for “Company”, score for “A Little Night Music”, score for “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” and the score for “Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
When did “West Side Story” come out?
1957
When did “Gypsy” come out?
1959
When did “Company” come out?
1970
When did “A Little Night Music” come out?
1973
When did “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” come out?
1962
When did “Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” come out?
1979
What was Stephen Sondheim’s writing style?
Very tonal despite frequent dissonance
What are polyphonies?
Multiple melodies
Who influenced Stephen Sondhiem?
Bach
When was Stephen Schwartz born?
March 6th, 1948
Where did Stephen Schwartz study?
Juliard School as well as Carnegie Mellon School
When was Stephen Schwartz inducted and the American Theatre Hall of Fame?
2000
How long was Stephen Schwartz President of the Dramatists Guild of America?
From 2009 to 2014
Ended Stephen Schwartz receive the Isabelle Stevenson award?
2015
What was Godspell based on?
It was based off of parables in the Bible
When did “Godspell” come out?
1971
What is “Pippin” about?
And acting troupe telling the story of Pippin, the son of Charlemagne
When did “Pippin” come out?
1972
What was “Working” about?
It was a musical about the lives of ordinary everyday people and their jobs
When did “Working” come out?
1978
What is “Wicked” about?
It takes place in Oz from the witches’ perspective
When did “Wicked” come out?
2003
Who did Stephen Schwartz collaborate with?
Leonard Bernstein
What did Stephen Schwartz and Leonard Bernstein create together?
The Bernstein Mass
When was Andrew Lloyd Webber born?
Arch 22nd, 1948
Where was Andrew Lloyd Webber born?
Kensington, London, England
At what age did Andrew Lloyd Webber right a suit of six pieces?
Age 9
What was Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1965?
He was a Queen’s scholar at Westminster school and studied history for a term at Magdalen College, Oxford
When was Andrew Lloyd Webber knighted?
1992
When did Andrew Lloyd Webber set up the Andrew Lloyd Webber foundation?
1992
Stephen Schwartz composed how many musicals?
Over 20
When did “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat” come out?
1970
When did “Cats” come out?
1981
When did “The Phantom of the Opera” come out?
1986
When did the “Wizard of Oz” come out?
2011
What is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s writing style?
Whimsical, soothing, and thoughtful
When was Marvin Hamlisch born?
June 2nd 1944
What is Marvin Hamilsch’s full name?
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch
When did Marvin Hamlisch die?
August 6th, 2012
At what age did Marvin Hamlisch die?
68
When did Marvin Hamlisch start learning piano?
Age 5
When and where did Marvin Hamlisch go to school?
1951; Juliard School Pre-College Edition
What was Marvin Hamlisch’s first job?
He was a rehearsal pianist for Barbra Streisand in “Funny Girl”
Who did Marvin Hamlisch work with?
Groucho Marx
What is significant about the awards he won?
He has won all four major performing arts awards an he is one of two people to have won those as well as a Pulitzer Prize
What are some other awards Marvin Hamlisch has won?
Academy Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Golden Globes, etc.
What musicals are Marvin Hamlisch best known for?
“A Chorus Line” and “They’re Playing Our Song”
When did “A Chorus Line” come out?
1973
When did “They’re Playing Our Song” come out?
1978
What are some more musicals Marvin Hamlisch created?
“Seesaw”, “Jean Seberg”, “Smile”, “The Goodbye Girl”, “Sweet Smell of Success”, “Imaginary Friends”, and “Nutty Professors”
When did “Seesaw” come out?
1973
When did “Jean Senberg” come out?
1983
When did “Smile” come out?
1986
When did “The Goodbye Girl” come out?
1993
When did “Sweet Smell of Success” come out?
2002
When did “Imaginary Friends” come out?
2002
When did “Nutty Professor” come out?
2012
When was Jonathan Larson born?
February 4th, 1960
When did Jonathan Larson die?
January 25th, 1996
Where was Jonathan Larson born?
Mount Vernon, New York
Where did Jonathan Larson grow up?
White Plains, New York
Where did Jonathan Larson begin writing musicals?
Alephi University
What was Cy Colman’s birth name?
Seymour Kaufman
When did Jonathan Larson graduate from Adelphi University?
1988
Where did Jonathan Larson move after graduating?
East Village neighbourhood of Manhattan
What were Jonathan Larson’s best known musicals?
“RENT” and “Tick…Tick…Boom”
What awards did Jonathan Larson win?
Pulitzer Prize for Drama for “RENT”, Tony Award for Best Musical for “RENT”, Tony Award for Best Book for “RENT”, Tony Award for Best Score for “RENT”, Drama Desk for Outstanding Musical for “RENT”, and Drama Desk for Outstanding Book for “RENT”
When did Jonathan Larson win his awards for “RENT”.
1996
What controversial topics did Jonathan Larson explore in his musicals?
Multiculturalism, addiction, and homophobia
How did Jonathan Larson affect Broadway?
He changed musicals from being uninspired to timely and meaningful
Who was Jonathan Larson’s biggest influence?
Stephen Sondheim
When was Alan Menken born?
July 22nd, 1949
Where was Alan Menken born?
New Rochelle, New York
Who were Alan Menken’s parents?
Norman and Judy Menken
What instruments did Alan Menken study?
Piano and violin
What university did Alan Menken attend?
New York University
What did Alan Menken major in?
Music but he explored a variety of different ones
Who did Alan Menken compose Beauty and the Beast with?
Ashman
Who composed “Little Shop of Horrors”?
Alan Menken
When did “Little Shop of Horrors” premiere off Broadway?
1982
What is Alan Menken most well known for?
Disney
What awards did Alan Menken win?
Oscar for Best Song for “Under the Sea” from “Little Mermaid” and an Oscar for Best Score for the same musical
How did Howard Ashman die?
AIDS
At what age did Howard Ashman die?
40
When did Howard Ashman die?
March 14th, 1991
Who made “Newsies”?
Alan Menken
