Born on March 22, 1930, in New York City, to Herbert and Janet “Foxy” Sondheim, Steven’s first taste of music came from his father who played show tunes in the family apartment on Central Park West. His parents were wealthy and he was an only child. Although one might think that given this situation he would have been a spoiled child, quite the opposite was true. His childhood has been described as one of isolation and emotional neglect. He was ten years old when his father abandoned the family and he and his mother relocated to rural Pennsylvania.
Although his mother had been brought up in an Orthodox Jewish family, Steven received no religious training whatsoever and in his own words, did not set foot in a synagogue until he was 19 years of age. His mother was narcissistic and abusive, and after the absence of her husband, became sexually predatory towards her son. The one stable element in his childhood was his friendship with Jamie Hammerstein, who happened to be the son of Oscar Hammerstein. This fortuitous friendship would help him greatly, as the elder Hammerstein became a father surrogate, mentor and friend.
When he was 15, Steven wrote his first musical, “By George.” The elder Hammerstein recognized his talent and offered to teach him the art of musical composition. Sondheim began his training by writing four shows based on material selected by Hammerstein. Afterwards, he entered Williams College and after graduating in 1950, was awarded a fellowship to study with composer, Milton Babbit. He then traveled to Hollywood where he landed a job writing scripts for the television show, “Topper.” In 1955, he became a co-lyricist with Leonard Bernstein on “West Side Story.” He was 27 years old when the show premiered on Broadway.
In 1958, he became the lyricist for the musical, “Gypsy,” which starred Ethel Merman. In 1962, he composed and wrote the lyrics for “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to The Forum”, which scored 964 performances. His next hit was “Company” in 1970 followed by a reign on Broadway that featured such musicals as “Follies” (1971), “A Little Night Music,” (1973), ”Sweeney Todd,” (1979), “Sunday In The Park With George” (1984) and “Into The Woods” (1987).
Sondheim’s work is daring, witty and innovative, and it has been rewarded with seven Tony Awards, an Oscar and a Pulitzer Prize.
What are some of YOUR favorite Sondheim tunes? Please share.