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ABOUT MUSICALSCHWARTZ.COM

Greetings. Since May, 2000, I have been collecting information and resources for fans, performers, directors, and anyone interested in Schwartz's work. I've posted it here at MusicalSchwartz.com, a fan site for this award-winning songwriter. If you want help finding information about Godspell, Pippin, Wicked, or any of other many Schwartz musicals, please feel free email me at carol@musicalschwartz.com but be sure to put the word "COMMENT" or "QUESTION" in the subject line of your email so that I'll notice it. (If you don't hear from me, try again).

-- Carol de Giere, website publisher and author of Defying Gravity

An Introduction to Stephen Schwartz

With a career in the theater lasting over forty years thus far, Stephen Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) can be considered the most successful American musical theater composer of his generation. Other steller songwriters or songwriting teams for Broadway came before him, such as Cy Coleman, Kander & Ebb, Jerry Herman, Schmidt & Jones, and Stephen Sondheim (whose longest running show – Forum – opened in 1962). Younger songwriters rose to success after him: Jonathan Larson (Rent), Marc Shaiman (Hairspray), Ahrens and Flaherty (Ragtime).

Schwartz's notable peers include Alan Menken and Marvin Hamlisch. Alan Menken, born in 1949, has primarily focused on Disney films. Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line), four years older than Schwartz, also has his longest list of credits in film.

Schwartz's musical hits include:

• Godspell, which opened in 1971. It ran 2,124 performance off-Broadway and 527 performances on Broadway.
• Pippin, which opened on Broadway in 1972 and The Magic Show in 1974. Both ran for over 1900 performances.
• Wicked, which has has run well over 2000, a longer run than hits like Oklahoma! and Annie.

Schwartz is the only songwriter with three Broadway shows running more than 1900 performances on Broadway.

One of the major factors in his appeal is the accessibility of his music.

Theatre writer Stanley Green, in his book The World of Musical Comedy, says of Schwartz: "What the composer has brought to the theater is a modern, youthful, crisp sound, primarily influenced by rock but also endowed with sensitivity and melodic grace."

Wicked Producer Marc Platt became a fan of Schwartz's music while performed in Godspell in college. He is quoted in Defying Gravity as commenting on the accessibility. "The wonderful thing about music is that it has no filter for people. Music seeps into you somehow. And Stephen's music, however you want to label it, is music that people love. It is emotional music and it wears its emotion on its sleeve."

Schwartz also stands out as one of the few who has worked as a composer-lyricist, a lyricist (for Disney and Dreamworks films, Bernstein's Mass and other projects), and as a composer.

Stephen Schwartz BIO

Note that his name is correctly spelled Stephen Schwartz, not Steven Schwartz, although in his earlier years he was called "Steve Schwartz."

Songwriter extraordinaire, Stephen Lawrence Schwartz was born in 1948 in New York City. He grew up on Long Island in Roslyn Heights, NY. As a child he auditioned for the Juilliard School of Music's preparatory division piano and composition lessons, and was admitted. He studied there on weekends for four years. Not destined to be a piano prodigy, he loved to improvise his own songs even from an early age. He attended Carnegie Mellon Unversity where he received a BFA in drama in 1968. While at Carnegie, he co-wrote four musicals for the extracurricular Scotch 'n' Soda club that were produced in the spring, including Pippin, Pippin, an early version of his future hit musical Pippin.

After finding an agent, Shirley Bernstein, Stephen Schwartz started his career in 1969 by writing a song for Butterfies Are Free. In 1971, he wrote music and new lyrics for Godspell. Next came his music and lyrics for Pippin and The Magic Show. When Godspell moved from off-Broadway to Broadway in 1976, Schwartz then had three successful shows running on Broadway at the same time.

Schwartz's songs on the cast albums for The Baker's Wife helped keep the show in motion ever since it failed to reach Broadway in 1976. Children of Eden is his second most popular show for regional theatres. He co-adapted Working and wrote lyrics for Rags before transferring some of his creative energy to Hollywood.

Stephen Schwartz wrote lyrics for the film scores for Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, songs for The Prince of Egypt.

Schwartz's musical Wicked is a hit on Broadway, on tour, in Chicago, in London, Los Angeles, and Japan Read all about Wicked.

In 2006, Schwartz worked in collaboration with Alan Menken for Enchanted. Disney's Enchanted, and he completed Geppetto and Son, a stage version of his Disney TV movie Geppetto. He is now writing an opera to be performed in 2009. Schwartz's opera project.

Other work includes songs for a Hans Christian Anderson celebration--a musical called My Fairy Tale, and more: See More Schwartz songs. His family musical, Captain Louie ran twice Off-Broadway, toured the USA, and is now being made available for local groups to perform.

He lives in Connecticut with his wife Carole Schwartz, and has two grown children, Jessica Schwartz and Scott Schwartz.

STAY INFORMED: Don't miss free newsletter/e-zine: The Schwartz Scene

People Pages

WICKED: Stephen Schwartz + Winnie Holzman + Gregory Maguire 1, Maguire p. 2 + Kristin Chenoweth + Idina Menzel + Joel Grey + Norbert Leo Butz

Selected artists - some pages include interviews: John Barr-- Norbert Leo Butz -- John Bucchino --Liz Callaway -- Kristin Chenoweth-- Scott Coulter -- Debbie Gravitte -- Joel Grey -- Kevin Koelble -- Idina Menzel -- James Taylor -- Lynne Thigpen -- Ben Vereen

Visit the official Stephen Schwartz site at StephenSchwartz.com [new browser window]

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More Songs by Stephen Schwartz

Albums: Reluctant Pilgrim, Uncharted Territory,

Songs: Butterflies are Free theme song, Life with Mikey "Cold Enough to Snow" (lyrics) (on Uncharted Territory, Personals (Music for several songs), A My Name is Still Alice (one song), "Manchild Lullaby" (music), and "Rewriting History" (music) See recordings list.

Features of this independent Web site include:

Stephen Schwartz bio, awards, Schwartz interviews, and all about his musicals

• lists of recordings and videos
• links to useful sites
• licensing information
• sheet music sources
• contributed pages with photos, reviews, etc.

Email Feedback or Questions

ABOUT STEPHEN'S MUSIC: David Gauci, a Cabaret performer in Australia who helped create a Stephen Schwartz show, praises the range of Stephen's music. "While most cabaret performers cram their shows with Sondheim songs, which challenge your brain, Stephen Schwartz' songs feature powerful lyrics with strong and memorable melodies that directly engage your heart. His music crosses many styles, from traditional Broadway foot-tappers to tender ballads and contemporary pop, drawing on universal themes that make you smile, cry and laugh."

About Wicked

From Noah B. of Oregon: For me, Wicked has been an incredibly eye-opening musical. I have felt so many of the songs impact me in an emotional profoundness I never expected. I can feel Elphaba's excitement in the prospect of acceptance in "The Wizard and I", I can tap into my own formula for sociability while singing "Popular" with Galinda, I can feel the liberty of Elphie's first flight in "Defying Gravity", and I can cry with the agony of separation in "For Good".

All in all, Stephen Schwartz's music has become a frame to the world I look at daily, giving everything an accent of beauty, poignancy, and just a little bit of beautiful, green-tinted, enchantment.

A truly astounding musical, Wicked will always hold a special place in my heart.