Stephen Schwartz - Broadway and Film Composer and Lyricist
Composer - lyricist for musicals Wicked, Pippin, and more
In Broadway's Gershwin Theatre upstairs lobby, Stephen Schwartz stands beside his name after his induction into the Theatre Hall of Fame, January 25, 2010. Photo by Michael Cole.
Established in 1971, the Theatre Hall of Fame inducts artists from all facets of the theater, including actors, playwrights, designers, directors and producers whose work on Broadway encompasses at least a quarter of a century. The inductees must also have five Broadway credits to their name.
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ON THIS PAGE
- The first authorized book-length Stephen Schwartz biography (career bio) Defying Gravity
- Overview on Stephen Schwartz
- News: Updates
- Stephen Schwartz Interviews and articles
- Stephen Schwartz Bio and awards list | Photos
- Stephen Schwartz Sheet Music
- Stephen Schwartz recordings - CDs
Biography: Defying Gravity: the Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked
Autographed copies of the first authorized career biography on Stephen Schwartz, signed by Schwartz and author Carol de Giere, are available.
To write this book, the author drew from eighty hours of interviews with Schwartz, as well as from over 100 interviews with his colleagues, friends, and family members.
Defying Gravity includes many never-before-told stories and over 200 photographs and illustrations. 544 pages. For more information or to order the book online visit DefyingGravityTheBook.com
Overview: Stephen Schwartz Biography (short list)
Songwriter Stephen Schwartz started his career by writing music and new lyrics for Godspell. Next he wrote 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.
His 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.
He wrote lyrics for the film scores for Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, songs for The Prince of Egypt. He won two Oscars for his work on Pocahontas (including Best Song "Colors of the Wind" and his contribution of lyrics to the score) and one for The Prince of Egypt's song "When You Believe."
Schwartz's musical Wicked is a hit on Broadway, on tour, in San Francisco, Japan, UK, and Australia. Read all about Wicked. While working on Wicked, he wrote what he believes is one of his best songs, "For Good", a piece that is now often used for graduations, memorial services, and friendship-related events.
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.
Stephen Schwartz lives in Connecticut and has an office/studio/city apartment in Midtown Manhattan. He spends much of his time traveling for theatre activities, composing, conducting ASCAP workshops, giving concerts, and playing tennis.
Stephen Schwartz Family Life: Mr. Schwartz is married to Carole Schwartz. They have two children, director Scott Schwartz and art teacher Jessica Schwartz. The photo above is by Terry de Giere.
On March 19, 2009, it was announced that Stephen Schwartz has become the president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the national association of playwrights, composers and lyricists. He is also Artistic Director of ASCAP musical theatre workshops.
His credits include: Three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and four Drama Desk Awards. Explore this independent site full of details about Schwartz musicals and write to me if you can't find what you're looking for. Contact info .
Stephen Schwartz News; Meet Stephen Schwartz
MusicalSchwartz.com's free email newsletter The Schwartz Scene offers quarterly updates written by Stephen Schwartz about his activities, plus much more. Back issues are available by email for subscribers.
For more news about Schwartz musicals and Stephen Schwartz's activities, be sure to check the news. Stephen Schwartz is usually happy to autograph programs or CDs after his concerts or other appearances. www.musicalschwartz.com/news.htm - Also see podcasts and blog notes at TheSchwartzScene.com/blog
Meet Schwartz online: Visit his official site stephenschwartz.com [new browser window] (opens new browser window)
Stephen Schwartz Interviews and Articles
movie documentary --ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway--features Wicked and Stephen Schwartz. Visit: Wicked in ShowBusiness for photographs, details, and ordering information.
KENNEDY CENTER INTERVIEW SESSIONS WITH STEPHEN SCHWARTZ Video Clips
The Kennedy Center site has clips from a May 1st interview to adults. http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/plus/plusonline/2006_schwartz.htmlf
An Evening With Stephen Schwartz at the Kennedy Center is also available as a podcast. itunes podcast - Schwartz
For a detailed article about Stephen's career (several pages long) see Stephen Schwartz Career article on this site, used with permission of Cabaret Scenes magazine. It includes photos. The article begins: The career of Stephen Schwartz took off almost from the moment the composer/ lyricist was graduated in 1968 from Carnegie Mellon University. In 1969, he wrote the title song for the Broadway comedy Butterflies Are Free, which then was turned into a Columbia film. It might even be fair to say his star was in its ascendancy even before he was graduated, since Pippin, a musical he wrote for the college theatrical society, would hit Broadway big time just a few years late....
Stephen Schwartz's musical influences - What musical influences have helped inspire Schwartz's style? See this article about his history and musical loves based on Carol de Giere's interviews with the composer.
Stephen Schwartz Cut Songs - Stephen calls his cut songs "Murdered Darlings" or Orphans - songs that didn't fit in musicals. Based on Carol de Giere's interviews with the composer.
The Music of Godspell - Includes material from a group interview conducted by Carol de Giere and several musicians, June 2005
Wicked's musical Themes - Includes material from a group interview conducted by Carol de Giere and several musicians, from October 2004
If you are a composer, lyricist, book writer, or in any way involved in writing musicals, see Stephen Schwartz's writing tips on our sister site http://www.musicalwriters.com in the Writing Tips section.
Special feature of Musicalschwartz.com: Stephen Schwartz on Songwriting.
Interview on Talkinbroadway.com - covering Captain Louie, Baker's Wife, and Wicked 5-6-05
Q and A with fans on Broadway.com
Schwartz, Wicked, Maguire on NPR site [new browser window]
Wicked-related Schwartz interview in Baltimore Sun Published in 2007.
http://www.artspass.com/ offers WICKED interviews with Stephen Schwartz and others.
Schwartz at Chatterbox: Stephen Schwartz was the featured guest for a talk show called Seth's Broadway Chatterbox at Don't Tell Mama on Feb 26th, 2004. Videotapes of Chatterbox programs are available, with profits going to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. For mail order visit www.sethsbroadwaychatterbox.com - mail order form....
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
Interview: Enjoy this wonderful, long interview of Stephen by Jem Aswad
ascap.com link
An answer to most frequently asked question: Which comes first, music or lyrics:
"Many people often ask whether music or lyrics come first in writing a song, but if I'm doing both words and music, the answer is that I take the path of least resistance. That can mean either music first, or part of a lyric, or an accompaniment figure. In almost every case, though, I like to start with a title -- not always, but usually -- because it helps to define the landing place of the lyric and the feel of the music. " -- Stephen Schwartz. For more Q and A about Schwartz's writing ideas see Stephen Schwartz's writing tips on Musicalwriters.com
See USA Today "Like father, like son on B'way" article about Scott and Stephen Schwartz [new browser window]
For scoring music, Schwartz is now using Sibelius software at home. The recording specialist with whom he works uses Logic for recording and multi-track sequencing. For more info on these programs see: Sibelius 5 Professional Edition Notation Software and Apple Logic Pro 7.2
Discography/Recordings
Schwartz songs appear on dozens of CDs by recording artists and are often used for weddings and other special occasions. His work is also featured on the highly recommended Stephen Schwartz album, Reluctant Pilgrim, and Uncharted Territory.- Read about Schwartz recordings.
Composer Stephen Schwartz Biography info:
Note for those arriving at this site by search engine. The name of composer Stephen Schwartz is sometimes misspelled Steven Schwartz or Stephen Swartz. Before about the mid 70's he was known as Steve Schwartz. He considers himself a "writer" as in songwriter, lyricist, writer of music and of shows because he is involved in every detail of the story even when there's a book writer.
Stephen Schwartz official bio - long version updated April 6, 2009
Stephen Schwartz was born in New York City on March 6, 1948. He studied piano and composition at the Juilliard School of Music while in high school and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1968 with a B.F.A. in Drama. Upon coming back to live in New York City, he went to work as a producer for RCA Records, but shortly thereafter began to work in the Broadway theatre.
His first major credit was the title song for the play BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE; the song was eventually used in the movie version as well.
In 1971, he wrote the music and new lyrics for GODSPELL, for which he won several awards including two Grammys. This was followed by the English texts, in collaboration with Leonard Bernstein, for Bernstein's MASS, which opened the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The following year, he wrote the music and lyrics for PIPPIN and two years later, THE MAGIC SHOW. At one point, GODSPELL, PIPPIN, and THE MAGIC SHOW were all running on Broadway simultaneously.
He next wrote the music and lyrics for THE BAKER'S WIFE, followed by a musical version of Studs Terkel's WORKING, to which he contributed four songs, and which he also adapted and directed, winning the Drama Desk Award as best director. He also co-directed the television production, which was presented as part of the PBS "American Playhouse" series.
Next came songs for a one-act musical for children, CAPTAIN LOUIE, and a children's book, THE PERFECT PEACH. He then wrote music for three of the songs in the Off-Broadway revue, PERSONALS, lyrics to Charles Strouse's music for RAGS, and music and lyrics for CHILDREN OF EDEN.
He then began working in film, collaborating with composer Alan Menken on the scores for the Disney animated features POCAHONTAS, for which he received two Academy Awards and another Grammy, and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. He also provided songs for DreamWorks' first animated feature, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, for which he won another Academy Award for the song "When You Believe". He most recently collaborated with Alan Menken on the songs for Disney's ENCHANTED.
Mr. Schwartz provided music and lyrics for the original television musical, GEPPETTO, seen on The Wonderful World of Disney and recently adapted for the stage as GEPPETTO & SON. He has released two CDs on which he sings new songs, entitled RELUCTANT PILGRIM and UNCHARTED TERRITORY.
Mr. Schwartz's most recent musical, WICKED, opened in the fall of 2003 and is currently running on Broadway and in several other productions around the United States and the world. In 2008, WICKED reached its 1900th performance on Broadway, making Mr. Schwartz the only songwriter in Broadway history ever to have three shows run more than 1900 performances. A book about his career, "Defying Gravity," has recently been released by Applause Books.
Under the auspices of the ASCAP Foundation, he runs musical theatre workshops in New York and Los Angeles, and serves on the ASCAP board; he is also currently the President of the Dramatists' Guild.
Short Bio Stephen Schwartz
Link to the official website with Schwartz official bio versions and photos, etc.
http://www.stephenschwartz.com [new browser window] (Opens new browser window).
Career Milestones
milestones.
Read his own writing about his career in The Schwartz Scene
Schwartz History Mini-Tour
When in New York City...a Schwartz-related side trip.
Stephen Schwartz's Awards Details:
Stephen Schwartz Photos
Stephen Schwartz Photo pageSchwartz's World
Find out more about Stephen Schwartz's World, including family, friends, and associates.
One of Stephen's favorite theatre books is The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway [new browser window]by William Goldman
Schwartz Sheet Music
See individual show pages, The Stephen Schwartz Songbook
Find over sixty Schwartz songs or songbooks at Sheet Music Plus [new browser window] (opens new browser window)
Attention choir directors or choir members: See also our Choral Music from Stephen Schwartz Musicals page
Older News
February 13, 2005, Stephen Schwartz won 2 more Grammys for Wicked, adding to his three for Godspell and Pocahontas. See also awards
December 7th, 2004. Stephen Schwartz was nominated to a position as member of the board of directors for ASCAP AND nominted for a 4th Grammy award on the same day.
The Hardest Part of Love - a picture book for children.
From the publisher: "This new book, an adaptation of Stephen Schwartz's eloquent and affecting song, "The Hardest Part of Love" from the widely popular staged musical CHILDREN OF EDEN and his RELUCTANT PILGRIM CD, will pull at the heartstrings of all parents and elate Stephen Schwartz fans with its beautiful, sophisticated pictures and enclosed CD featuring the songwriter himself." Available at: http://www.stillsonstudio.net/
"For Good" WICKED'S COMPOSER-LYRICIST SINGS "FOR GOOD": In Good Company
Carol's review: Track 11 "For Good" is the most nuanced, beautiful, and subtle performance of the song ever. And from two guys - who knew?! Along with beautiful violins and piano accompaniment, Stephen introduced subtle musical variations with this performance.
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