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Mar 29, 2024 · An expert ranking of the best Broadway songs in the history of musical theater, from Show Boat to Hamilton and beyond.
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- George Gershwin
- Stephen Sondheim
- Leonard Bernstein
- Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Richard Rodgers
- Irving Berlin
- Cole Porter
- Elton John
- Oscar Hammerstein II
- Jeanine Tesori
One of the greatest musical theater composers that every student of musical theater and patron knows is George Gershwin. An American composer, Gershwin’s work covered classical and contemporary styles. Originally from Ukraine, Gershwin’s parents moved to New York before their children were born, are their Ukrainian-Jewish heritage informed much of ...
Born into a Jewish family in New York, Stephen Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist. He had quite a tumultuous childhood as his parents divorced when he was ten, and he hated his mother. Instead, he found mentorship with another composer, Oscar Hammerstein II, and developed his love of musical theater. Sondheim attended Williams College in...
Born in Massachusetts, Leonard Bernstein is another Jewish-American composer who changed the world of musical theater. As a child, his only music was on the radio, but when he was 10-years-old, his sister delivered an upright piano, and the rest was history with Bernstein teaching himself to play the piano despite his father’s lack of support. Even...
Famous British composerAndrew Lloyd Webber was born in Kensington, London, and his name is synonymous with Broadway’s musical theater. He began composing music at age nine and put on performances with his friends and family. At 17 years old, Lloyd Webber met Tim Rice, with whom he would collaborate on many plays, including Joseph and the Amazing Te...
An American composer with 23 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs in his pocket, Richard Rodgers was born into a Jewish family in Queens, NY. He began playing the piano at six years old and wrote many songs while at summer camp. In 1919, he partnered with Lorenz Hart, writing such songs as “My Funny Valentine,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” and “Wait Til ...
One of the greatest composers of all time, Irving Berlin, wrote almost 1,500 songs for 20 Broadway plays and 15 Hollywood films. Remembered more as a poet, Irving Berlin was born in the Russian Empire to a Jewish family, and five years later, his family immigrated to New York. His father died when he was 13, and Berlin took on delivering newspapers...
Next, we have Cole Porter, who was born in Indiana and was the only surviving child in his family. His grandfather had wished for him to become a lawyer, but Porter was drawn to musical theater instead. His mother encouraged his musical dreams, and he learned the violin when he was six, the piano at eight, and wrote his first operetta when he was t...
Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, England, fewer modern composers have more stage presence than Sir Elton John, with his talent being hard to contain from an early age. At age 15, he became a pianist in a local pub, where he began performing his own music, and by 1967, he answered an ad to compose music for Liberty Records. They gave him an e...
Holding eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards, Oscar Hammerstein II is one of the most well-recognized musical theater lyricists of all time. Vocalists use his songs for auditions and performances because of their beauty and lyrical jazz. Born in New York, Hammerstein’s parents were both involved in the theater, introducing him to the stage earl...
Jeanine Tesori is an American composer who has written five Broadway musicals and has earned five Tony Award nominations. In 1995, she debuted as a dance music arranger for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. She received accolades for her subsequent work Violet, which ran off-Broadway but earned her an Obie award as well as several o...
- “One Day More” from Les Misérables. One of the most iconic musical theatre songs of all time, “One Day More” from the musical Les Misérables has become a Broadway staple since its debut in 1996.
- “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. Originally released in 2003, “Defying Gravity” is one of the most loved musical songs. Written by Stephen Schwartz and composed by Stephen Flaherty, this powerful anthem serves as the finale of the musical Wicked and has since become a Broadway classic.
- “Non-Stop” from Hamilton. The song features a rap battle between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton and it captures their rivalry with clever lyrics. Its unique sound and energy have made it one of the most popular show tunes ever written, making it a must-have on any list of Broadway songs.
- “A Little Priest” from Sweeney Todd. One of the most beloved Broadway songs of all time, “A Little Priest” from Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was released in 1979.
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.
Jul 3, 2020 · The 50 Greatest Broadway Musical Albums. A definitive list, from Ethel Merman to Lin-Manuel Miranda. Nicholas Gilmore
Musical theater is a form of theater combining music, songs, spoken dialog, and dance. The varied emotional aspects of the production—humor, pathos, love, anger—as well as the story itself, are communicated through the words, music, dance, and staging of the entertainment as an integrated whole.
