Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night. Tonight there will be no morning star.
Stephen SondheimRead
One of the hardest things about writing lyrics is to make the lyrics sit on the music in such a way that you're not aware there was a writer there.
Interpretation
Crafting lyrics requires a seamless integration with music that feels natural and effortless.
This quote by Stephen Sondheim highlights the challenge of songwriting, particularly the need for lyrics to blend perfectly with the music. When done successfully, the listener should be oblivious to the effort invested in writing, creating an organic experience where the song feels entirely cohesive.
In practice
A songwriter discussing their creative process at a workshop.
Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night. Tonight there will be no morning star.
After the Rodgers and Hammerstein revolution, songs became part of the story, as opposed to just entertainments in between comedy scenes.
Musical comedies aren't written, they are rewritten.
Let Pirelli's / Miracle Elixir / Activate your roots, sir... Keep it off your boots, sir- / Eats right through. Yes, get Pirelli's! / Use a bottle of it! / Ladies seem to love it... Flies do, too!
Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.
Careful the spell you cast, not just on children. Sometimes the spell may last Past what you can see And turn against you... Careful the tale you tell. That is the spell.
The artist is the opposite of the politically minded individual, the opposite of the reformer, the opposite of the idealist. The artist does not tinker with the universe, he recreates it out of his own experience and understanding of life.
What happens in a fantasy can be more involving than what happens in life, and thank goodness for that.
Good writing ... involves the agony of turning profoundly difficult thoughts into lucid form, then forcing them into the tight-fitting uniform of language, making them visible and clear.
The labor into which a heart has poured its whole love--where will it have its say, to excite and inspire, and when?
Art is the easiest thing in my life, and that's ironic. It doesn't mean I've worked little on it, but it's the only thing I never had to... I have no fear. I could take risks.
Every authentic work of art is a gift offered to the future.
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