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Broadway and Hollywood Legends: The Songwriters Collection. Charles Strouse and Arthur Schwartz; Kander and Ebb and Alan Jay Lerner; Burton Lane and Mitchell Parish; E. Y. "Yip" Harburg and Sheldon Harnick (review)

2006; Music Library Association; Volume: 63; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/not.2006.0090

1534-150X

Anna Wheeler Gentry,

Musicology and Musical Analysis

Reviewed by: Broadway and Hollywood Legends: The Songwriters Collection. Charles Strouse and Arthur Schwartz; Kander & Ebb and Alan Jay Lerner; Burton Lane and Mitchell Parish; E. Y. “Yip” Harburg and Sheldon Harnick Anna Wheeler Gentry Broadway and Hollywood Legends: The Songwriters Collection. Charles Strouse and Arthur Schwartz; Kander & Ebb and Alan Jay Lerner; Burton Lane and Mitchell Parish; E. Y. “Yip” Harburg and Sheldon Harnick. 4 vols. DVD. [United States]: Lance Entertainment, Inc., 2005. LAN8041. $49.99. In this collection of DVDs, we have a rare opportunity to view performances of lyricists and composers while actually discussing the origin and inspiration of some of their own better-known works. Here, through personal recollection and primary source interpretation, we can appreciate first-hand the charm, sense of humor, and personality of each individual songwriter, and what has made them uniquely gifted in their craft. This is an excellent source of archival video documentation (from the 1970s and 1980s) that was compiled from the Lyrics and Lyricists series at Manhattan's 92nd Street Y, a performance series that continues to run today. The concert series was founded in the early 1970s by legendary lyricist Yip Harburg who wrote the songs "Old Devil Moon," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "April in Paris," "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?," and "Over the Rainbow," [End Page 179] to name a few. The setting is a simple stage, pleasantly lit, with three or four hand-picked professional performers along with a professional pianist, and the lyricist or composer narrating. The entire collection of performances illustrates a beautiful quote of Harburg's: "Lyrics give destination to a song. Music gives wings to the lyrics." This set of DVDs includes an approximately fifty-minute segment on each of the featured songwriters. Lyricist Mitchell Parish's "Stardust" and "Deep Purple" are highlighted, while composer Burton Lane's selections from the musicals Finian's Rainbow and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever are consecutively highlighted. The collection also features selections from Kander & Ebb's Chicago and Cabaret, and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner's musicals Camelot, Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, and Gigi, as well as lyricist Charles Strouse's musicals Annie and Bye Bye Birdie, and the great songs "Dancing in the Dark," "By Myself," and "That's Entertainment" by composer Arthur Schwartz. Perhaps most dramatic of all are the highlights from Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello, and She Loves Me by lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and selections from Finian's Rainbow, Bloomer Girl, The Wizard of Oz, as well as the graceful "April in Paris" written by the originator of the Lyrics and Lyricists series, Yip Harburg. This performance series was so exceptional that, for instance, in the case of Sammy Cahn's 1972 appearance on the Lyrics and Lyricists series, with very few modifications, he successfully took his concert to Broadway as Words and Music. In 2006, the Lyrics and Lyricists series is in its thirty-sixth year at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Every library should have a copy of this set of historical performances. It is a living history of the golden age of American songwriting. Anna Wheeler Gentry Arizona State University Copyright © 2006 the Music Library Association, Inc.