Meet the Composer; Stephen Sondheim; Part 2

Music by Stephen Sondheim, this is a selection from Sweeney Todd. Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? I don't think it will affect us everything. Yes, they are content with ladies and gentlemen that are racing the breeze. It's like nothing compared to sucking sources told me you were telling your soul. You can imagine the rats to install. Just inside of this door. Dad, you'll but Mrs. Lovett's meat pies, savory and sweet as you'll see you. For me, this is not mince meat pies, vitrine

eyes instead of. Do you think he thinks this will be a big one for the gentleman to me? How about I shut down? We got in the office plenary power base, not for the. Yes, what about the time difference? But at six o'clock, which was due to arrive at a quarter to five.

I want to talk about I. Just give me how the gentleman got up. Let's get to. What's the problem with the. Excuse me, the you to the customers. Yes. Not quite the time, but it's coming up the stairs. Go don't to Canada for their. Sales of been every how the whole thing is kind of the thoughts about that,

who need to be read out. Is that a charge fit for a king? One that morphologic? I have another friend. Is that all kinds of pretty? One in four is more than most of the you see, that's why there's no.

No one is for my years says. Excuse me, do you have seat for the customers? Yes, what not. Quick me when I can't get around the clock to control this going up. I just want to be sure I'm to draw in place, I'll pound three times, three times, and then you three times. Exactly. All right. MSNBC.

I'm surprised, said so now we've come again for. You said, I think a there's going to a five pound five. I feel.

Even now, I'm at your window. I am in the dark side you. And are you too full and pale with yellow hair like. I want to go to the floor and tell the way I dreamed you were, Joanne. And if you're up to four months, then with yellow hair like eyes and we shall not meet again

and my little dog, my sweet Chihuahua. Good bye, Joanna. You're gonna get your mind. I'm fine, I'm fine. Smoke, smoke. Sign of the devil, sign of the devil on fire. Which which every night of the. And if I never hear your voice, my.

I still have reason to rejoice the way ahead is clear, Joy. And on line with what I can't forget, it's always morning in my mind, my little life, my pet Joy I love. You stay out of the way. Oh, look, Joe, I have a strong. You are a shooting star. They're there somebody somebody looked up there. Didn't I tell, you know, that half this young fighter.

Holly. And the way I think of you, I guess until the day I die, I think I miss you less and less as every day goes by, Joe. And may have looked too much like her. If only angels could prevail would be the way we were.

Joanne. Now, the bright red day, we learned Jowhar to say. We've just heard some selections from Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim. One final question, what advice would you give to a young composer out there who's listening to you now, who admires you and wants very much

to eventually do something along the same lines or at least in the same path that that you have followed? The only way to learn to write is to write. There are obviously, if you're writing music, a certain amount of technical knowledge is necessary. I think it's foolish to write music without knowing a great deal about without getting a good, thorough classical background. The reason for that is that if you don't, you tend to write like other people. If you write merely what you hear, you're just going to be imitating other people. But if you have the tools at your disposal, you can make your own music. That's the important thing in training. The second thing is to write something and put it on and write something and put it on and write something and put it on, because a show simply does not exist in a living room or in front of friends, and it doesn't have to put on on Broadway or even necessarily in a professional house, but it has to be put on in front of strangers. And that's the way to learn to write. We've been talking with Stephen Sondheim today on Meet the Composer, I'd like to thank you very much again for coming by. Thank you for Meet the Composer. This is Tim Page.

Meet the composer was produced by Tim Page and Alison Chernow, Charles Passing and Jon Krakauer were associate producers. Engineers for the series were Alana Pelzic, Chris Seay, and Jane Pipit. Meet the Composer comes to you for a grant for Meet the Composer Incorporated, the national organization that promotes and supports the music of living American composers. Meet the Composer, Inc. thanks the AT&T Foundation for making this series possible. For further information on Meet the Composer, please write, Meet the Composer Incorporated, 2112 Broadway, Suite 505, New York, New York, 10023. That's Meet the Composer Incorporated 2112 Broadway, Suite 505, New York. New York, 10023. This program was a production of WNYC FM New York.