The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia

The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Greenwood
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1995-05-09
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0313294070

The musical theatre song is conceived, written, and produced as part of a whole. While it may eventually stand on its own and join the ranks of popular hits, its immediate purpose is clear: it must 'work' in the show ... 'The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia' is about how hundreds of famous and not-so-famous songs have functioned in the American musical. In addition to identifying the authors and the source of the song, this reference provides full detail about the song ... It is a book about songs as little pieces of playwriting for the musical theatre ...

The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia

The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Greenwood
Total Pages: 566
Release: 2002-09-30
Genre: Music
ISBN:

Offers background information and commentary on 1,200 popular songs from a variety of styles and genres written between the mid-nineteenth century and the mid-twentieth century.

The Disney Song Encyclopedia

The Disney Song Encyclopedia
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2009-07-29
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0810869381

Songs written for Disney productions over the decades have become a potent part of American popular culture. Since most Americans first discovered these songs in their youth, they hold a special place in one's consciousness. The Disney Song Encyclopedia describes and discusses hundreds of famous and not-so-famous songs from Disney films, television, Broadway, and theme parks from the 1930s to the present day. Over 900 songs are given individual entries and presented in alphabetical order. The songwriters and original singers are identified, as well as the source of the song and other venues in which it might have been used over the years. Notable recordings of the song are also listed. But most important, the song is described and what makes it memorable is discussed. This is not a reference list but a true encyclopedia of Disney songs. The book also contains a preface describing the criteria for selecting the songs, a glossary of song terms, a list of all the Disney songs and their sources, a songwriter's directory in which every song by each composer/lyricist is listed, a bibliography, a guide to recordings and DVDs of Disney productions, and an index of people and titles.

The American Musical Film Song Encyclopedia

The American Musical Film Song Encyclopedia
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Greenwood
Total Pages: 544
Release: 1999-03-30
Genre: Music
ISBN:

Following the successful The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia (Greenwood, 1995), this new encyclopedia reviews, in-depth, individual songs written for American musical films over the past seventy years. From Jolson to Elvis, operettas to rock musicals, Irving Berlin to the Beatles, the comprehensive scope of this work gathers over 1,800 songs from more than 500 musical films from 1927 through 1998. In addition to detailing the songs' authors, original singers, and initial film appearances, the encyclopedia also explains how the songs were used in the film, lists subsequent film and stage appearances of the songs, and notes memorable recordings.

The Jerome Kern Encyclopedia

The Jerome Kern Encyclopedia
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Musicals
ISBN: 9780810891678

"The Jerome Kern Encyclopedia consists of entries on people, theater and film musicals, songs, subjects and themes related to the composer. Not only are all of Kern's stage and screen projects - from 1904 to 1946 - covered, but there are also entries on all the major librettists and lyricists with whom he worked, as well as producers, directors, actors, and other individuals who figured prominently in his career. Approximately one hundred of Kern's most important songs are discussed, and other entries address awards, collaborations, working methods, song styles, and related subjects." - back cover

Off-Broadway Musicals since 1919

Off-Broadway Musicals since 1919
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 523
Release: 2011-02-18
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0810877724

Although the venue Off Broadway has long been the birthplace of innovative and popular musicals, there have been few studies of these influential works. Long-running champs, such as The Fantasticks and Little Shop of Horrors, are discussed in many books about American musicals, but what of the hundreds of other Off-Broadway musicals? In Off-Broadway Musicals since 1919, Thomas Hischak looks at more than 375 musicals, which are described, discussed, and analyzed, with particular attention given to their books, scores, performers, and creators. Presented chronologically and divided into chapters for each decade, beginning with the landmark musical Greenwich Village Follies (1919), the book culminates with the satiric The Toxic Avenger (2009). In this volume, any work of consequence is covered, especially if it was popular or influential, but also dozens of more obscure musicals are included to illustrate the depth and breadth of Off Broadway. Works that introduced an important artistic talent, from performers to songwriters, are looked at, and the selection represents the various trends and themes that made Off Broadway significant. In addition to essential data about each musical, the plot and score are described, the success (or lack of) is chronicled, and an opinionated commentary discusses the work's merits and influences on the musical theatre in general. The first book of its kind, this highly readable volume will please both the theatre scholar and the average musical theatre patron or fan.

The World of Musicals [2 volumes]

The World of Musicals [2 volumes]
Author: Mark A. Robinson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 950
Release: 2014-04-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1440800979

This wide-ranging, two-volume encyclopedia of musicals old and new will captivate young fans—and prove invaluable to those contemplating staging a musical production. Written with high school students in mind, The World of Musicals: An Encyclopedia of Stage, Screen, and Song encompasses not only Broadway and film musicals, but also made-for-television musicals, a genre that has been largely ignored. The two volumes cover significant musicals in easily accessible entries that offer both useful information and fun facts. Each entry lists the work's writers, composers, directors, choreographers, and cast, and includes a song list, a synopsis, and descriptions of the original production and important revivals or remakes. Biographical entries share the stories of some of the brightest and most celebrated talents in the business. The encyclopedia will undoubtedly ignite and feed student interest in musical theatre. At the same time, it will prove a wonderful resource for teachers or community theatre directors charged with selecting and producing shows. In fact, anyone interested in theatre, film, television, or music will be fascinated by the work's tantalizing bits of historical and theatre trivia.

The Encyclopedia of Film Composers

The Encyclopedia of Film Composers
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 837
Release: 2015-04-16
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1442245506

For more than a century, original music has been composed for the cinema. From the early days when live music accompanied silent films to the present in which a composer can draw upon a full orchestra or a lone synthesizer to embody a composition, music has been an integral element of most films. By the late 1930s, movie studios had established music departments, and some of the greatest names in film music emerged during Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Alfred Newman, Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin, and Bernard Herrmann. Over the decades, other creators of screen music offered additional memorable scores, and some composers—such as Henry Mancini, Randy Newman, and John Williams—have become household names. The Encyclopedia of Film Composers features entries on more than 250 movie composers from around the world. It not only provides facts about these artists but also explains what makes each composer notable and discusses his or her music in detail. Each entry includes Biographical material Important dates Career highlights Analysis of the composer’s musical style Complete list of movie credits This book brings recognition to the many men and women who have written music for movies over the past one hundred years. In addition to composers from the United States and Great Britain, artists from dozens of other countries are also represented. A rich resource of movie music history, The Encyclopedia of Film Composers will be of interest to fans of cinema in general as well as those who want to learn more about the many talented individuals who have created memorable scores.

Show Tunes

Show Tunes
Author: Steven Suskin
Publisher: OUP USA
Total Pages: 625
Release: 2010-03-09
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0195314077

Show Tunes, the most comprehensive musical theatre reference book ever, chronicles the work of Broadway's greatest composers, from 1904 through 2009. Almost 1,000 shows and 10,000 show tunes are included, with additional musicals and composers added to the fourth edition. This fact-packed volume is informative, insightful, provocative, and entertaining: the definitive survey of a fascinating field. It is a must for musical theatre enthusiasts, performers, students, collectors, and anyone who enjoys Show Tunes.

American Musical Theatre

American Musical Theatre
Author: Gerald Martin Bordman
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 840
Release: 1992
Genre: Music
ISBN:

Gerald Bordman's American Musical Theatre has become a landmark book since its publication in 1978. It chronicles American musicals, show by show and season by season, and offers a running commentary and assessment as well as providing the basic facts about each production. This updated edition includes the new shows that have opened on Broadway since the original publication. Also included are over a hundred musicals that were turn-of-the-century, cheap-priced touring shows which never played Broadway, but were the training ground for many theatre greats.