[This is a post from Masterworks Broadway, a website of Sony Music Entertainment, from 7 April 2020. I’ve amended Filichia’s discussion about
tempo markings (that’s what the rhythm instructions are called, I learned) by
inserting the year the plays or revues he names as examples were created (not necessarily their Broadway
openings) and the name of the composer (or the arranger in cases where the songs
have been repurposed from another genre such as pop or rock ’n’ roll).
[For the sake of brevity, I
haven’t added the other creative artists’ names, such as book-writer or
lyricist, because they aren’t responsible for the musical tempi of the songs. (My additions and comments are enclosed in
square brackets.)]
Although directors aren’t supposed to give line readings to
actors, composers and lyricists seem to be allowed to “direct” their singers
and orchestras.
Take a look at sheet music for various songs, and far more
often than not, you’ll find a word or two at the top of Page One that says
exactly what’s expected of those who’ve chosen to perform these ditties.
Most of the sheets I surveyed had “moderately” written all
over them. PINS AND NEEDLES [1936 revue with music and lyrics by Harold Rome] (which
you must hear – and not just for Streisand) has that word on the vast majority
of its songs. [Barbra Streisand, a newcomer at the time, sang on the 1962
25th-anniversary recording of the score.
She’d done a one-performance revue in Greenwich Village the previous
year and was appearing in I Can Get It
for You Wholesale (1962; music and lyrics by Harold Rome), her Broadway
début at 19, at the time of the album’s release.]
GREASE’s [1971; music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren
Casey] “Summer Nights,” THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE’s [2000; music by Jeanine
Tesori] “Forget About the Boy” and PROMISES, PROMISES’ [1968; music by Burt
Bacharach] “Half as Big as Life” all use the term, too. But “moderately” for
the HAIR’s [1967; music by Galt MacDermot] “The Flesh Failures” and the title
song of ALL SHOOK UP [2004; songs of Elvis Presley arranged by Stephen Oremus]?
Wouldn’t you assume that those songs would ask for more than that? And
“moderately” for GUYS AND DOLLS’ [1950; music and lyrics by Frank Loesser]
“Luck Be a Lady” and for GYPSY’s [1959; music by Jule Styne] “Rose’s Turn”? Out
of the question!
Onto “The Longest Time” and “Uptown Girl” from MOVIN’ OUT
[2002; songs by Billy Joel with additional arrangements and orchestrations by
Stuart Malina]. Which would you think Billy Joel marked “moderate rock ’n’
roll” and which “bright rock ’n’ roll”? I’d think “Longest” would be moderate
and “Uptown” bright, but it’s just the opposite.
Some songwriters embellish their “moderatelys.” SWEET SMELL
OF SUCCESS’ [2002; music by Marvin Hamlisch] beautiful “Don’t Know Where You
Leave Off” is “moderately flowing”; SHOW BOAT’s [1927, music by Jerome Kern]
“You are Love” is “moderately fast” and MARIE CHRISTINE’s [1999; music, lyrics,
and book by Michael John LaChiusa] “Cincinnati” is a “moderate cakewalk.”
Leaving no room for doubt is STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW’s [1976; music by
David Shire] “Today Is the First Day of the Rest of My Life”: “moderately with
suppressed excitement.”
Other songwriters preferred the Italian word “moderato”:
Oscar Hammerstein labeled ME AND JULIET’s [1953; music by Richard Rodgers] “The
Big Black Giant” as such but THE KING AND I’s [1951, composed by Rodgers] “Shall
We Dance?” as “moderato brightly.” Other variations on the theme include
PURLIE’s [1970; music by Gary Geld] stirring opening number “First Thing Monday
Morning” (“moderato intense”) and ON YOUR FEET’s [2015; songs of Gloria Estefan
arranged by Lon Hoyt] “Mi Tierra” (“moderate salsa”). RAGS’ “Blame It on the
Summer Night” – one of the subtlest sexual songs ever – is “moderate bluesy.”
All this moderation would seem to bolster the arguments of
those who’ve always said that musicals are middle-of-the-road entertainment.
Italian is used quite a bit. THE PIRATE QUEEN’s [2006; music
by Claude-Michel Schönberg] “She Who Has All” is “adagio”: slowly. URINETOWN’s
[2001; music by Mark Hollmann] “It’s a Privilege to Pee” is “agitato.” Penelope
Pennywise may well be agitated, but she’s not nearly as agitato as those
waiting in a long line to relieve themselves.
What song from SWEET CHARITY [1966; music by Cy Coleman] is
tabbed “rhythmically”? No, you’re wrong: “The Rhythm of Life” has that
designation of –here’s that word again – “moderately.” It’s “Where Am I Going?”
that’s labeled “rhythmically.”
There are some notations that lend themselves to editorial
comment. TICK, TICK . . . BOOM’s [1990; composed by Jonathan Larson] “Real
Life” calls for “a slow pulse.” Yeah, real life is like that sometimes. Did
Bernstein, Comden and Green purposely label ON THE TOWN’s [1944; music by
Leonard Bernstein] “I Can Cook Too” “hot and fast” because it’s a good
description of Hildy Esterhazy, who sings it?
In that musical about Jesus Christ [Jesus Christ Superstar, 1970; music by Andrew Lloyd Webber],
“Superstar” is labeled “maestoso”: majestic. Little did Lloyd Webber know then
that the word would also be the name of the theater where he’d have his
biggest-ever hit.
Some describe their songs by the dances they inspired. BYE
BYE BIRDIE’s [1960; music by Charles Strouse] title song requires “a twist
beat.” WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN’s [1964; music and lyrics by Ervin Drake] “You’re
No Good” asks for “beguine tempo.” ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY’s [1978; music by
Cy Coleman] “Veronique” demands “French can can,” while MY FAIR LADY’s [1956;
music by Frederick Loewe] goes farther south with its “tempo di habanera” for
“The Rain in Spain” as does MAN OF LA MANCHA’s [1965; music by Mitch Leigh]
“tempo di bolero” for “The Impossible Dream.” THE PAJAMA GAME’s [1954; music
and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross] “Hernando’s Hideaway” doesn’t
just note “tango tempo” but also adds “with a voice of mystery.”
[A note about the song in Bye Bye Birdie to which I think Filichia is referring: The only song that fits the
description of the “title song” is, clearly, “Bye Bye Birdie.” That song
wasn’t in the original 1960-61 Broadway production. It was added for the
1963 movie (sung over the opening credits by Ann-Margret as Kim McAfee) and
then inserted into the score of the 2009-10 Broadway revival. Strouse also
wrote the “new” song for the film. ~Rick]
It’s “Fox trot tempo” that Cole Porter heard for “All of
You” in his SILK STOCKINGS [1954; music and lyrics by Cole Porter]. But it’s
also what Kurt Weill stated for “Army Song” in THE THREEPENNY OPERA [1928
(German), 1933 (English)]. Could you see yourself cutting a rug to this song?
(If you don’t know it, you should; it’s grimly funny.)
[It’s impossible for me to know which version of Threepenny Opera Filichia means here as there are several
English versions of both the text and the songs. While Weill’s music is the same, each
translation would have somewhat different tempo markings. The best-known English version is the 1956
translation, produced successfully Off-Broadway in 1954, by composer-lyricist
Marc Blitzstein. Another possible
version that Filichia would have seen was the 1976-77 production of Joseph
Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival at Lincoln Center, from a translation by
Ralph Manheim and John Willett.]
Many uses “polka” in their descriptions. For HIGH BUTTON
SHOES’ [1947; music by Jule Styne] “Papa, Won’t You Dance with Me?” is correct,
for that’s the dance that takes place mid-song. Less easy to discern are
FANNY’s [1954; music and lyrics by Harold Rome] “Be Kind to Your Parents”
(“rhythmically, like a polka”), JACQUES BREL’s [formally (despite the death of
Brel in 1978) Jacques Brel is
Alive and Well and Living in Paris, 1968; music and (original French) lyrics by
Brel, English translation by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman; arranged by Wolfgang
Knittel] “Marathon” (“tempo di polka”) and WILDCAT’s [1960; music by Cy
Coleman] “Give a Little Whistle” (“polka tempo”).
Jerry Herman [composer for the shows that follow] labeled
MAME’s [1966] “We Need a Little Christmas” “brightly, as a polka.” As for his
title songs, we might well expect to see “with spirit” for MILK AND HONEY’s
[1961] and “with a lilt” for MAME’s. We may question “moderately” for “La Cage
aux Folles” [1983] and “medium strut” for “Hello, Dolly!” [1963] – a bit tame
for one of Broadway’s greatest production numbers. But would you have guessed
that “Dear World” [1968] would be tabbed “with dignity”?
Celebrities often say they really knew they made it when
they became a crossword puzzle clue. Fine, but another way is being mentioned
in sheet music. GODSPELL’s [1970; composed by Stephen Schwartz] “Turn Back, O
Man” is “a la Mae West.” KINKY BOOTS’ [2012; music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper]
“Take What You Got” is called “Mumford-esque,” referring to British folk-rock
band Mumford & Sons. THE WEDDING SINGER’s [2006; music by Matthew Sklar] “A
Note from Linda” loftily notes “a la Pachelbel’s Canon.”
And then there’s THE PROM’s [2016; music by Matthew Sklar]
“It’s Not about Me,” which starts off “recitative, a la Eva Peron.” But if we
get technical, what’s meant is Lloyd Webber and Rice’s Evita [from the musical
of the same name, 1976; music by Lloyd Webber], and not actually the former
First Lady of Argentina.
Some titles belong in the Department of Redundancy
Department. ONCE’s [2011; music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová]
“Falling Slowly” is marked “Slowly.” HOW TO SUCCEED [in Business Without Really Trying]’s
[1961; music by Frank Loesser] “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” offers
“happily,” although it does also caution “but not too fast.”
The longest description? Probably LITTLE ME’s [1962; music
by Cy Coleman] “On the Other Side of the Tracks” which has “Deliberate tempo,
intense and driving (not too fast and done with a gradual build).”
The shortest? Many have no notation at all. Richard O’Brien
did few for THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW [1973], probably assuming his songs would
speak for themselves. And if you were looking forward to seeing how Mel Brooks
described “Springtime for Hitler,” you’ll find no notation at all, which is the
case for most of his songs in THE PRODUCERS [2001]. However, “Betrayed” is
labeled “freely,” which is rather ironic, given that Max sings it in prison.
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’s [1990; music by Stephen Flaherty] “Ti Moune,” sung by our
heroine’s foster parents, also is labeled “freely” although both mom and dad
don’t want her to be free.
What are Stephen Sondheim’s [composer-lyricist for all the
following, with various librettists] labels? We have COMPANY’s [1970] “Marry Me
a Little” (“allegro appassionata”: fast, with passion); FOLLIES’ [1967;
premièred 1971] “Losing My Mind” (“sempre molto rubato”: always very much with
some feeling of time); A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC’s [1973] “Send in the Clowns”
(“lento”: slowly); PACIFIC OVERTURES’ [1975] “Pretty Lady” (“andantino dolce”:
slightly slowly but sweetly); SWEENEY TODD’s [1979] “My Friends”
(“misterioso”); MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG’s [1981] “Our Time” (“andante”: on the
slow side); SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE’s [1983] “Move On” (“tranquillo”);
INTO THE WOODS’ [1986] “On the Steps of the Palace” (“allegretto e grazioto”:
moderately quick as well as pretty); ASSASSINS’ [1990] “The Ballad of Booth”
(“larghetto”: slightly faster than largo but slower than adagio).
For a guy who doesn’t much like the musical he wrote that
was set in Venice, Sondheim sure uses a lot of Italian. What’s more, he marked
“Agony” in INTO THE WOODS as “a la barcarolle,” which roughly translates to “in
the way gondoliers sing.” And considering his battles with Richard Rodgers,
you’d think he’d even avoid “allegro.”
[Peter Filichia, who also
writes a column each Monday at www.broadwayselect.com and can be heard most weeks of the year on www.broadwayradio.com, is a former theater reviewer for the Newark, New Jersey, Star-Ledger and television station News 12 New Jersey in
Edison.
[When I read Filichia’s post,
I immediately sent the link to my friend Kirk Woodward because I was sure it
would amuse him. Kirk e-mailed back, “As
it happens, I was just looking at ‘Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer,’ a collection
that includes the songs in ‘Tomfoolery,’ and he puts great instructions on many
of the songs.” He appended a list of the
Lehrer songs and their tempo markings, which I thought would make a great
addition to Filichia’s comments :
“The Irish
Ballad” – Authentically
“Be Prepared” –
Trustworthily, loyally, helpfully, friendlily, etc
“Fight
Fiercely, Harvard!” – Loyally
“The Old Dope
Peddler” – Wistfully
“The Wild West
Is Where I Want To Be” – Westerly
“I Wanna Go
Back to Dixie” – A little too fast
“The Hunting
Song” – Blithely
“I Hold Your
Hand in Mine” – Tenderly
“My Home Town” –
Nostalgically
“When You Are
Old and Gray” – Liltingly
“The Wiener
Schnitzel Waltz” – Mit Schlag
“Poisoning
Pigeons in the Park” – Vernally
“The Masochism
Tango” – Painstakingly
“A Christmas
Carol” – Merrily
“The Elements” –
As fast as possible
“Bright College
Days” – Adagio, con brio
“She’s My Girl”
– Torchily
“In Old Mexico”
– Immoderato
“We All Will Go
Together When We Go” – Eschatologically
“National
Brotherhood Week” – Fraternally
“MLF Lullaby” –
Wiegenleidig
“The Folk Song
Army” – Earnestly
“Smut” –
Pornissimo
“Send the
Marines” – alla collo di pelle
“Pollution” –
Calypso
“So Long, Mom” –
a la Cohan
“Who’s Next” –
disarmingly
“I Got It from
Agnes” – infectiously
“Silent E” –
With ease
“L–Y” – Rapid–L–Y
“The Vatican
Rag” – Ecumenically
[My response to Kirk was
simply: “The ‘L-Y’ notation sounds like part of the lyric of a song from [the
musical] 1776!” Kirk agreed, adding “certain-Lee!!!”
[Obviously, it helps to know
something about Tom Lehrer (b. 1928) and his (often dark) satire. (Both Kirk and I are longtime fans.) I’ll let ROTters
look him up themselves, but I’ll tell you that Tomfoolery was a musical revue made up of Lehrer’s
songs. It premièred in London’s West End
in 1980 and ran Off-Broadway in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1981-82.
[The tempo markings above are
jokes. Some are obvious (“The Old Dope
Peddler” – Wistfully; “The Wild West Is Where I Want To Be” – Westerly; “Send
the Marines” – alla collo di pelle: the tempo instruction is faux-Italian for ‘in the style of the leathernecks,’ a slangy reference to
the Marines) and others are puns (“Smut” – Pornissimo; the pun is on pianissimo, which is Italian for ‘very softly” and is
an actual tempo marking).
[Some are just wonderfully
silly (“Be Prepared” – Trustworthily, loyally, helpfully, friendlily, etc; “Be
Prepared” is, famously, the Boy Scout motto and the Scout creed is: “A Scout is
trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful,
thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.” (I
was one back in the day.)
[There are also a couple of
German instructions—not a language usually used for music annotation, which is
partly why it’s funny. For “The Wiener
Schnitzel Waltz,” making the musical instruction “Mit Schlag: is
humorous because it means ‘with whipped cream,’ which is how all German
desserts are served and Germans loooove their whipped cream!
[(The waltz is the specialty
of the Viennese—Lehrer’s intro to the song names Austro-Hungarian composers Franz
Lehár and Johann Strauss—and Wiener Schnitzel, while not a dessert, is an
Austrian dish—wiener
is German for ‘Viennese’—that’s on the menu
of nearly every German restaurant.)
[In “MLF Lullaby” –
Wiegenleidig, wiegenleidig
means ‘cradled’ in German: the song is a
satirical lullaby about the “Multi-Lateral Force,” a collective nuclear
deterrence for which Germany, just a scant 20 years after we had fought a world
war against them, would get nuclear weapons.
The plan was never implemented.]
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