MUS 178 — Four by Sondheim: Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George
Quarter: Spring
Day(s): Saturdays
Course Format: Live Online (About Formats)
Duration: 4 weeks
Date(s): May 1—May 22
Time: 10:00 am—12:30 pm (PT)
Refund Deadline: May 3
Unit: 1
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Tuition: $340
Instructor(s): Joel Phillip Friedman
Limit: 55
Status: Open
Spring
Date(s)
May 1—May 22
4 weeks
Refund Date
May 3
1 Unit
Fees
$340
Grade Restriction
No letter grade
Instructor(s):
Joel Phillip Friedman
Limit
55
Open
Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim is lauded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater. A living link to the “Golden Age of Musical Theater,” he was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein II, and has simultaneously continued that tradition while expanding and reinventing it. He is lionized as few in his discipline have ever been: there is a Sondheim Society; a magazine, theaters, and awards have been named after him; there are countless productions, recordings, and books; and his songs are a staple of cabaret, stage, and universities worldwide. Focusing on four landmark musicals—Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George—we will dig into the music, the lyrics, the structure, the mechanics of what makes these musicals so fantastic and important, and why Sondheim deserves the praise and position in our culture.
Joel Phillip Friedman, Composer; Lecturer
Joel Phillip Friedman's concert, theater, and film music has been performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, on London’s West End, and in Off-Broadway theaters. He has taught at Swarthmore, Georgetown, Stanford, and Catholic University. He received a DMA from Columbia, where he was a President’s Fellow.Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.