West Side Story, Gypsy, and the Art of Broadway Orchestration

Paul Laird (University of Kansas, USA)

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English

Routledge
29 January 2024

The Arts: General & Reference; Theatre Studies; Musicals; Orchestras

Series: Routledge Research in Music

In this ground-breaking study, Paul Laird examines the process and effect of orchestration in West Side Story and Gypsy, two musicals that were among the most significant Broadway shows of the 1950s, and remain important in the modern repertory. Drawing on extensive archival research with original manuscripts, Laird provides a detailed account of the process of orchestration for these musicals, and their context in the history of Broadway orchestration. He argues that the orchestration plays a vital role in the characterization and plot development in each major musical number, opening a new avenue for analysis that deepens our understanding of the musical as an art form.

The orchestration of the score in Broadway musicals deeply shapes their final soundscapes, but only recently has it begun to receive real attention. Linked by a shared orchestrator, in other ways West Side Story and Gypsy offer a study in contrasts. Breaking down how the two composers, Leonard Bernstein and Jules Styne, collaborated with orchestrators Sid Ramin, Irwin Kostal, and Robert Ginzler, Laird’s study enables us to better understand both of these two iconic shows, and the importance of orchestration within musical theatre in general.

By: Paul Laird (University of Kansas USA)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 390g
ISBN: 9781032134277
ISBN 10: 1032134275
Series: Routledge Research in Music
Pages: 202
Publication Date: 29 January 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Paul R. Laird is Professor of Musicology at the University of Kansas, where he teaches courses on music history and the history of musical theater, and directs the Instrumental Collegium Musicum. He has also co-written the second edition of Leonard Bernstein: A Research and Information Guide (Routledge)with Hsun Lin.