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Home , Amanda McBroom, American Songwriter, Andrew Lippa, Ben Moore (composer), Betty Buckley, Bryn Terfel

POPULAR SONG AND MUSIC THEATER Robert Edwin, Associate Editor New "Standards" for Singers: The Next Generation of Writers

Eric R. Bronner

WHAT MAKES A "STANDARD"?

are the elements of the works in the Great American B EAUTIFUL MELODIES, CATCHY LYRICS, TIMELESS SENTIMENTS: these Songbook. Popular, jazz, and even classical singers have made these songs their own since the turn of the twentieth century. No one would argue the universal appeal of songwriters such as , , , , and Rodgers and Hart. In the first half of the twentieth century, the main sources of popular music were the stage, the screen, big bands, and radio. Performers would Eric Bronner broadcast their own arrangements of Broadway and songs across America's radio airwaves. Artists popular at this time included band leaders Tommy Dorsey, , and , and singers , , , and . Hollywood mu- sicals made stars out of , , Garland, Doris Day, and countless others. Broadway, through its "Golden Age" into the contemporary era, has con- tinued to add to the legacy of the Great American Songbook. Jazz, club, and classical singers were quick to embrace the beautiful ballads and pow- erful songs of , Lerner and Loewe, , Kander and Ebb, , and . Recently added to the compendium are the British composer , the French team Sch6nberg and Boublil (Les Miserables, Miss Saigon), and current American Broadway composers, Stephen Schwartz, , Frank Wildhorn, , , , and . The term "standard" conjures up a wide array of nostalgic images of pop- ular music. Through the decades, many of these great songs have retained their timeless charm and appeal for performers and audiences alike. stars including Richard Tucker, , , Dawn Upshaw, Bryn Terfel, and Ren6e Fleming have included standards in their Journal of Singing, March/April 2007 repertoire. Seventies rocker recently recorded several compact Volume 63, No. 4, pp. 457-462 Copyright @ 2007 disks of standards, as did over a decade ago. From the current National Association of Teachers of Singing music scene, even , , and Robbie Williams can

MARCH/APRIL 2007 457 Eric R. Bronner be heard singing Cole Porter tunes on the soundtrack Biscardi, William Bolcom, , Craig Carnelia, to the recent film, De-Lovely. and , Ricky Ian Gordon, Amanda McBroom, Ben Moore, and Richard Pearson EXPANDING THE TERM Thomas. In addition to this historic legacy from Tin Pan Alley, A BRIEF INTRODUCTION Broadway, and Hollywood, some pop-rock material is TO SOME NEXT making its way into the "standard" literature. This is not GENERATION SONGWRITERS surprising considering that the "original" standards were Chester Biscardi (b. 1948) is an international award win- the pop music of their day. Likewise, the pop music in- ning classical composer whose works have been featured fluence on music theater can be seen in the develop- at prominent music festivals and recorded on many clas- ment of recent Broadway shows using the music of Billy sical labels worldwide. His compositions include works Joel, ABBA, John Lennon, and . Current chart for opera, chorus, voice and piano, orchestra, chamber singer Michael Bubl combines on his recordings tra- ensembles, and solo piano, as well as incidental music ditional standards with swing and jazz arrangements for theater, dance, and television. While most of his vo- of pop-rock hits by the Bee Gees, , and cal pieces are in the art song and operatic vein, his set Paul Anka. Queen Latifah's recent recording of stan- Modern Love Songs and his individual song "Chez Vouz" dards includes vintage blues and jazz numbers as well contain beautiful melodies and heartfelt sentiments that as the Mamas and Papas' "California Dreamin'." Patti characterize great standards. Composed in the classical LuPone included the ballad, "The Air that I Breathe" by technique with moderately complex contemporary har- 70s band The Hollies, in her New York act. Many monies and rhythms, these selections easily can be per- other cabaret and club singers have added to their acts formed in art song or cabaret style. Biscardi's works have songs by , Kansas, Queen, and Bruce been performed at New York's , Rotterdam's Springsteen. Even British soprano Lesley Garrett has Gaudeamus Festival, and many other venues in , included songs made popular by the Beatles and Elvis Japan, , and Italy. He is the recipient of numerous Presley among the classical and standards selections on honors including the Rome Prize, a Guggenheim Fellow- her recordings. Following suit, the Hal Leonard music ship, an Ives Scholarship, and the Aaron Copland Award. has published a four-volume set of standards Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, he earned an MA in Italian that includes traditional "Golden Age" songs, along with Literature and an MM in Musical Composition from pop hits by the Carpenters, Barry Manilow, Helen Reddy, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a DMA from Buffy Sainte-Marie, and . . He is Director of the Music Program at Sarah Lawrence College. THE NEXT GENERATION William Bolcom (b. 1938) is another contemporary While performers are widening the definition of "stan- classical composer of world renown. Many singers know dards" to include more recent and current pop material, of his CabaretSongs (Volumes 1-4), and more recently, there is also a group of songwriters producing fresh, new Ancient Cabaret.The songs in these collections com- songs with beautiful melodies, catchy lyrics, and time- bine contemporary classical harmonic and rhythmic less sentiments that can stand with the traditional "tried language with historic European cabaret and popular and trues:' Some of these writers are classical composers, American musical style. Many of Bolcom's songs incor- while others write for the Broadway and Off-Broadway porate modern classical dissonances with , jazz, stages. Some write for the club scene, and some write in and pop syncopations. Born in Seattle, Bolcom studied all of these genres. This article highlights the next gen- composition in with and Oliver eration of writers of the Great American Songbook Messiaen, and in the with Leland Smith. He through a brief introduction to the songwriters and their taught at the University of Washington and Queens material, biographies of each, and a survey of their pub- College, was composer in residence at Yale University, and lished songs. The songwriters presented include Chester eventually was hired to serve on the music faculty at the

458 JOURNAL OF SINGING PopularSong and Music Theater I

University of Michigan. His early compositions followed he has acted on and Off-Broadway. His honors include the academic serial idiom. He later dropped that method the "Emerging American Songwriter" and developed an approach that incorporates popular Award, the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falls music styles into serious classical music. In the 1960s, Award, and the Kleban Award for distinguished lyric he was one of the champions of the ragtime revival. In writing. He has collaborated with Marvin Hamlisch and 1975, he married singer Joan Morris. As a duo they de- John Guere on the Broadway musical, Sweet Smell of veloped recitals and recordings chronicling the history Success, and with Nora Ephron on Imaginary Friends. of American popular song. His compositional output He penned both music and lyrics for the Broadway mu- includes piano music, chamber music, symphonies, art sical Is There Life After High School? and contributed songs, , and cabaret songs. In 1988, he won the four songs to the musical version of Studs Terke's . Pulitzer Prize for his 12 New Etudesfor Piano. Off-Broadway, he wrote the songs for the musical Three John Bucchino (b. 1952) is a popular New York song- Postcardswith , a of songs called Notes, writer for the Off-Broadway and cabaret club scenes. and contributed songs to The No-Frills Revue, A ... My His lyrics are emotional and personal, and his music can Name Is Still Alice, and Diamonds.His new musicals in- be described as pop-influenced music theater style with clude Actor, Lawyer, Indian Chief and The Good War. somewhat sophisticated harmonic and rhythmic tex- Carnelia serves as artistic director of the ASCAP Musical tures. His songs typically follow a variation on the tra- Theatre Workshop in , and frequently covers ditional standard structure (ABA-refrain, bridge, re- for Stephen Schwartz in the same position for the work- frain), with an interlude to showcase the pianist. He shops in New York and . often uses chromatic harmonic progressions and driv- Zina Goldrich (b. 1964) and Marcy Heisler (b. 1967) ing pop-rock rhythms. His songs have been recorded have gained popular acclaim in the New York music the- and performed by , , Michael ater and cabaret scenes. Perhaps best known for their Feinstein, , Patti LuPone, Yo-Yo Ma, Audra songs "The Alto's Lament" and "Taylor the Latte Boy," McDonald, , the Boston Pops, and the Los their work embodies comedic Broadway and heartfelt Angeles Philharmonic. His works have been performed cabaret style. Their material runs the gamut of musical at , the , the Opera styles including traditional ballads, jazzy up-tempos, House, and the White House. His numerous honors in- torch songs, parodies and comic novelty numbers, and mo- clude the Johnny Mercer Songwriter Award, the Song- tivational/inspirational songs. The Village Voice "Best of writers' Fellowship Award, and the ASCAP Foundation NYC" edition recently dubbed them the "Best Knock- New Horizons Award. His musicals ing 's Door Songwriting Team:" Collaborators include The Artist at 40, Urban Myths, and Lavender since 1993, the duo has been honored with several awards, Girl. He also wrote the songs for the DreamWorks ani- including the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons mated film Joseph: King of Dreams. He has released three Theatre Award, the Manhattan Association of Cabarets recordings of his original material. He is currently col- and Clubs Award, and the Bistro Award in the categories laborating with director Daisy on a musical revue of Outstanding Special Material, Outstanding Songwriters, of his songs called It's Only Life, and with and Song of The Year. Their musicals include Top Secret on a new musical called A CateredAffair. PersonalBeeswax: The Life and Times of Junie B. Jones, Craig Carnelia (b. 1949) is an award-winning com- Dear Edwina and Dear Edwina Junior,Adventures in poser for Broadway and Off-Broadway, as well as a gifted Love, and Allison Under The Stars. Together and individ- songwriter for cabaret recording artists, including Karen ually, they have written songs for TV's Murphy Brown, Akers and Andrea Marcovicci. His work follows con- Three Sisters, Disney, and PBS. They have appeared at temporary Broadway trends that blend traditional mu- Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Ford Center, the sic theater and pop styles. Carnelia composes in con- Chicago Humanities Festival, Montreal's Comedy Festival, ventional structures with strophic verses supported by and New York's 24-hour A Train Musicals. Heisler is cur- pop-rock rhythms. Many of his songs have a slow steady rently working with Disney Theatricals, writing new ver- build to an emotional/musical climax. As a performer, sions of 101 Dalmatians,Cinderella, and The Jungle Book.

MARCH/APRIL 2007 459 11 Eric R. Bronner

Ricky Ian Gordon (b. 1956) combines classical com- the world including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Ford positional techniques with cabaret influences to create Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, Wolftrap and Kennedy stunning vocal works. His biography quotes The New Center in Washington D.C., as well as in London, Australia, York Times, which accurately describes his style: "If the and . Her songs have been recorded by Harry music of Ricky Ian Gordon had to be defined by a sin- Belafonte, , Judy Collins, Barbara Cook, gle quality, it would be the bursting effervescence infus- the Manhattan Transfer, Barry Manilow, Anne Murray, ing songs that blithely blur the lines between art song and Leanne Rimes. She has starred in Jacques Brel .... and the high-end Broadway music of Leonard Bernstein Seesaw (Broadway), , , and Stephen Sondheim." Gordon has gained much pop- and Maine, in productions mounted in New York, Los ularity among classical and music theater singers alike. Angeles, San Francisco, and Europe. She also created In the hands of classical singers, Gordon's pieces give Heartbeats,a musical based on her songs. the impression of art songs. Likewise, when performed Ben Moore (b. 1960) is gaining more and more recog- by stage and cabaret singers, they sound like music the- nition as a composer of specialty songs for noted opera ater. His works include art song, opera, ballet, , singers. He is probably best known for "Sexy Lady," writ- chamber music, film scores, and music theater. He has ten for mezzo soprano , and "Wagner Roles" written works commissioned and performed by sopra- for soprano . Moore's songs are composed nos Ren6e Fleming and Angelina R6aux. Others who in many styles, from classical settings of great poets to orig- have performed and recorded his songs include classi- inal comic novelty material for cabaret and concert artists. cal singers Lorraine Hunt, Kurt Ollman, Teresa Stratas, Also following current Broadway trends, Moore's cabaret Dawn Upshaw, and Broadway and cabaret singers Betty and theater songs combine traditional music theater and Buckley, , Andrea Marcovicci, and commercial singer/songwriter styles. While his songs Audra McDonald. His music has been performed at are often simple in structure, the piano parts are often Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Houston rhapsodic in nature, clearly indicating his classical back- Grand Opera, , the Joseph Papp ground. His songs have been performed and recorded Public Theater, the , the American Music by Audra McDonald, , and Robert White. Theater Festival, as well as venues in England, France, His works have been featured on the Germany, and India. His honors include the Music radio broadcast, at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Theater Foundation Award, the National Institute for and at Washington's Kennedy Center. His songs also have Music Theater Award, the Stephen Sondheim Award, been showcased in New York's ASCAP Songwriters Series. the Foundation Award, and the Amer- His music theater scores include Henry and Company, ican Academy of Arts and Letters Richard Rodgers Award. written with Barry Kleinbort and commissioned by Jerry He was educated at Carnegie Mellon University and has Hadley, and Bye, Bye, Broadway, with book and lyrics by taught at the Juilliard School, Yale University, and Carl Ritchie. He is currently working on a musical fan- . tasy called The Bone Chandelierwith book by novelist Amanda McBroom is best known for her songs "The and NPR host Ellen Kushner. Holding an MFA from the Rose" and "Crimes of the Heart." Her work is heavily Parsons School of Design, his career includes painting steeped in the contemporary club/cabaret tradition, blend- as well as songwriting. ing genuine sentiments with jazz and popular music Richard Pearson Thomas (b. 1957) is gaining national styles. She writes in many musical styles including smoky recognition as a classically trained composer of opera, jazz, soft-rock, country ballads, and intimate personal chamber music, art and cabaret songs, music theater, story songs. McBroom's career was launched on The and film music. Like Bolcom, his three volumes of Tonight Show after 's recording of "The Rose" CabaretSongs combine contemporary classical harmonic hit number one on charts worldwide in 1979. The song and rhythmic language with the European cabaret tra- won her the Golden Globe Award. She is highly acclaimed dition and popular American musical style. Thomas as an emotionally evocative singer/cabaret artist, poet, blends current classical dissonances into popular mu- and songwriter. She has performed at concert halls around sic rhythms. His songs present a variety of styles includ-

460 JOURNAL OF SINGING PopularSong and Music Theater 11

ing a dissonant tango, a modern version of a Parisian Tears at the Happy Hour. New York: Edward B. Marks Valse, and spare expansive Coplandesque chordal writ- Music Co. ing that supports deeply emotional text. Thomas was Bucchino, John. Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino. Milwaukee: born in Montana, graduated from Eastman School of Williamson Music, distributed through Hal Leonard Corp., 2000 Music, and studied film scoring at the University of [transpositions of some songs are available at www.john Southern California. His works have been presented in bucchino.com]. New York's Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Salt Lake Carnelia, Craig. The Songs of Craig Carnelia.Milwaukee: Hal City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Leonard Corp., 1993. the Winter Olympics Arts Festival, the Congressional Forum, and the Covent Garden Festival. His songs have contemporary cabaret.Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corp., no publi- been recorded by Kurt Ollmann, William Sharp, Sanford cation date given. [Songs from the New York cabaret scene by Allen/Hackady, Bergman/Grusin, Sylvan, and Patricia Punty. His Off-Off Broadway mu- Bolcom/Weinstein, Bricusse/ Wildhorn, Bucchino, Carnelia, DeForest, Dinerman, Fingerette, sicals include Ladies in a Maze and Cafe Society. His Frishberg, Garl/Shire, Gordon, Kander/Ebb, Larson, Lavin, song 'AIDS Anxiety" appears on the Harmonium Mundi Leiber/Stroller/Dinn/Sembello, McDonough, Sondheim, Telson, recording AIDS Quilt Songbook. He earned the Best Waldrop/Gallagher, Webb, Webber/Black.] Original Score award from the 1997 New Goldrich, First Film Festival. He has served as coach/music direc- Zina, and Marcy Heisler. Goldrich and Heisler Songbook Volume 1. New York: The Marcy and Zina Co., distributed through tor at many prestigious music festivals, and for college and Hal Leonard Corp., 2003. university music departments, and opera companies. Gordon, Ricky Ian. FindingHome: The Songs of Ricky Ian Gordon. WORKS BY NEXT GENERATION Milwaukee: Williamson Music, distributed through Hal Leonard Corp., 2003. SONGWRITERS __ Only Heaven-Medium High Voice. Milwaukee: Williamson Biscardi, Chester [text by William Zinsser]. Modern Love Songs, Music, distributed through Hal Leonard Corp., 1997. for voice and piano (15 minute set, available for high voice and for medium voice). New York: Biscardi Music Press; selling agent: A Horse With Wings-Medium High Voice. Milwaukee: Classical Vocal Reprints, 1997-2002. Includes: "What a Coin- Williamson Music, distributed through Hal Leonard Corp., 1995. cidence"; "I Wouldn't Know About That"; "Someone New"; "Now You See It, Now You Don't"; "At Any Given Moment." Genius Child-High Voice. Milwaukee: Williamson Music, distributed through Hal Leonard Corp., 1995. __ [lyrics by ]. Chez Vouz, for soprano and piano. New York: Biscardi Music Press, 1983. McBroom, Amanda. Amanda McBroom Portraits.Ventura, CA: Creative Concepts Publishing Corp., 1999. Bolcom, William, and Arnold Weinstein. CabaretSongs Volumes I and 2for medium voice and piano. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Moore, Ben. Cabaret and Theater Songs-Medium High Voice Corp., 1979 and 1985. and Piano. New York: Benjamin C. Moore Publishing; selling agent: Classical Vocal Reprints, 2004. ___ Cabaret Songs Volumes 3 and 4for medium voice andpi- ano. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, Corp., 1997. ____ Sexy Lady: For Susan Graham-Mezzo-Sopranoand Piano. New York: Benjamin C. Moore Publishing; selling agent: Classical __ Ancient Cabaret: Songs about Art, for medium voice and Vocal Reprints, 2004. piano. New York: Edward B. Marks Music Co., distributed by Hal Leonard, Corp., 2001. Wagner Roles: For Deborah Voigt-Soprano and Piano. New York: Benjamin C. Moore Publishing; selling agent: Classical __ Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise. New Vocal Reprints, 2004. York: Edward B. Marks Music Co., distributed by Hal Leonard, Corp., 1980. Thomas, Richard Pearson. CabaretSongs Volume I (available for high voice and for medium voice). Riverdale, NY: Portage Press Night, Make My Day. New York: Edward B. Marks Music Publishing, 2001. Co., distributed by Hal Leonard, Corp., 1991/1995. CabaretSongs Volume 2 (available for high voice and for ___ The Same Thing. New York: Edward B. Marks Music Co. medium voice). Riverdale, NY: Portage Press Publishing, 2003.

MARCH/APRIL 2007 461 Eric R. Bronner

___ Cabaret Songs Volume 3 (available for high voice and for David A. Jansen. Tin Pan Alley: The Composers, the Songs, the medium voice). Riverdale, NY: Portage Press Publishing, 2006. Performers and their Times. London, New York, Sydney: Omnibus Press, 1990. TRADITIONAL STANDARDS Steven Johnson, "Bolcom, William (Eden)," in Laura Macy (ed.), ANTHOLOGIES Grove Music Online (1 April 2002), http://www.grovemusic.com/ "Amanda McBroom Biography." The Amanda McBroom Homepage The Best StandardsEver, Volume I (A-L). Milwaukee: Hal Leonard (18 August 2005), http://www.amcbroom.com/ Corp., 1986, 1991. "Ben Moore Biography." MooreArt.com, 2000-2004 (18 August The Best StandardsEver, Volume 2 (M-Z). Milwaukee: Hal Leonard 2005), http://www.mooreart.com/ Corp., 1986, 1991. "Richard Pearson Thomas:' DaringDiva.com,October 1998 (1 More of The Best Standards Ever, Volume I (A-L). Milwaukee: April 2002), http://www.daringdiva.com/ Hal Leonard Corp., no publication date given.

More of The Best Standards Ever, Volume 2 (M-Z). Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corp., no publication date given. Eric R. Bronner, tenor, of Bristol, RI, performed his concert "Next Gen- New Standards:35favoritesfrom the 60s to today. Milwaukee: eration: New Writers of the Great American Songbook" at the New Eng- Hal Leonard Corp., no publication date given. land Regional NATS Conference in August 2005, and at many music series venues throughout New England. He performs opera, art song, NOTE: Hal Leonard Corp. and Warner Bros. Publications also chamber music, oratorio, music theater, and cabaret throughout New publish many volumes of collections by individual songwriters, England. His performances have aired on BBC, NPR, and PBS. Interna- including Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, , Dietz tionally, he appeared as a soloist in the Aldeburgh Music Festival-Fringe and Schwartz, George Gershwin, , Cole Porter, Festival in England. He has performed roles nationally at the Napa (CA) Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, and many others Zarzuela Festival, Townsend Opera (Modesto, CA), First Coast Opera (St. from the traditional American Songbook heritage. Likewise, one Augustine, FL), and as a guest soloist at several midwestern colleges. may easily find song books of pop-rock performers (the Beatles, the Carpenters, , Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Carol King, He performs roles regularly with American Classics (Boston, MA), Opera etc.) with suitable crossover material for classical singers. Providence (RI), Opera (MA), and has sung many roles with Longwood Opera (Boston), and Ocean State Light Opera (Providence). SOURCES A NATS Intern Program alumnus and a Certified McClosky Vocal Techni- cian, he serves on the voice and communication faculties of Roger Williams "Chester Biscardi, Composer, Bio.' ChesterBiscardi.com(18 August University and Salve Regina University, teaching applied voice, vocal meth- 2005), http://chesterbiscardi.com/ ods, diction and articulation, and public speaking. He has published two "John Bucchino Biography'" JohnBucchino.com (18 August 2005), other articles in the Journalof Singing. www.j ohnbucchino.com/ He earned his MM on scholarship at Longy School of Music (Cambridge, Michael Cardonick, Creative Artists Agency. "Marcy and Zina- MA). He studied pre-WWII European cabaret technique on scholarship Words and Music-About Us:' GoldrichandHeisler.com,2003-2004 at the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies inSuffolk, Eng- (18 August 2005), http://www.goldrichandheisler.com/ land, and studied contemporary American cabaret style at the Cabaret Conference at Yale University. He also holds a BA inTheatre from Pur- "Craig Carnelia Biography!' The Songs of Craig Carnelia.Milwaukee: due University and an MS in Journalism from Ohio University. For many Hal Leonard Corp., 1993. years he served as the musical director for Flickers Arts Collaborative "Ricky Ian Gordon Biography.' FindingHome: The Songs of Ricky (Newport, RI), and was a founder/artistic director of the Jamestown Cham- Ian Gordon. Milwaukee: Williamson Music, distributed through ber Music Series (RI). He is a two-time recipient of the Arts Education Hal Leonard Corp., 2003. Fellowship from the Rhode Island Foundation.

462 JOURNAL OF SINGING COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

TITLE: New “Standards” for Singers: The Next Generation of Great American Songbook Writers SOURCE: J Singing 63 no4 Mr/Ap 2007

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