Stephen Sondheim Quotes

Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim

American Composer

Born: Mar 22, 1930

Because Me Music People Song You

Related authors: Elliott Carter Eubie Blake George Crumb John Cage John Williams Leonard Bernstein Oscar Levant Virgil Thomson

All the best performers bring to their role something more, something different than what the author put on paper. That's what makes theatre live. That's why it persists. Stephen Sondheim

Best Theatre Live Paper Something More Put Performers Makes Than Author Persists Role Different Why Bring

The worst thing you can do is censor yourself as the pencil hits the paper. You must not edit until you get it all on paper. If you can put everything down, stream-of-consciousness, you'll do yourself a service. Stephen Sondheim

Service You Yourself Down Everything Paper Worst Pencil Worst Thing Must Put Until Edit Get Hits Censor Thing

Every time one can write a self-deluded song, you are way ahead of the game, way ahead. Self-delusion is the basis of nearly all the great scenes in all the great plays, from 'Oedipus' to 'Hamlet.' Stephen Sondheim

Time Great You Game Song Every Every Time Way Scenes Write Self-Delusion Hamlet Nearly Basis Plays

A close-up on screen can say all a song can. Stephen Sondheim

Song On-Screen Say Close-Up Screen

Two of the hardest words in the language to rhyme are life and love. Of all words! Stephen Sondheim

Life Love Words Language Rhyme Hardest Two

I was raised to be charming, not sincere. Stephen Sondheim

Charming Sincere Raised

Musicals are, by nature, theatrical, meaning poetic, meaning having to move the audience's imagination and create a suspension of disbelief, by which I mean there's no fourth wall. Stephen Sondheim

Nature Imagination Musicals Having Poetic Disbelief Audience Wall Move Suspension Which Theatrical Mean Meaning Create Fourth

My personal life and my artistic life do not interfere with each other. Stephen Sondheim

Life Personal Life Other Personal Artistic Interfere Each

I certainly wanted my name in lights. I wanted my name on a marquee. I wanted recognition on Broadway. Stephen Sondheim

Broadway Recognition Marquee Lights Name Wanted Certainly

I would have been a geologist. Stephen Sondheim

Would Geologist Been

Musical comedies aren't written, they are rewritten. Stephen Sondheim

Musical Written Comedies Rewritten

Everybody faces a blank piece of paper, no matter what they've written or painted or composed before. I can't imagine approaching every single new project with-without doubt. Stephen Sondheim

Matter Approaching Single Before Doubt Every Everybody Project Paper Composed Faces Blank Written New Piece Painted Imagine

There's something inimical about the camera and song. Stephen Sondheim

Song About Something Camera

Generally, the best recording is the original cast, because that's the way the piece grew: integrally, with them. Stephen Sondheim

Best Recording Way Cast Generally Piece Because Grew Them Original

I played the organ when I went to military school, when I was 10. They had a huge organ, the second-largest pipe organ in New York State. I loved all the buttons and the gadgets. I've always been a gadget man. Stephen Sondheim

Math and music are intimately related. Not necessarily on a conscious level, but sure. Stephen Sondheim

Music Related Sure Math Conscious Level Necessarily

I fell into lyric writing because of music. I backed into it. Stephen Sondheim

Music Writing Lyric Backed Fell Because

The more restrictions you have, the easier anything is to write. Stephen Sondheim

You Easier More Restrictions Write Anything

In the Rodgers and Hammerstein generation, popular hits came out of shows and movies. Stephen Sondheim

Generation Out Came Hammerstein Rodgers Hits Movies Popular Shows

I don't listen to recordings of my songs. I don't avoid it, I just don't go out of my way to do it. Stephen Sondheim

Way Out Recordings Songs Go Listen Just Avoid

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