Stephen Sondheim
Music and Lyrics
Stephen Sondheim, (born March 22, 1930, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Nov. 26, 2021, Roxbury, Conn.), U.S. composer and lyricist. He studied piano and organ and at age 15 wrote his first musical, under the tutelage of the musical comedy author Oscar Hammerstein II, a family friend. After studies with composer Milton Babbitt, he made his first mark on Broadway as lyricist for West Side Story (1957). He then wrote lyrics for Gypsy (1959) and both music and lyrics for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), which won the Tony Award for best musical. Sondheim later earned Tonys for his work on Company (1971), Follies (1972), A Little Night Music (1973), Sweeney Todd (1979), Into the Woods (1987), and Passion (1994). Other notable musicals included Sunday in the Park with George (1984, Pulitzer Prize). His stage works are known for their intellectuality, musical complexity, and frequently dark tone. Sondheim’s other honors included a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement (2008) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015).