Reviews (4)

Generous and Wonderful
Being one who always wanted to audition using the Witch's song or the Baker's Wife's song, I am delighted and grateful to Sondheim and Co. for putting out this amazing vocal score.The effort to do so must have been incredible.My only wish, not complaint, is that the chords were also represented by "C" or "Dmaj7" so that I could play along as I sing.I can read music, but if I have to play piano chords by sight only, it takes me days to finger it one note at a time.Well, that's probably my fault - practice, practice, practice!Anyway, it's quite a thorough job and now I have audition pieces galore!Only hope the accompanists can play it!

grrrrreat!
The musical score was in tip top shape and it came to my house in perfect timing for me to be able to use it for a local production.thank you.

Sure it's expensive, but you pay for what you get
This book is not for the intermediate pianist who wants to find some new music to play for the family at the family reunion.Not unless you've got a whole bunch of singers who want to join in...Read more

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Musicals    2. Instruction & Study - Composition    3. Instruction & Study - Voice    4. Music    5. Music/Songbooks    6. Songbooks - General    7. Light orchestral, dance & big band music   

Reviews (10)

Great resource !
Although like a lot of Hal Leonard books the chords can be a bit "commercial" and the layout lacks that professional fake book lead sheet style that makes it more comfortable to use on a bandstand, I have to say that this is an incredibly useful resource of showtunes - - bordering on voluminous.
About as good as you can reasonably hope for
I've always been a broadway buff, and I bought this book just for casually toying with my autoharp at home; I'm not a professional musician.
Not necessarily what you expect
This book has some interesting good and bad points. First, the good: It's a fake book in the Hal Leonard style, in original keys, of a wide selection of the best known Broadway songs.Lots of good stuff.And unlike The Ultimate Fake Book (which is great for other reasons), the songs are conveniently organized by Show rather than by Title.A nice addition is a synopsis of each show and its relevance at the beginning of the book.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Musicals    2. Music    3. Music/Songbooks    4. Songbooks - General    5. Songbooks - Popular    6. Theater - General    7. Music / Songbooks   

Reviews (11)

A real pleasure to play this music on the piano!
Wow! I admit that as soon as I saw the movie and heard the music,I couldn't wait to get the soundrack and was then all the more impatient to be able to play it on my piano. What a great score! The music is simply sublime. I think that is one of the first things that made me fall for this movie. It also fits very well the movie because it is supposed to reflect Lizzie's emotions and passionate side!
Beautiful music for a beautiful movie!
Just like verything else about the movie the music too is perfect, beautiful, captivating!

Lyrical, whimsical, perfect for daydreams...
...Or an afternoon of reading by a window.This soundtrack reminds me of Michael Nyman's music for the Movie "the Piano" - but with a bit less emotional angst.It is music that can definitely stand alone - as my purchase proves since I wasn't a fan of the movie for which this score was produced. (I'm a purist when it comes to Pride & Prejudice, what can I say?)If you enjoy flowing piano music and the sounds of intricate fingering, this is definitely a soundtrack for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Music    2. Music/Songbooks    3. Musical Instruments - Piano    4. Scores & Soundtracks    5. Songbooks - General    6. Songbooks - Showtunes    7. Music / Songbooks   

Reviews (9)

this movie/ piano book is SWEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!
i love the movie so when i found this book i was so excited!!!!! i love all these songs and they are really fun to play!!! my fave is breaking free. it is so fun to play! you really should get this. i dont really like to play piano but these songs are so fun that i really enjoy playing them. all High School Musical fans should get this because it has all the awesome songs and it is so much fun to play a song you love!!!
Great Movie, Better Music!
I adore the movie. I won't go to the lenghts at which I do, but I do. The music is great to play, and fun! I'm currently using Breaking Free as audition material :P
awsome
This is awsome!!!! I play the piano all the time now. Stick to the status quo is the most fun to play. Here's a ranking list of the four main people in this movie ranked on their singing ability.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Music    2. Music/Songbooks    3. Songbooks - General    4. Music / Songbooks   

Reviews (2)

Terrific score, unplayable reduction
This is one of the great scores of late 20th century musical theatre, with one of the all time great orchestrations, worthy of Nelson Riddle at his best. It is also indisputably one of the smartest sets of lyrics in recent musical theatre memory, with a consistently high standard of humor and poetry. Unfortunately, the vocal score is reduced in a very unpianistic way, which makes it almost totally useless as a performing edition. In a score which is so oriented to the big-band and jazz tradition, there are almost no chord symbols to help the pianist along, which leaves the pianist to the exact voicings indicated in the score. That might be fine, if it weren't for the fact that many of the voicings are really impractical. In several places, it would be physically impossible to play all the notes, and the reduction doesn't make some of the notes smaller to indicate what is essential to the playing. Other times, when the reduction does indicate with smaller notes which parts are unessential, the performance of the notes left over are really unreasonable. For example, on page 71, in the song 'The Buddy System', in measures 54 through 56, the right hand plays the trombone part, a single e held all three bars, while the left hand plays quarter notes that hop up and down four octaves at 152 beats per minute. For the benefit of holding what is essentially a left hand 'thumb-line' for a full 8 beats with the same finger, we lose the sense of where the phrase goes on the piano with two clef changes and the passage, which is really rather simple musically, becomes so confusing and hard to read as to warrant significant practice or rewriting to accomplish it in performance. The accidentals are all musically accurate throughout the piece, but chord symbols would help any working pianist play the fast swing sections much more accurately and idiomatically. This is admittedly an extremely complicated score, with a lot of nuances, but the reduction makes it unnecessarily one of the most difficult scores in the world to play, I would say even more difficult than Candide, West Side Story or Night Music, which aren't walks in the park. And for a pianist who is actually going to play and help a singer along, the brainpower required to muddle through the score will make it impossible to really listen to the singer properly. Get it for the songs in the right key, but if you plan on playing it, give yourself a LOT of prep time.
The Complete City of Angels
The full score to the popular darkly synical but comic musical, "City of Angels", is a very useful score for any true fan of great musicals.All the songs are in there original keys compared to the vocal selections book where some of the songs (example: Funny) are in lower keys.This was extremely irritating to me so I had to get the full score.It also contains all the diologue which helps one understand the backround to each song.Overall, it is an extremely worth while buy for anyone who wants an accurate version of the musical.Good Stuff! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Genres & Styles - Musicals    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Musical scores, lyrics & libretti    6. Musical theatre    7. Vocal music   

Reviews (4)

So disappointed!
Of all the songs to leave out of a vocal selection, I cannot think whoe decided to leave out Just One Step, a highlight in my opinion!
Good selection of the show's music
As a pianist who is often asked to play musical theater, I am very happy that the people at Hal Leonard decided to publish this album with a well-realized piano accompaniment (boom-chicking is mind-numbing).As a word of caution, they might be too well-realized for a timid accompanist and I am in agreement with the reviewer below who states that you will need a good pianist to read these songs (and suggest that if you don't have one you go find one...and pay him/her well...now).This collection provides sheet music for about 2/3rds of the music in the show; each is presented in its full context.Though they're becoming overdone, these still seem to be popular audition songs as they require relatively large vocal ranges and depart significantly from what has become standard musical theater fare (and the theater world really likes Jason Robert Brown right now, too).Like much of Mr. Brown's music, the songs provide a good study in rock pianism.

love it
i love the music it takes me to another place. Away from all of the stresses of life. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Musicals    2. Music    3. Music/Songbooks    4. Songbooks - General    5. Music / Songbooks   

Reviews (9)

Just Awesome
Technically I should be reviewing the book itself here... lovely print, nice shade of Black, all legible etc... but I think the Musical deserves the real praise. I'm certainly not a JRB buff, I've only heard L5Y and Songs from a new world, but this show is just awesome.Intensely moving, on such an interesting take on the portrayal of a relationship.It's unlikely that anyone reading this will Not have heard the show already, so I'm sure you've already made your own minds up on it's value anyway.Welcome to the fan base!

Where's 'See I'm Smiling?'
I thought the music and lyrics were great from this show and two of my friends sang songs from it.One of them gave a really moving rendition of 'See I'm Smiling' and I thought that I had to buy this book.My one disappointment (and the only reason I didn't give it five stars) was that See I'm Smiling wasn't there.I am still trying to find the sheet music for that for an audition.If anyone knows where I can find it please post a message.
YAY
I had high hopes when ordering it!! I loved it! I sang the first selection at a camp I attend!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Music    2. Music/Songbooks    3. Songbooks    4. Songbooks - General    5. Theater Music    6. Music / Songbooks    7. Musical scores, lyrics & libretti   

Reviews (4)

Finally a collection of this oustanding songwriters work!!
I saw this book in my local music store and was so shocked to see such an amazing collection of songs by Jason Robert Brown! I barely looked at the songs included because I was so excited.
New Broadway Composer at his best!!!
Jason Robert Brown sprung onto the Broadway scene 10 years and this collection is some of the best of his compositions from "The Last Five Years", "Songs For A New World", "Parade", "Urban Cowboy" and various songs that he has written for various projects.It's sophisticated, yet an absolute joy to play, perform or simply listen to.
This Book Should Be a Required Partof Any Performer's Collection
I finally received my copy of this book last week and I couldn't be happier with it.If you are new to the music of Jason Robert Brown this folio serves as great introduction to the works of the man who has been hailed as "one of Broadway's smartest and most sophisticated songwriters since Stephen Sondheim". -Philadelphia Inquirer
Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Genres & Styles - Musicals    3. Instruction & Study - Composition    4. Music    5. Music/Songbooks    6. Musical Composition    7. Musical Instruments - Piano    8. Songbooks - Showtunes    9. Theater Music    10. Keyboard instruments    11. Music / Songbooks    12. String instruments   

Reviews (7)

An Absolutely Thrilling Piece!
Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd makes sure that the man will rank with the best musical theater composers as well as the best classical composers. His eclectic, thrilling score for Sweeney Todd includes patter songs for the wonderful Mrs. Lovett, incredible arias for Sweeney Todd and romantic ballads for the young lovers. Although it is priced at $100.00, it is nearly 400 pages long and includes every note of music in the show as well as plently of dialouge that is incoroporated into musical scenes.

Sondheim's Best.
It was so wonderful to buy this book and to have the entirity of the musical right at my finger tips word for word.It's truly one of the best musicals ever concocted and Sondheim is a genius.I reccomend this to everyone whose a fan of the show.. if you're not familiar with the show, it might seem a little strange to you..

The pinnacle of Sondheim's Art
In 1979, Stephen Sondheim had a long and illustrious career on the Broadway stage, with "Company", "Follies", and "A Little Night Music" to his credit."Sweeney Todd" capped that career with an extraordinarily inspired score, ably seconded by Hugh Wheeler's insightful and clever book.A triumph on all counts. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Musicals    2. Instruction & Study - Voice    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Songbooks - General    6. Musical scores, lyrics & libretti    7. Vocal music   

Reviews (18)

"wicked" is good!
stephen schwartz has found a way to incorporate "godspell", "pippin" and "the hunchback of notredame" and top them all!i've played many scores and never have i read liner notes as laid out here explaining his reworking of the pieces for individual vocal performance. a great insight.buy it!

Wicked piano/vocal arrangements that are 'good.'
The accompaniment is quite good.It is beyond the intermediate player's skill.Some of the song texts have been altered a bit from the original cast recording to make sense as a stand alone piece.For instance "What is this feeling" utilizes the dueting parts but doesn't include with background chorus.However it still "rocks" and stands alone extremely well.
Wickedly fun!
If you've seen the play, you will love this book.The arrangements are great as well as fun to play. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Musicals    2. Music    3. Music/Songbooks    4. Songbooks - General    5. Songbooks - Showtunes    6. Theater - Broadway & Musical Revue    7. Music / Songbooks    8. Musical scores, lyrics & libretti    9. Musical theatre   

Reviews (5)

Clarification
Just to clarify, each of these volumes is for a different voice type. They are in original show keys, and come in volumes for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano/Belter, Tenor or Baritone/Bass. The song list is completely different for each volume and each voice type.
Singer's Musical Anthology Volume 4
This is a pretty good collection.It is very accurate, and the piano part of it is sometimes difficult to play (the piano part is not for beginners).We get to sing some tunes from some more recent shows like Wicked and Aida.
Great Addition to the repertoire collection
This book is an important addition to any mezzo's musical theater collection.Some may say that this volume is a bit heavy with the number of contemporary pieces, but I feel it picks up where the previous volumes have left off.Includes work by JRB, Marc Shiman, and pieces from Lippa's production of "The Wild Party".Of course the mega-musical of the decade, Wicked, is represented, though the show's most memorable piece "Defying Gravity" is not included.The book is, as is the case with most of the volumes, rather ballade heavy.Good up-tempos are few and far between, and many of those that are included are a overdone (i.e. Wicked's "Popular").
Read more

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Musicals    2. Instruction & Study - Voice    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Songbooks - General    6. Songbooks - Showtunes    7. Music / Voice   

Reviews (4)

Not suitable for young children
My daughter loves the Nutcracker ballet and I thought it would be good for her to know the full story behind it (I had never heard it myself).The previous reviews and comments on the beautiful illustrations led me to believe this would be a great choice for my 5 year old daughter.
Nutcracker Lover
Excellent book and an all time favorite for Christmas or any time...............The needed companion for the ballet !

A book they will remember
This book is beautiful! I received the first edition as a Christmas gift as a child. I cherished it, reading it over and over again. Sendak's illustrations and Hoffman's engaging story are still vivid in my memory. I bought two copies of this re-issue, one for my 3-year-old son and one for my 4-year-old niece. This is what all children's books should aspire to. A wonderful gift for any child. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1984    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    4. Fairy tales    5. Genres & Styles - Musicals    6. Juvenile literature    7. Music    8. New York    9. New York (State)    10. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Single Title    11. Sale Books   

Reviews (6)

Useful tool!
Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) in Reno is performing this play in March 2006.I should add that it is one of the first community theaters to get the rights to producing this still-running show.Having the book in this format has been very helpful while blocking the show instead of lugging around the bulkier copies provided to us; however, as the Music Director pointed out, the lyrics written in the book don't exactly match what is in the score.But if you are an aficionado of Broadway Musicals, this is a fun book to have!

THE MOST UNIQUE MUSICAL EVER!!!!!
UrineTown was, i believe, the most unique musical ever been created! The Concept of this play was just fall-to-the-floor funny and has gone beyond what we see in broadway throughout the years. but what this show has is great characters and some witty dialogue and lyrics. It's unique concept gave the script strength and power and was a fame for all viewers who went out and saw it.
BEST MUSICAL EVER!!!!!
Ok, ok...I haven't actually read the book, but I've seen the musical twice and have to say that it is AWESOME!Not just the singing, which you obviously can't find in this book, but the script as well, which you obviosly CAN find in this book!It's so funny!I have to tell you that this musical has made me into an obsessive freak: I wear the t-shirt, hang the poster on my wall (along with my ticket stubs, pictures, and postcard), tell my friends how great it is, listen to the soundtrack at least once a day so I don't go insane, and quote it almost every other minute!Ok, ok...this script won't make you THAT insane just because it made me.But you will love it!I know it's next on my list of things I want to buy!It's also nice for you people who didn't actually see the show, because it sadly *sniff* has closed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American    2. General    3. Genres & Styles - Musicals    4. Librettos    5. Musicals    6. Performing Arts    7. Performing Arts/Dance    8. Theater - Broadway & Musical Revue    9. Drama / American   

Reviews (3)

A Fantastic Reference!
You will not find anything as comprehensive and thorough as these three volumes. If you want a definitive chronology of "Broadway" and the American musical, this is your guide. The indexes are easy to use and early information is invaluable. I work on Broadway and can tell you that everyone that comes through our office takes the time to look themselves or their favorite personalities up and are astonished at the breadth of detail. (Also, rumor has it that PLAYBILL magazine uses it as a reference.) Essential reference work
This book is an astounding work of scholarship and an invaluable resource for all those interested in the history of American musicals. I have been using it frequently, and the amount of careful work and detailed information constantly overawes me. Although previous reference works gave vaulable information on those shows judged by earlier generations of scholars as "important," these volumes reveal much more of the big picture: the many long-running successes ignored by most historians; the numerous shows (particularly in the earlier years of American theatre history) who made only brief stop-overs in New York, but that had a lively history of touring the nation; the simultaneous presence on Broadway of shows of many types using music (many of them difficult to define in terms of genre); etc., etc. As in all reference works of this scope, there are slight errors, ommissions or inconsistencies in formatting the information, but these are negligble in light of the scope, detail and accuracy of the entries. This takes its place as the single most important reference work on the Broadway musical -- the one that we have been long awaiting.

Not comprehensive or completely accurate
I paid a fortune for these books and was very disappointed. First, I've had these books two months, and I've already discovered six factual errors. Interestingly, one show opened in 1978 and closed in 1976 -- quite a neat trick! Second, the ads claimed it chronicled EVERY musical produced in New York -- in fact, it includes very few off Broadway shows, even famous ones. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chronology    2. Genres & Styles - Musicals    3. History & Criticism - General    4. Music    5. Music/Songbooks    6. Musical theater    7. New York    8. New York (State)    9. Reference    10. Theater    11. Theater - Broadway & Musical Revue    12. Theater - History & Criticism    13. Theater Music    14. 20th century    15. Music / Musicals    16. Music | Reference    17. Musical theatre    18. Reference works    19. USA    20. c 1800 to c 1900   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (30)

Great Companion!!!
I got this out of the library when it first came out and I must have renewed it like about 30 times!! So I decided to buy it so wouldn't annoy the librarian :)A must have for any A.L.W. musical phans.

I was pleased!
I was very happy with this book!I had read some of the reviews before purchasing it saying that it wasn't what people had expected, didn't like the added screenplay, etc.But since I was a huge fan of the play, (and as it turns out, the movie) I really enjoyed this companion book.I thought it was really interesting to learn how the play/musical came to be and how it evolved into the movie.I would definitely recommend this to any fan of the play or movie!

very disappointing
I read this book and was very disappointed in that it did not cover ONLY the movie version of the Phantom.I was not interested in anything about the stage version that was in the book.Considering the price the book should have been larger.I also thought there should be more pictures of the Phantom who is the true star of the film. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cinema/Film: Book    2. Dramatic Music    3. Film & Video - General    4. Film & Video - Guides & Reviews    5. Film & Video - History & Criticism    6. Genres & Styles - Musicals    7. Motion Pictures Of Specific Genres    8. Performing Arts    9. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    10. Theater - General    11. Films, cinema    12. MOTION PICTURE PLAYS    13. Performing Arts / Screenplays   

Subjects:  1. Performing Arts    2. Performing Arts/Dance    3. Theater - Broadway & Musical Revue    4. Musical theatre    5. Performing Arts / Broadway & Musical Revue    6. Plays & playwrights   

Reviews (8)

Very enjoyable
Since I don't really play the piano (yet), I was happy that this book came with a cd with a piano accompianist.The songs in this book don't go very high, and they are not very difficult.It is great for beginners, and the songs are familiar and fun.I do agree with the reviewer who said not to use these songs in auditions, however.The reason is that these songs are overly done, so the people doing the auditions cry inside when they hear the same song repeatedly.Great for beginners or people just trying to have fun.

Thoroughly enjoyable!
This is my favorite Amazon purchase to date. My children and I have had a lot of fun with this book.They can't read yet, but we sit around the CD player or in the car and they sing along with their Disney favorites and are learning the words to many other famous and more complicated works.South Pacific, Cats, Grease, The Phantom of the Opera, Camelot, Oklahoma, Les Miserables, . . .Classic!There is a lot that can be learned and enjoyed among the 33 titles and 158 pages of music.Well worth it.

Good book for some
I think this is a good book for learning musical theatre and voice, especially for teens and kids. However, I agree with a review below me; there are many songs in here that are overdone, and this is definitely a popular book. I always see people with this same book at auditions I go on, and (in my experience) everyone tends to do the same songs: Wouldn't it Be Loverly, I Could Have Danced All Night, On My Own, and Unexpected Song, to name a few. However, there are a few gems that people don't do as often: The Simple Joys of Maidenhood, It's a Most Unusual Day, God Help the Outcasts, etc. Even those, however, can be done over and over. This is great for the young, amateur performer, it offers good, age-appropriate songs that can really be helpful. The songs are mostly all in the mezzo range, very few go above an F on the staff or below middle C, and for the most part fall between a middle C and a D on the staff. An alternative to this book (if it doesn't sound like something you'd like) would be one of the Singer's Musical Theatre Anthologies, also in the Hal Leonard collection. They have three different (and are coming out with a fourth) volumes for each voice type, soprano, mezzo/alto, mezzo/alto belter, tenor, baritone/bass (I'm not positive those are all of them). There are more songs in them (I think there's forty-something in the first soprano volume) and have more obscure songs, much better for using on auditions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    2. Genres & Styles - Musicals    3. Instruction & Study - Voice    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Music - General    6. Music/Songbooks    7. Songbooks - Showtunes    8. Music / Voice   

Subjects:  1. Instruction & Study - Voice    2. Music    3. Music/Songbooks    4. Musical Instruments - Piano    5. Musical Instruments And Their Music    6. Songbooks - General    7. Vocal Music    8. Music / Songbooks   

Reviews (6)

This is the coolest musical
This musical is up there with Joseph and the Technicolor dreamcoat. I Love listening to it! It turns Dr. Suesses books into somthing that I can sing to which is really cool. I encourage everyone to listen to this musical I guarentee you will love it and be instantly hooked!

DELIVERY IS TERRIBLE
I love the Seussical book, because I borrowed my friends. I unfortunatly, have not recieved mine yet! I ordered it two weeks ago and it was supposed to be delivered last week. Well it still hasn't come and the tracking device is not working and hasn't been since I placed the order. I would recommend ordering this book from another site, especially if you need it in a specific amount of time.

Fantastic Selections
I must say this is one of the better compilations of vocal selections of a Broadway show out there.If you've heard the CD or seen the show, there are no surprises cause the songs play exactly as you know them.Since it's not listed anywhere else on this page, here are the songs included:Read more

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Musicals    2. Instruction & Study - Voice    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Songbooks - Popular   

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Musicals    2. Music