Stephen Sondheim 10 Personal Facts, Biography, Wiki
American composer Born: March 22, 1930, New York, New York, United States Died: November 26, 2021, Roxbury, Connecticut, United States Spouse: Jeff Romley (m. 2017–2021) Record labels: Nonesuch Records Inc., Columbia Records Birthday: March 22, 1930 Died At Age: 91 Sun Sign: Aries Also Known As: Stephen Joshua Sondheim Born Country: United States Born In: New York City Famous As: American Composer Spouse/Ex-: Jeffrey Scott Romley Father: Herbert Sondheim Mother: Etta Janet Died On: November 26, 2021 Place Of Death: Connecticut City: New York City U.S. State: New Yorkers Education: George School, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York Military Academy, Williams College
Stephen Sondheim 10 Pics, Photos, Pictures
Stephen Sondheim 10 Fast Facts, Biography, Wiki
Sondheim was often described as introverted and solitary. In an interview with Frank Rich, he said: “The outsider feeling—somebody who people want to both kiss and kill—occurred quite early in my life”. Sondheim jokingly told the New York Times in 1966: “I’ve never found anybody I could work with as quickly as myself, or with less argument”, although he described himself as “naturally a collaborative animal”. Sondheim came out as gay when he was about 40. He rarely discussed his personal life, though he said in 2013 that he had not been in love before he turned 60, when he entered into a roughly eight-year relationship with dramatist Peter Jones. Sondheim married Jeffrey Scott Romley, a digital technologist, in 2017; they lived in Manhattan and Roxbury, Connecticut. In 2010–2011, Sondheim published, in two volumes, his autobiography, Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes and Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981–2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany. The memoir included Sondheim’s lyrical declaration of principle, stating that four principles underpinned “everything I’ve ever written”. These were: “Content Dictates Form, Less is More, God is in the Details – all in the service of Clarity.” In Six by Sondheim, James Lapine’s 2013 documentary film about the creative process, Sondheim revealed that he liked to write his music lying down and would occasionally have a cocktail to help him write. Sondheim died at his home in Roxbury on November 26, 2021, at the age of 91. Stephen Sondheim was born on 22 March 1990, to Etta Janet and Herbert Sondheim, in New York City. His father was a dress manufacturer and his mother a fashion designer. Sondheim studied at ‘Fieldston School’ and later joined the ‘New York Military Academy’. He started learning piano from a very young age. When he was ten years old, his parents divorced and he moved to rural Pennsylvania with his mother. The famous songwriter Oscar Hammerstein II was one of his neighbours and under his tutelage, Sondheim learned a lot about musical theatre. He studied in George School in Pennsylvania, where he also wrote his first musical, ‘By George!’ which became extremely popular in the school. He graduated in 1946. He enrolled at ‘Williams College’ in 1946 and during these years, wrote four musicals under Hammerstein’s guidance. After his graduation, he won the ‘Hutchinson Prize’ which enabled him to study composition for two years under renowned composer Milton Babbitt. Stephen Sondheim endured a neglected childhood and had a bitter and difficult relationship with his mother. Post his parents’ divorce, after moving to rural Pennsylvania in 1940, he formed a close relationship with Oscar Hammerstein II. Apart from tutoring him in musical theatre, Hammerstein was like a father-figure to Sondheim. He was a homosexual and was involved in some short-lived relationships during the 1970s and the 1980s. His first long-term relationship was with dramatist Peter Jones. In 2017, he married partner Jeffrey Scott Romley. Stephen Sondheim was also a puzzle enthusiast and published many cryptic crosswords in ‘New York Magazine’. In 2010, many concerts were held in celebration of Sondheim’s 80th birthday. The ‘New York Philharmonic’, for which Sondheim was the conductor in the 1960s, organized a concert titled ‘Sondheim: The Birthday Concert’. It featured many of Sondheim’s music and songs, some of which were performed by the original performers.
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