The art and craft of Stephen Schwartz

Stephen Schwartz

"I like to come into a song from familiar musical territory and work my way into a new idea."

Work by Stephen Schwartz BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE, title song (play and movie) 1969 GODSPELL, music and new lyrics 1971 MASS, English texts (in collaboration with Leonard Bernstein) 1971 PIPPIN, music and lyrics, 1972 THE MAGIC SHOW, music and lyrics, 1974 THE BAKER'S WIFE, music and lyrics, 1976 THE PERFECT PEACH (children's book), 1977 WORKING, adaptation, four songs, direction, 1978 (co-directed television adaptation with Kirk Browning for PBS-TV, American Playhouse, 1981) PERSONALS (music, three songs) 1985 CAPTAIN LOUIE (children's show), music and lyrics, 1986 RAGS, lyrics, 1986 CHILDREN OF EDEN, music and lyrics, 1991 POCAHONTAS, lyrics, 1995 THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, lyrics, 1996 RELUCTANT PILGRIM, CD of eleven songs, 1997 THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, music and lyrics, 1998 GEPPETTO, music and lyrics, 2000 UNCHARTED TERRITORY, CD of eleven songs, 2001 WICKED, music and lyrics, 2003

Equally adept as a lyricist and composer, Stephen Schwartz has enjoyed one of the most prolific and honored careers in history of modern musical theater. Winner of three Oscars, three G RAMMYS , four Drama Desk Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, the five-time Tony nominee's career began with the title song to the stage and screen productions of 1969's Butterflies Are Free , followed by a string of hits like Godspell , Pippin , and The Magic Show . Schwartz continues to enjoy success with films like Pocahontas and Prince of Egypt , as well as the Broadway blockbuster Wicked.

Schwartz, who directs the annual ASCAP Foundation/Disney Musical Theatre Workshops in Los Angeles and New York (which resumes in 2010), is the rare writer who's had hits working both on his own and in collaboration with other composers. "I always knew I wanted to write formusical theater," says the native New Yorker, who, after studying at Juilliard while still in high school, got a BFA in drama at Carnegie Mellon. "I studied directing, but the most valuable class was the acting class."

Talk about your writing method.
It's different if I'm working on a song for myself or if I'm working on a specific assignment, like a musical. Having spent so many years writing for specific projects, I 'assign' it to myself as if I was working on something else. If I get an idea for something, I go about it like it's an assignment.

Do you start with music or lyrics?
My work is usually story or idea driven: Step one is to figure out what the song is about. What am I trying to say? What are the main events of the song? My work is so much about dramatic storytelling, so I tend to like to start with a concept or title, as opposed to starting with a melody. I like to zero in on the title; that helps me define the concept.

Then it can develop a number of different ways, and that can depend on whether I'm collaborating or working on my own. For example, on Enchanted, where I worked with Alan Mencken (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast) we'd talk about what the song is trying to do, and then he'd sit at the piano while I'd listen and respond to what he was playing.

On Wicked, the music and lyrics process was less clearly defined. I'd come up with hints of melody and find hints of lyrics. Mostly, the music leads. Before I got down to specific ideas, I did some musical sketches that belong in that world. Songs like "Defying Gravity" and "Opening" started as music.

How strictly do you stick to the thematic concept you've established?
Sometimes the music goes someplace different–and then the lyric will change. But the title and concept are a way into the song. The "journey" for the music is to emotionally express the concept and tell the story. Everything is in service of the story.

What instrument do you use to compose?
I always work at the keyboard with my hands on the keys. Years ago I'd occasionally write a song on guitar. Rarely, I will use a drum loop.

I know writers who work away from the piano because they don't want to be limited by their technique. But for me the accidents and discoveries outweigh the fear of writing the same things over and over again.

When you're writing music, what's your 'perspiration-to-inspiration' ratio?
I like to come into a song from familiar musical territory and work my way into a new idea. Sometimes I'll just play a song I know and let it lead me somewhere else.

Writing music for a character is like method acting. What is the character feeling? And what should that feeling sound like? You follow that path and once you're in, the rest takes over.

My voice also plays a role in the writing process. I have a good range so I can sing parts.

What are the ingredients of a great song?
Structure is important: Ultimately, a song needs structure so the listener can perceive it. Repetition, coming back to certain themes, is an important tool for communication. Some songs determine their own structure; something musical develops out of ideas suggested in the lyric.

We've talked about how you create the concept, but how do the specific lyrics come together?
The first part of the process is the accumulation of ideas. I don't write in a linear way: "first line this/next line that." I work off the title, and see what words rhyme with words in the title, then scribble phrases, chunks of thought. Sometimes the notes are related to musical ideas. They can go on for a few pages, and then, I'll see a line and say "that's where the song should start."

What obstacles can stop the creative flow and how do you combat them?
Being the "editor" too soon–you have to stop being the editor and go back to being the "dumb" writer. The writer in us throws stuff out there; the editor chooses what to keep and discard. If you're judgmental too soon, you impede the flow of inspiration. Being aware of that has been useful in solving problems. The young go on instinct and talent. As you get older and have to meet deadlines, you become conscious of process and can draw on your experience to get it done.