What They Did for Love by Denny Martin Flinn

I've included two which you won't find on many other lists, while omitting others that, while hugely popular and widely admired, I've just never liked that much ( Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, Man of La Mancha) or which in retrospect don't seem all that significant ( Camelot, Hair, The King and I). Now, in retrospect, they serve both as a floodlight to illuminate the trends and outlooks of the past century and as a mirror to reflect the enduring ideals upon which our present culture is based.įor this brief and highly subjective survey I've picked a dozen personal favorites. And, like European opera, their appeal transcended high art - the songs often crossed over to become huge popular hits. Despite their wide range of settings, characters and plots, our Broadway shows created an experience to which generations of Americans looked for the ultimate expression of our culture. It's the American opera - our finest music, lyrics, drama, acting, dance and stagecraft rolled into one. Our true classical music is the Broadway show. Yet, we respond to it even more deeply because it's the culmination of everything our culture has to offer. Art isn't supposed to be real rather, it's a heavily stylized form of expression. But when an opera diva warbles such things, we know that every note is precisely scripted, every inflection carefully planned and every gesture fully rehearsed. When a folk singer bemoans social injustice, or a blues wailer the world's cruelties, or a torch vocalist her broken heart we respond because we feel it as spontaneous, heartfelt and personal. And, coming from New York, I should have known better. That effort ultimately failed, defeated by the huge profusion of material we embrace as our own.

In a previous column, I had looked to the New York Philharmonic's sweeping ∺merican Celebration box set as a key to defining American classical music.

The broadway show is America's true classical music, boasting our finest composition, lyrics, drama, acting, dance and stagecraft rolled into one.

What They Did for Love by Denny Martin Flinn