The Arts Society Surrey Area Autumn Lecture

Dr John Snelson  ' I Know it so well: musicals and their inescapable hit songs'

Dr John Snelson will present two lectures that will explore the world of musicals.

Dr John Snelson has been fascinated by musicals all his life, he is an expert on musical theatre. He has written a number of books including Reviewing the Situation: the British Musical from Noel Coward to Lionel Bart and one on Andrew Lloyd Webber. He has given talks on musical theatre and opera for organisations such as the ENO, BBC Radio and the Royal Opera House. He also finds time to lecture at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Rose Bruford College.

EVENT TITLE: ‘I Know it So Well’: Musicals and their Inescapable Hit Songs

You know that song so well, but don’t know what it’s from. It’s a familiar experience. This Special Interest event will explore how musicals have created so many popular songs that have become part of our shared cultural memory. First, an overview charts 100 years of stage hits and the changes in the nature of musical theatre. Next, we look at examples of some famous numbers that illustrate the different ways in which songs from shows have spread beyond the stage. Such classic creators as Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Noel Gay, Lionel Bart, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim feature in this celebration of musical theatre on stage and beyond. The presentation is illustrated throughout with plenty of images, audio and video examples and live demonstration from the piano. 

Lecture 1: From Hit Show to Song Standard A run-down of classic musicals, their inescapable hit songs and their relationship to the commercial world of popular and pop songs. The first presentation looks at the ascendancy of musicals within popular culture from the start of the twentieth century through to today. The journey takes in Broadway and the West End, the big names of composers and lyricists, and the relationship of a whole show to its ‘hit’ numbers. Demonstration from the piano, images and recordings illustrate the evolving relationship of musicals and their famous songs to popular culture.
Lecture 2: A Life Beyond the Musical A demonstration of the many ways in which songs have left the musical theatre stage and found their way into popular culture and everyday life. The second lecture takes some well-known songs drawn from fifty years of musicals. Demonstration from the piano, with audio and video examples, draws out what makes different types of song so effective and explores the different routes through which they have become part of a much wider popular cultural landscape and heritage beyond their stage origins. Songs range from Gershwin’s ‘I Got Rhythm’ to Sondheim’s ‘Send in the Clowns’.

10:00-10:30 Coffee/Tea

10:30-11:30 Lecture 1

11:30-12:00 Coffee/Tea

12:00-13:00 Lecture 2