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On Sondheim

Sondheim's "Hat Box" makes me a little sentimental; specifically, it makes me think of Matisse in old age, finding ways to make cut-outs after his physical powers had started to fly away. (Maybe Sondheim would hate this comparison.)

My favorite part of "Hat Box" is a discussion of the first line of "Sweeney Todd": "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd."

You hear it, and maybe you don't think much about it. But here's what Sondheim thought. He thought: (1) The alliteration is (covertly) memorable. "Tend, tale, Todd." He thought: (2) It's great to have a slightly archaic use of "attend" in this musical. "Attend," in Victorian times, could mean "PAY ATTENTION TO." Content should dictate form. Of course your Victorian hosts would say: "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd."

I think he noted, also, (3) "the tale of...." is a pleasingly old-fashioned way of packaging a message. "The Tale Of...." "The Ballad Of...." Instructive tales are an idea Sondheim would return to in "Assassins," when, once again, he needed to be deliberately old-fashioned. "The Ballad of Guiteau." "The Ballad of Booth."

More later....

P.S. Sondheim actually goes into greater depth in his discussion of this one--one!--sentence. See the link: https://genius.com/17072786
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