Thursday, March 19, 1998
Composer enters spotlight with debut album, concert
MUSIC: Stephen Schwartz avoids critics as he extends his resume
beyond feature film soundtracks
By Laura Noguera
Daily Bruin Contributor
Do nothing, say nothing – be nothing. That’s what the
motivational sign hanging on a songwriter’s door reads. Those are
the three simple steps for avoiding criticism.
But this songwriter has done and said something. He is Stephen
Schwartz, composer, songwriter and singer. Schwartz has written
songs since the age of seven, but just last year released his first
album and has yet to perform in Los Angeles. On March 27, Schwartz
is making his only Los Angeles appearance at UCLA’s Schoenberg
Hall. Despite the sign on his door, Schwartz is doing everything
.
"You never know where a door is going to open and why," Schwartz
says. "So you should just walk through all of them."
Having written songs and music compositions, including the score
for "Godspell," Schwartz’s next step was to release an album. Last
year the composer-turned-recording-artist created an album in a
style reflective of his musical theater background.
"It’s contemporary pop with a slight theatrical flavor," says
Michael Kerker, director of musical theater at the American Society
of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Songs from Schwartz’s album, "Reluctant Pilgrim," comprise the
majority of the UCLA concert. The unfamiliar material makes
Schwartz anxious about audience reactions.
"It takes more energy from an audience to listen to new songs
than to sit and listen to songs they already know," Schwartz
says.
With only jingles and back up vocals as his singing credits,
"Reluctant Pilgrim" is Schwartz’s first solo act attempt. Now a
band backs up his vocals in live performances, as he stands in the
spotlight delivering his original songs.
"People seem to like (my songs) and be amazed that I can
actually sing," Schwartz says.
However, some critics recommend that Schwartz limit himself to
his music compositions instead of singing. Like a veteran, Schwartz
overcomes criticism using a simple policy – he does not read
reviews.
"I found dealing with critics, whether they were saying positive
or negative things, very difficult and quite destructive to me,"
Schwartz says. "So I just stopped reading them."
Following the "Pocahontas" opening, Schwartz received
exceptional reviews for his collaboration with Alan Menken on the
film’s soundtrack.
Friends urged him to read the reviews, but Schwartz says, "I
completely refused. I just said, ‘No, I don’t read reviews. If I
read the good ones, then I have to read the bad ones.’"
The "Pocahontas" soundtrack handed Schwartz critic appraisal,
and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed him his
second Oscar. The film’s success established Schwartz’s animated
feature career, and led to work on other films like "Hunchback of
Notre Dame" and DreamWorks’ first animated feature, "Prince of
Egypt."
"It never occurred to me, even in my fantasies of being a
theater writer and writing all these musicals, that what I would
wind up doing would be working in Hollywood and doing animated
features."
Schwartz is offered these features because Hollywood knows of
his experience and knowledge, working with giants like Leonard
Bernstein, nearly mastering his songwriting techniques that get him
inside characters.
"You’re thinking about what the character is feeling or wants
and try to have a sense of how the character expresses him or
herself," Schwartz says. "Then that just comes out as words and has
to be shaped into lyrics."
While his animated feature soundtracks express those characters’
mentalities, the Schwartz mentality expressed on his album and in
performance intrigues audiences.
"His lyrics are sensitive," Kerker says. "They are heartfelt and
filled with emotion."
The pressure to write the perfect lyrics has caused Schwartz one
memorable case of songwriter’s block. Schwartz’s constrainment
ended after a fellow songwriter advised him to stop trying to be
the editor.
"I realized that he was right," Schwartz says. "You have to stop
being the editor and be the writer and stop worrying about whether
things are good or not."
That episode was the last block Schwartz admits to having. The
next time he finds himself struggling with a block or critics, he
should look to the sign on his door for encouragement.
"I’ll take a look at that," Schwartz says, "and realize that the
alternative to not getting criticized is not to do anything at
all."
MUSIC: Stephen Schwartz will perform his show "Reluctant
Pilgrim" at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall March 27 at 8 p.m. For tickets
and more information, call (310) 825-2101.