Broadway Standards
tagStarted 1925Peak 1930–1965Last big hit still activeFrom New York (Broadway), United States
Located in 1 route
Broadway standards are the subset of stage songs that escaped their original shows and entered long-term recital, cabaret, and pop-jazz circulation. They balance theatrical specificity with melodic and lyrical durability strong enough to survive outside costume, plot, and choreography.
History
The category formed as Broadway songs by Kern, Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Porter, Loewe, Sondheim, and others were preserved in sheet music, cast albums, and later cabaret interpretation; singers from Barbara Cook to Audra McDonald and Michael Feinstein kept these songs active not as museum pieces but as living repertory.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "The Great American Songbook" and "Musical"
- Library of Congress, "Musicals of Stage and Screen." citeturn7search28turn9search0turn9search9