Marvin Hamlisch's Impact: From Ragtime to Broadway Riches

Scott Joplin was a footnote in American musical history before Marvin Hamlisch got ahold of his ragtime music from the 1890s and early 20th century.  Hamlisch arranged Joplin piano rags for "The Sting" to create a song-based score that connected with American audiences in a way instrumental music rarely does. His take on "The Entertainer," which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in 1974, was ubiquitous on radio in its day, much like Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" or OutKast's "Hey Ya."

It was 72-year-old song and everyone could hum Hamlisch's version.

That was the magic of Hamlisch, whose talents came into public view in 1973 with the films "The Sting" and "The Way We Were." His nerdy appearance suggested professor or critic, his writing spoke to a love of classic melodies that fell easy on the ears. As evidenced by  versions of "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand (No. 1 in 1973 for three weeks)  and Gladys Knight, he provided great singers with a tune to sink their teeth into.

Hamlisch died Monday at the age of 68. He was one of fewer than a dozen people how have won an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy and a Tony; only Hamlisch and Richard Rodgers have that quartet of awards plus a Pulitzer.

Hamlisch's wins, though, were for landmark works that penetrated the American consciousness. His Tony and Pulitzer were for "A Chorus Line," the 1975 Broadway show that rewrote the rules for American musicals. His Emmys were for Streisand's HBO concert in 1994 - a taping of a show that Time magazine named "The Music Event of the Century" - and "AFI's 100 Years … 100 Movies."

One of his  Grammys was for best new artist; his three Oscar wins were all for his 1973 work on "The Sting" and "The Way We Were."

Viewing Hamlisch through an awards lens suggest a Zeitgeist moment where the American mainstream was in a state of unprecedented disruption. The Vietnam War's conclusion, Watergate, Nixon's resignation, New York City's financial crisis, the energy crisis and the dawning of disco.

Hamlisch  offered a musical respite, a retreat to the familiar -- nostalgia without specific, if you will, memories. Examinations of romantic relationships seemed to be his forte - "They're Playing Our Song," written with Carole Bayer Sager, is one of the theater's great two-hander musicals; his scores for "Ordinary People," known for its use of Pachelbel's Canon in D, and "Sophie's Choice" display his finesse with the darker side of reality.  Not surprisingly, Hamlisch's music could be frequently heard in the plays and films of Neil Simon, the theater's comedic genius of the '70s and '80s.

Hamlisch's career stretched from the mid-1960s when a song he co-wrote for Lesley Gore, "California Nights,"  made it into an episode of the TV show "Batman" and to the score of  HBO's upcoming Liberace biopic with Matt Damon, "Behind the Candelabra." He was working on a new musical "Gotta Dance" and had planned to fly to Nashville this week to see "The Nutty Professor," his musical written with Rupert Holmes,  in its pre-Broadway run.

For all of his success as a composer, Hamlisch relied on another talent as a performer - conducting. Principal pops conductor for symphony orchestras in Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Dallas, Pasadena, Seattle and San Diego, he would soon have a similar position with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Those roles were perfect for Hamlisch, an amiable presence at the podium that thrilled audiences without pandering to the musicians. Baton in hand, Hamlisch seemed to take into consideration the people he was facing and those behind him, tackling the American songbook and his own work with serious intent and consistently pleasing audience by bringing out the joy written in the classics.

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"A Chorus Line" composer Marvin Hamlisch dies at 68

1 of 6. Award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch is shown in this publicity photo released to Reuters August 7, 2012. Hamlisch, who earned acclaim and popularity for dozens of motion picture scores including ''The Way We Were,'' has died in Los Angeles August 6, 2012 at the age of 68.

Credit: Reuters/Len Price/Handout

By Christine Kearney

NEW YORK | Tue Aug 7, 2012 5:41pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Marvin Hamlisch, the award-winning composer of "A Chorus Line" and "The Way We Were", has died suddenly at the age of 68, prompting warm tributes from Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, former U.S. first lady Nancy Reagan and dozens of stage and screen stars.

Hamlisch, the musical force behind "The Sting" and numerous other movies and Broadway shows, died in Los Angeles on Monday, a family spokesman said. He collapsed following what was called "a brief illness". Details were not made public.

Streisand, a friend of 45 years and star of romantic movie "The Way We Were", said she was "devastated" at his death and recalled how he had played at her 1998 wedding.

"When I think of him now, it was his brilliantly quick mind, his generosity and delicious sense of humor that made him a delight to be around ... He was a true musical genius but above all that, he was a beautiful human being. I will truly miss him," she added in a statement.

Hamlisch, who was working until days before his death, earned the rare distinction of winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.

Minnelli said she had been friends with Hamlisch since the age of 13 and recalled he arranged her first and second albums.

"I have lost my first lifelong best friend, and sadly we have lost a splendid, splendid talent," the singer and actress said in a statement.

STARTED CAREER AS REHEARSAL PIANIST

In a 2010 interview Hamlisch told Broadway World that in writing "The Way We Were" he was trying to match "a very yin-yang sort of movie."

He explained: "I wanted to write something that was uplifting and positive; on the other hand, there is a tremendous amount of bitter-sweetness to that film - and bittersweet romance - so it's a real duality. And that's why I think the song - though it's in the major mode - is quite sad," he said.

The New York City-born composer, raised by Jewish parents and showing an early ability to mimic music as a young child, started out his professional career as a rehearsal pianist for "Funny Girl," beginning a long history of working with Streisand. He said Streisand "has the best voice there is".

His collaborations included musical director and arranger of Streisand's 1994 U.S. concert tour, for which he won two Emmy Awards, and writing the score for Streisand's 1996 film, "The Mirror has Two Faces," for which Hamlisch earned an Oscar nomination for Streisand's and Bryan Adams duet, "I've Finally Found Someone."

His other film scores included "Sophie's Choice" and "Ordinary People" and he co-wrote the ballad "Nobody Does It Better" for the 1977 James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me".

Nancy Reagan on Tuesday recalled Hamlisch as a frequent entertainer at White House parties in the 1980s, and how he wrote a 77th birthday song for her late husband, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Hamlisch was "a dear friend and I am truly stunned by his death at such a young age ... I don't think you could ever find a more contemporary and talented musician," Reagan said in a statement.

Actress Debra Messing, star of the TV shows "Smash" and "Will & Grace", said on Twitter; "The GREAT Marvin Hamlisch passed away... What a loss. What a talent. What contributions."

Starting with 1969 film "The Swimmer," Hamlisch scored films for the next several decades, including Woody Allen's "Take the Money and Run" and "Bananas", "Save the Tiger," "Ice Castles," right up to Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant!" in 2009. He had recently been writing the score for a new Soderbergh movie based on the life of the pianist Liberace.

A CHORUS LINE

On Broadway, he won a Tony award and a Pulitzer Prize for the 1975 musical "A Chorus Line," which at the time became the most successful show on the Great White Way. He also wrote the scores for musicals "They're Playing Our Song," (1978), "The Goodbye Girl" (1993) and "Sweet Smell Of Success" (2002).

He also won four Grammy Awards including two for "The Way We Were."

Press representatives said he was scheduled to leave for Nashville later this week to see the Jerry Lewis stage-adapted comedy, "The Nutty Professor," for which he wrote the score. He had been working on a new Broadway musical called "Gotta Dance."

Hamlisch said he believed in the power of music to connect people.

"Music can make a difference. There is a global nature to music, which has the potential to bring all people together," he said on his website.

At the time of his death, he was principal pops conductor for several U.S. symphony orchestras and was scheduled to conduct the New York Philharmonic in this year's New Year's Eve concert. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Terre.

Songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who wrote the lyrics for "The Way We Were" and worked with Hamlisch on many other projects, called him "our beloved friend. He was family. The world will miss his music, his humor, his genius. We will miss him every day for the rest of our lives."

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and James Dalgleish)

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