Maria (West Side Story song)

Last updated
"Maria"
Song
Published1956
Genre popular song/operatic recitative and aria [1]
Composer(s) Leonard Bernstein
Lyricist(s) Stephen Sondheim

"Maria" is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story , sung by the lead character Tony. The music was written by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The song was published in 1956.

"Maria" is sung by the male lead Tony when he learns the name of the girl he has fallen in love with at the dance in act 1, and who has been pulled away from him by her protective brother Bernardo, is "Maria". [2] The name "Maria" is spoken or sung in the song 30 times. The musical motif is announced frequently in the latter part of the preceding dance scene [3] and is continued in the ontroduction of the following balcony scene. The song was originally composed in E-flat major (following an 8-bar introduction in B major). [1] In the 1961 and 2021 film adaptations, both introduction and chorus were lowered by a whole step.[ citation needed ]

After Tony speaks her name once, the song opens with a recitative ("The most beautiful sound I ever heard") of eight bars which repeats her name ten times, before an aria begins after a key and tempo change. The tessitura of the aria rises slowly from the initial B2–G3 culminating in a B4 (with an ossia on G4). The aria ends on a sustained G4.

The song is widely known for its use of the melodic interval of a tritone in the main theme. This is also a major motif throughout the other songs in the musical. The song is an example of the use of Lydian mode, which is the same as the major scale but with an augmented fourth.

Bernstein used "Maria" for his 1992 Concert Suite No. 1 from West Side Story. [4]

Lin-Manuel Miranda used a line from its text and that line's melody for the 2017 song "Almost Like Praying" to support relief efforts in Puerto Rico in response to Hurricane Maria. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>West Side Story</i> Musical by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents; premiered in 1957

West Side Story is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Borinqueña</span> National anthem of Puerto Rico

"La Borinqueña" is the official anthem of Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rita Moreno</span> Puerto Rican singer, dancer, and actress (born 1931)

Rita Moreno is an American actress, dancer, and singer. With a career spanning eight decades she is known for her roles on stage and screen, and is one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Among her numerous accolades, she is one of the few actors to have been awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony (EGOT) and the Triple Crown of Acting. She has been honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, the National Medal of Arts in 2009, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2015, and a Peabody Award in 2019.

<i>West Side Story</i> (1961 film) 1961 film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins

West Side Story is a 1961 American musical romantic drama film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, written by Ernest Lehman, and produced by Wise. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same title, which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris and was photographed by Daniel L. Fapp in Super Panavision 70. The music was composed by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

"I Feel Pretty" is a song written by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein from the 1957 musical West Side Story.

"Tonight" is a song from the 1957 musical West Side Story. The music was composed by Leonard Bernstein, and the lyrics were written by Stephen Sondheim. The song was first published in 1956.

The "Tonight Quintet" is a number from the musical West Side Story (1957), with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Carol J. Oja has written that, "with the 'Tonight' quintet, Bernstein once again created a masterpiece of ensemble, one that rivals the best of such moments in European opera." Her remark echoes the earlier view of Will Crutchfield. In his review of the 1984 studio performance of West Side Story, which was conducted by Bernstein himself, Crutchfield wrote that the release of the recording "is above all an occasion for celebrating one of the great operas of our century. ... This idea is hotly resisted, but the best argument for it is here on the records in the music itself. I can see no reason why the 'Tonight' ensemble should not be compared to the quartet from Rigoletto."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lin-Manuel Miranda</span> American songwriter, actor, and librettist (born 1980)

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals In the Heights (2005) and Hamilton (2015), and the soundtracks for the animated films Moana (2016), Vivo, and Encanto. He has received numerous accolades including a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Grammy Awards, along with nominations for two Academy Awards. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018.

"Something's Coming" is a song from the 1957 musical West Side Story. It was composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and is sung solo by the male lead character and tenor 'Tony'. The part of Tony was played by Larry Kert in the original Broadway production, Richard Beymer in the 1961 film and Ansel Elgort in the 2021 film.

"Somewhere", sometimes referred to as "Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)" or simply "There's a Place for Us", is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story that was made into films in 1961 and 2021. The music is composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

"America" is a song from the 1957 musical West Side Story. Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics and Leonard Bernstein composed the music.

"A Boy Like That/I Have A Love" is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. In the musical, the song is sung by the characters Anita and Maria. For the original Broadway cast recording, the song was performed by Chita Rivera (Anita) and Carol Lawrence (Maria). In the 1961 film version the roles were played by Rita Moreno and Natalie Wood, but the songs were dubbed by Betty Wand and Marni Nixon. However, the repeat of the two stanzas, sung by Anita, along with Maria's counterpoint of her defense, was omitted because of the complexity of the song, as well as to avoid the repetition, which would have slowed down the pace of the film. In the 2021 film, the roles were played by Ariana DeBose and Rachel Zegler.

"One Hand, One Heart" is a song from the musical West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. It is a duet sung between Maria and Tony while they have a make-believe wedding, as seen in the stage version and 1961 film, while in the 2021 film, they sing it as they pledge their love to one another inside a church at The Cloisters as part of their date. Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence introduced it in the 1957 Broadway production.

<i>Hamilton</i> (musical) 2015 biographical musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton: An American Musical is a sung-and-rapped-through biographical musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Based on the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the musical covers the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his involvement in the American Revolution and the political history of the early United States. Composed over a seven-year period from 2008 to 2015, the music draws heavily from hip hop, as well as R&B, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes. It casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers of the United States and other historical figures. Miranda described Hamilton as about "America then, as told by America now".

"Alexander Hamilton" is the opening number for the 2015 musical Hamilton, a musical biography of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. This song features "alternately rapped and sung exposition".

<i>The Hamilton Mixtape</i> 2016 mixtape album from the musical Hamilton

The Hamilton Mixtape is a 2016 mixtape album featuring assorted songs from the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton performed by various artists, including Common, Kelly Clarkson, Wiz Khalifa, Nas, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Dessa, Miguel, Chance the Rapper, Nate Ruess, K’naan, Aloe Blacc, and the Roots. It was widely well received by critics.

Latino theatre presents a wide range of aesthetic approaches, dramatic structures, and themes, ranging from love, romance, immigration, border politics, nation building, incarceration, and social justice. Whether of a linguistic, ethnic, political, cultural or sexual nature, the plays often have a social justice component involving Latino people living in the United States. The Oxcart by René Marqués, Marisol by José Rivera, and In the Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda are examples of staged Broadway plays. There is also a strong tradition of Latino avant-garde and absurdist theatre, which double as political satires; prime examples include The Masses are Asses by Pedro Pietri and United States of Banana by Giannina Braschi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almost Like Praying</span> 2017 single by Lin-Manuel Miranda

"Almost Like Praying" is a song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and recorded by him and numerous other artists under the collective name Artists for Puerto Rico. The song was released on October 6, 2017 by Atlantic Records to support relief efforts in Puerto Rico in response to Hurricane Maria, which struck the island in September 2017. Proceeds from the song are to be donated to the victims and survivors of the hurricane. The song debuted at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Digital Songs Sales chart, selling 111,000 downloads and achieving 5.2 million streams in its first week of availability in the US. On February 8, 2018, a salsa remix of the song was released.

<i>West Side Story</i> (2021 film) 2021 film by Steven Spielberg

West Side Story is a 2021 American musical romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Tony Kushner. The second feature-length adaptation of the 1957 stage musical, which was itself inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, it stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, the latter making her film debut, with Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, and Rita Moreno in supporting roles. Moreno, who starred in the 1961 film adaptation, also served as an executive producer alongside Kushner. The film features music composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Forgotten Spot</span> Song performed by American composer Lin-Manuel Miranda

"A Forgotten Spot (Olvidado)" is a song performed by American composer Lin-Manuel Miranda along with Puerto Rican singers Zion & Lennox, De La Ghetto, Ivy Queen, PJ Sin Suela and Lucecita Benítez. It was released on September 20, 2018 by Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group. The song was written by Miranda, along with the rest of the collaborators.

References

  1. 1 2 Schmid, Rebecca (2023). Weill, Blitzstein, and Bernstein: A Study of Influence. Boydell & Brewer. p.  130. ISBN   978-1648250606.
  2. Robert Cummings. Maria, song (from West Side Story) at AllMusic
  3. Simeone, Nigel (2009). Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story. Ashgate. p.  74. ISBN   978-1351560375.
  4. "Works – Stage – West Side Story (1957)", leonardbernstein.com
  5. Diaz, Thatiana (4 October 2017). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Remaking West Side Story's 'Maria' for Puerto Rico". People . Retrieved 24 January 2025.