Andrew Lloyd Webber Books

This is such a great book! I, myself, am a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber and his musicals. And now, I could impress my parent's company by playing one of the many beautiful songs of Evita. This is a MUST have for Evita fans!

The Broadway score of Evita is an excellent addition to any songbook library. It includes most of the popular songs, but more importantly, includes the entire libretto to this Broadway masterpiece. There are some great pictures of Patti LuPone (stunning in this role) as well as Mandy Patinkin, both tony winners, in their respective parts. The music is an intermediate mix, giving challenge to the piano player yet, still a lot of fun with all of it's rhythms and variations. I suggest getting this for anyone who likes musicals and Andrew Lloyd Webber!

What more can I say? A real and rare find! This was published in 1978- BEFORE the smash hit musical went to stage (you know, the one with Elaine Paige). My personal guess is it was Rice and Webber sharing the story of Evita in more detail, as well as a clever publicity tool for their pending musical. Basically "Evita" is a pictorial journey into the woman's life and world. Lloyd Webber fans: if you get your hands on a copy of this, you will not regret it. This is a fantastic piece of literary treasure. I trust you will be as enthralled and excited by it as I am.

The blurb:
"Eva Peron, second wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron, was a legend in her time. Born of humble parentage, she rose to become the most powerful woman Latin America, had ever seen- and a potent symbol of hope and success to thousands of Argentinians. Disliked by the aristocracy and distrusted by the military, she fought for- and won- unswerving support from her beloved 'descamisados' (the shirtless ones).

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, composer and lyricist of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat,' have charted Eva Peron's rapid rise to fame and power in this compelling photo-documentary- the official book of their opera 'EVITA'. It includes the complete lyrics (many of them revised since the release of the acclaimed double album in 1976), extensive commentaries on those lyrics which trace the lives of the Perons and discuss the roles of Che, Magaldi and other, many photographs, and an explanation of the musical development of the opera.

Strikingly original in it's inception, imaginative, stylish and powerful in its execution. Evita is a story laced with political upheaval, corruption, intrigue and passion. It is, above all, the story of one of the most remarkable women of our time."

Definitely get a copy of this one if you can people, as it won't be around forever!

It was an excellent buy!!! It does complement my DVD and CD from the motion picture. I play guitar and it does exactly what I needed to play and sing with.

I didn't even notice this book was for a clarinet (I wanted a piano version), and so I was disappointed when I got it... my own dumb fault....
On the cheerier side.... I also play the violin some so I am able to use it for that. The arrangements are nice, not too hard!

I think this sheet music is amazing. It was exactly what I wanted. And, like the seller said, it was in excellent condition. This shows there are some trustworthy sellers online.

This book was an extraordinary adventure for me, as I wrote it {and I did write the ENTIRE book} within two years of leaving The New York Times and setting out on a new area, the world of film and film music and rock and rock opera. I was heavily involved for a year working with, advising The Who, Neil Diamond, Rick Nelson, even Lorretta Lynn and Brenda Lee. I had the distinct honor of introducing Elton John to the U.S. in his first appearances in New York and Philadelphia. Then came my time as manager of artist relations for MCA, and meeting Tim Rice, who's been a friend since, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who's been an acquaintance since (I'm sure he has some friends, I just don't know that many of them, as they tend to be royalty or very upper class British). I was there with them from one of their first visits to the U.S., when they had very little money and actually had to stay in my apartment, to the debut of their rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar and on to the movie and their other works, such as Evita, Chess, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, etc.

I consider myself so very blessed to have been in the "right" place at the "right" time and to have participated in their/these lives and careers.

And if it had not been for Loretta, I would never have renewed my interest in Patsy Cline and written so often of her.

Rock Opera:The Creation of Jesus Christ Superstar is worth the price if only for the incredible photo gallery. Of course, I hope you find the writing interesting, too.

I am amazed at how many people still treasure this book and how many colleges use it in their theater courses.

Ellis Nassour, New York, July 2001

I'm obsessive-compulsive, and one of my most consuming love affairs was with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. I first saw Phantom on my first trip to Toronto in 1992, and proceeded to see it three more times at the Pantages Theatre in the coming years. I would listen to the CDs endlessly, memorized the libretto, and bought any Phantom-related merchandise I could get my hands on, including the sheet music. At the time, I was a beginning piano student, so I purchased the Easy Piano edition, but soon after purchased the regular piano sheet music.

Nine songs from the musical are featured: Think of Me, Angel of Music, The Phantom of the Opera, Music of the Night, Prima Donna, All I Ask of You, Masquerade, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, and The Point of No Return. There are also an extensive series of stage photographs (some color, some black and white) sprinkled throughout, as well as brief bios on Lloyd Webber (composer), Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe (lyrics).

Many have argued the merit (or lack) of Lloyd Webber's composing abilities, so I'll not get into that here. The nine arrangements are piano solos (unlike some transcriptions, where the piano is relegated to the role of accompanist) of intermediate difficulty that are faithful to the stage and recorded versions, with sweeping hints of strings captured in the fluid, expressive left-hand ornaments and a foreboding sense of dread in the pounding octave baseline introduced in Angel of Music that provides a nice segue into Phantom of the Opera. Generally, the fingering is not difficult, although there's a sticky chord progression at the beginning of Phantom of the Opera that took me some practice to hammer out.

Showstopper Music of the Night is given a gentle, lullaby-like quality with a low-key arrangement for left hand, letting the melody shine. The enchanting, music-box-like Prima Donna is transformed into a slow waltz that echoes the haunting minor chord progression from Phantom of the Opera. The other standout is Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, a fragile, bell-like minor melody that blooms into an impassioned chorus and an ending that hauntingly fades away.

The learning curve is generally short, with the exception of some tricky chord progressions on Phantom, Prima Donna, and Point of No Return, and intermediate to advanced piano students should feel right at home. Note that this arrangement is piano and voice; there are no guitar tabs provided, only chords. A perfect give for your phavorite Phantom phan.

This is the Easy Piano version, but it is perfect for my needs. Love the Phantom of the Opera Theme. Definitely recommended if you are a beginner and like the music of the Phantom of the Opera.

Even though this book says "Easy Piano", it's not so easy that it's not at all challenging for an intermediate player. The songs are relatively true to life, considering their level. It also has beautiful pictures from the opera itself.

Just a caveat. This work is not correctly labeled. If you want the Easy Piano music, then I'm sure this is great.
After I received it, I realized that the cover pic does show the 'easy' label, but is too small to be legible unless you know what you are looking for. The write up does not indicate the 'easy' specification.
So, my low rating is for the mislabeling. And the fact that the mistake was not evident until I received my order caused problems with gifts.

Please read the notation before buying this. I did not and I learned a lesson. This is for beginners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the story. It is very interesting. Other people might love the story as well; It has a different version on what is the actual opera show has; and that makes the story more successful. I love the whole side of the story.... the characters, the set-ups, the pacing and the musics. Being a phantom opera fan, I am not disappointed. Well, infact the directors and the whole cast was very amazing. The story captures the all the things you cannot imagine on the phantom of the opera alone. I will always love the movie....

I cannot say enough about this book. If you loved the movie version of POTO than this is a MUST for you. IT goes into the history of the story and right up to the movie made in 2004. I've turned mine into a scrapbook. I've printed out pictures from the movie off the internet and have included them in many of the pages here. If you especially liked Gerard Butler as the Phantom...buy it!! You will not be sorry.

This book is a must-have for any Phantom of the Opera fan. The Complete Phantom of the Opera by George Perry is more detailed on the story behind the musical, but as an updated version that includes info and pictures from the movie, this book is essential to any true "Phan".

A must have book for anyone who loved the movie or the play. I have seen both ways and enjoyed the book just as much. This was a wonderful ensight into how the movie was made and all the work to make the movie possible.

Being a die-hard phan (as most of you reading this probably are as well), I devour nearly anything related to our man in the mask. After seeing (and totally loving!) the 2004 movie with Gerard Butler, I bought this companion book as soon as possible. It contains very interesting background information from the Phantom's beginnings in the G. Leroux novel, continuing through almost every incarnation of him up to and including the 2004 movie. It was nice to read so much background detail. The last part of this book contains the screenplay. Before ordering this book, I had thought this section would read as more of a "novel" of the movie rather than a movie script itself, so I was a bit disappointed by that. The text is a little choppy at times, but it is interesting nonetheless and provides certain insights you cannot know simply from watching the movie. I would say this book is more of the fluffy, "coffee-table" material for casual reading. Very pretty throughout - nice pictures - an overall good addition to any phan's collection.

Memories...CATs is one of the longest running plays of all times. A must see if you ever get the opportunity - take in this show.

I read a review that said the pictures were crisp. I ordered the book and found the pictures to be blurry and unprofessional. They look like they were taken from the front row during a performance with the wrong film speed and light setting on the camera. I was very disappointed with the pictures and overall quality of the book. This is not a high quality book of the musical, but I can't seem to find any other book about the broadway musical that contains pictures. Too bad.

Well There's Not much to it...
Some info about T. S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Others
Lyrics from the Songs which i like
And Pictures of the Original Broadway Cast
A bit pricey for just that...
Still A Good Book...

I am a big fan of Cats(we're talkin' realy big!I know all the lyrics and dances)and I found this book a great addition to my Cats Collection,which includes greasepaint, Old Possum's Book, T-Shirt,hat, sweatshirt,ORIGINAL BROADWAY COSTUME WORN BY CYNTHIA ONRUBIA(VICTORIA), fan-made costume, A WIG WORN BY VEERLE CASTELYN(JEMIMA), 5 CDs, Video, 2 DVDs, ticket stubs, autographs, program, magnets, letters from actors, and a WIG WORN BY CYNTHIA ONRUBIA THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY VICTORIA. This book is wonderful and added to my huge collection. It might not be as valuble as the two wigs or the costume, but it is still a cool book!

I loved the stage musical and didn't understand a word except for "Memories". And I love the video to death. But this book is no way a companion to the video, unless you're just looking for the words to the songs. In that case you've spent way too much (the lyrics can be had on the WEB)! The cast in this book is different than the Video and if you have young kids who love the video like mine do, they are going to ask (and say)"Why daddy does Gus look different, or that's not Gus". The only worth while text is from Andrew Llyod Webber and it happens to be the shortest article of the 4 included. I was disappointed to say the least and in hind sight find that 99% of the reviews are "irrationally" positive and not at all realistic.