Before I became dedicated to becoming a technology professional, I was in training to become a professional in music. I did some of the things one might do, Be

Before I became dedicated to becoming a technology professional, I was in training to become a professional in music. I did some of the things one might do, Berklee, gigging etc. While none of that panned out for me (and really shouldn't have), I still can't help but hold some of those that inspired me in awe. Stephen Sondheim was one of those people, though a bit later than some others. The quality of Sondheim's writing, both lyrical and musical, drove the craft of musical theater forward in ways that make him unique amongst innovators... you can see some of the roots of this not only in that his original mentor was Hammerstein, but in that he also studied with the likes of Milton Babbitt. The mixing of traditional popular song with the abstract thinking of academic composers led to something that I don't think could have appeared without with a songwriter from only one of these backgrounds. A truly sad day for music and theater.