#04 - Seeking Sondheim in the Stacks: Mark Eden Horowitz

Barry is joined by Mark Eden Horowitz, a senior music specialist at the Library of Congress, to explore the lesser-known aspects of Sondheim's gaming legacy that can be found in their collections. The conversation spans the new Sondheim archives recently acquired by the Library, including his music and lyric sketches, manuscripts, and rare items like personal scrapbooks. Mark shares anecdotes about Sondheim's unique board games created for friends, like The Great Conductor Hunt and Stardom, and his involvement in digital games, emphasizing his lifelong passion for puzzles and games. The episode includes an analysis of an extremely rare recording from 1968 created by Sondheim for his friend and colleague Leonard Bernstein. The episode also includes an analysis of a mysterious, unsolved manuscript from the collection, urging listeners to explore it further. This engaging dialogue offers new insights into Sondheim’s creative genius, showcasing his meticulous work ethic and multifaceted interests, and the importance of publicly-accessible research collections.

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00:00 A Moving Experience with Sondheim

00:46 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest

01:45 The State of Sondheim Archives

03:47 Exploring the Library of Congress

06:15 The Leonard Bernstein Collection

09:26 Mark's First Meeting with Sondheim

13:08 Creating 'Sondheim on Music'

16:57 Sondheim's Board Game Designs

27:07 Sondheim's Fascination with The Fool's Errand

28:53 Sondheim's Potential Career Shift to Game Design

30:23 Sondheim's Love for Video Games

33:30 Sondheim's Board Game Design for Leonard Bernstein

43:12 Exploring Sondheim's Unsolved Mysteries

45:12 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically transcription and text editing by Jenny Westfall, the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.

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