The Music Man

Authors

Original Authors

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Book, Music and Lyrics
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Story

Later Contributors

This list represents writers who contributed to revisions, etc. following the original production.

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Additional Lyrics
Genre: Musical Comedy

Score

Click on the title for info on the song.

Original score

Status unknown

Cut prior to opening

In score but usually not listed in playbills

Added to film version

Studio Cast Recordings

Recordings listed here were done in the studio specifically to release as recordings. They do not represent cast recordings of a particular production.

Demos & Pre-Production Recordings

  • No demo recordings listed yet.

Authors

Original Authors

...
Book, Music and Lyrics
...
Story

Later Contributors

This list represents writers who contributed to revisions, etc. following the original production.

...
Additional Lyrics
Genre: Musical Comedy

Source

From a story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey

Synopsis

Travelling con man Harold Hill arrives at staid River City intending to cheat the community with his standard scam of offering to equip and train a boy's marching band, then skip town with the money since he has no music skill anyway. Marian the librarian doesn't buy the professor's line but he convinces many of his other potential customers that the new pool table that has just been placed in the billiard parlor could mean "trouble in River City." Things go awry when he falls for her.

Trivia & History

Producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin optioned the project in 1951. Frank Loesser encouraged Meredith Willson to continue with it after the producers left. 

It has sometimes been reported that Loesser wrote "My White Knight" when Willson couldn't come up with the right song for the spot, but Barbara Cook said that the song was by Willson. In addition, the song was originally intended to be sung in counterpoint with "The Sadder-But-Wiser Girl," and it does work that way (and has been recorded that way). This seems to have been so carefully planned that it seems unlikely that Loesser supplied it as a late replacement for a song that wasn't working.

Other Titles

  • The Silver Triangle (Early title)

Audio Clips

No audio yet.