'Defying Gravity' & 'Godspell' Books Celebrate Stephen Schwartz

PHOTO: Authors Carol de Giere and Gregory Maguire at opening night for Wicked the musical in San Francisco in 2003

Stephen Schwartz fans need to check out these two books by Carol de Giere. After meeting this author while reviewing a new musical, I downloaded a sample chapter of 'Defying Gravity' and learned much about the early life and career of one of my favorite composers.

The only Stephen Schwartz biography

Defying Gravity: the Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked

Defying Gravity takes readers into the creative world of Broadway and film composer Stephen Schwartz, from writing Godspell's score at age 23 through the making of the megahit musical Wicked.

When twenty-three-year-old Stephen Schwartz wrote the score for Godspell in 1971, he launched a legendary career in musical theatre and film that included the blockbuster Broadway hits Pippin, The Magic Show, and Wicked. The Academy Award-winning songwriter also wrote lyrics for three Disney movies (Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted), as well as original songs for the DreamWorks feature The Prince of Egypt.

For this first authorized career biography on Schwartz, author Carol de Giere draws from eighty hours of interviews with the songwriter, as well as from interviews with his colleagues, friends, and family members. The book delves into the challenging issues of collaboration and the decisions that led to phenomenal hits as well as expensive flops. It includes many never-before-told stories, a series of "Creativity Notes" with insights about artistic life, and more than 200 photographs and illustrations.

Copies are available through these sources: Ordering sources:Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked.

A revised second edition is being planned for 2018 or later, with updates and cuts.

Read this book in PRINT or EBOOK format on your Kindle, Ipad, Nook, other tablets, on your PC or phones. The tablet versions include many photos in full color.

Sample Chapter - WICKED: Sample chapter from the Wicked section - "Landing in Oz" chapter 16 [PDF file opens in new window]

The Godspell Experience

Carol de Giere's new book The Godspell Experience: Inside a Transformative Musical covers all things Godspell, especially in its historical context.

The book provides an account of the musical's creative history, notes about each song, never-before-published photographs, Godspell movie development details, complete lyrics, and much more. In his Foreword for The Godspell Experience, composer Stephen Schwartz shares some of his favorite personal memories from the earliest days of Godspell.

For more information, check out the author's comprehensive website.