Sam Pottle
Encyclopedia
Sam Pottle was an American composer
, conductor
, and musical director involved in many theatrical and television productions. He is perhaps best remembered for his work on Sesame Street
and The Muppet Show
, having co-written the now-famous theme song for the latter. However, Sam Pottle was also involved with many theatrical productions in the 1960s and 1970s.
Pottle graduated from Yale
in 1955.
Sam Pottle died on 4 July 1978. His muse, partner, and fellow Sesame writer Charles Choset dedicated the 1982 plays Letters to Ben and The Messiah to him.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, and musical director involved in many theatrical and television productions. He is perhaps best remembered for his work on Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
and The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, having co-written the now-famous theme song for the latter. However, Sam Pottle was also involved with many theatrical productions in the 1960s and 1970s.
Pottle graduated from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
in 1955.
Sam Pottle died on 4 July 1978. His muse, partner, and fellow Sesame writer Charles Choset dedicated the 1982 plays Letters to Ben and The Messiah to him.
Theatre
- The Mad ShowThe Mad ShowThe Mad Show is an Off-Broadway musical revue based on Mad Magazine. The music is by Mary Rodgers, the book by Larry Siegel and Stan Hart. The show's various lyricists include Siegel, Marshall Barer, Steven Vinaver, and Stephen Sondheim.-Production:...
(BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, 1966) - conductor - Keep Tightly Closed in a Cool Dry Place (La MaMa Experimental Theatre ClubLa MaMa Experimental Theatre ClubLa MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
, 1968) - composer - Cry for Us AllCry for Us AllCry for Us All is a musical with a book by William Alfred and Albert Marre, lyrics by Alfred and Phyllis Robinson, and music by Mitch Leigh. In response to poor advance sales, the title was...
(Broadway, 1970) - musical supervisor - The Meehans (1977) - composer
- MoneyMoney (play)Money is a comic play by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. It premiered at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 8 December 1840.-Production history:The play was revived at the Royal National Theatre in 1999, directed by John Caird and with a cast including Jasper Britton, Roger Allam, Simon Russell Beale, Sophie...
- musical supervisor
Sesame Street
- Musical director
- Composer
-
- "A Very Simple Dance" - (with Carol HallCarol HallCarol Hall is an American composer and lyricist, born in Abilene, Texas.Hall is best known for composing the music and lyrics for the Broadway stage musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas...
) - 1974 - "The Transylvania Polka" (with Tony GeissTony GeissTony Geiss was an award-winning producer, scriptwriter, songwriter and author, known principally for his children's work....
) - 1974 - "I Just Adore Four" (with Joseph A. Bailey) - 1974
- "What's the Name of That Song?" (with David AxlerodDavid Axelrod (musician)David Axelrod is an American composer, arranger and producer, working in several musical genres.-Biography:...
) - 1974 - "I Want a Monster to Be My Friend" (with Robert PierceRobert PierceRobert Pierce is best known as the founder of the international charity organization World Vision in 1950...
) - 1975 - "Counting Is Wonderful" (with Emily KingsleyEmily KingsleyEmily Perl Kingsley is a writer who joined the Sesame Street team in 1970 and has been writing for the show ever since.Her son Jason Kingsley was born with Down Syndrome in 1974. At the time of his birth, it was commonly believed that children with Down Syndrome could never learn to walk or talk...
and David Axlerod) - 1975 - "Proud of Me" (with Carol Hall) - 1976
- "Como Estas" (with Charles Choset) - 1977
- "Count Up To Nine" (with David Axlerod) - 1977
- "Sing After Me" (with Tony GeissTony GeissTony Geiss was an award-winning producer, scriptwriter, songwriter and author, known principally for his children's work....
) - 1977 - "This Frog" (with David Axlerod) - 1977
- "Keep Christmas With You (All Through the Year)" (with David Axlerod) - for Christmas Eve on Sesame StreetChristmas Eve on Sesame StreetChristmas Eve on Sesame Street is a Sesame Street Christmas special first broadcast on PBS on December 3, 1978.-Plot:The opening features the inhabitants of Sesame Street enjoying an ice skating party. Big Bird has trouble skating, but a child gives him a hand, and he ends up skating very well...
, 1978 - "I Hate Christmas" (with David Axlerod) - for Christmas Eve on Sesame StreetChristmas Eve on Sesame StreetChristmas Eve on Sesame Street is a Sesame Street Christmas special first broadcast on PBS on December 3, 1978.-Plot:The opening features the inhabitants of Sesame Street enjoying an ice skating party. Big Bird has trouble skating, but a child gives him a hand, and he ends up skating very well...
, 1978 - "Bus Stop" (with David Axlerod)
- "A Very Simple Dance" - (with Carol Hall
Other Works
-
- "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" (text by John Greenleaf Whittier) for SATB choir and piano, publ. Trigon Music, 1972
- "Jabberwocky" (text from Lewis CarrollLewis CarrollCharles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's poem of the same nameJabberwocky"Jabberwocky" is a nonsense verse poem written by Lewis Carroll in his 1872 novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
) for SATB choir, piano, harpsichord and small instruments, publ. Trigon Music, 1972
External links
- Sam Pottle at the Muppet Wiki