The Stephen Sondheim collection is organized in four groups: correspondence, scripts, songs, and miscellaneous writings.
The correspondence, [1949]-1960, contains letters relating to Mr. Sondheim's works. It is arranged chronologically and includes letters from George S. Kaufman and Oscar Hammerstein II.
The scripts are for dramatic, musical, radio, and television plays which Sondheim wrote or on which he collaborated, including music and lyrics for some of the plays. The plays are arranged in alphabetical order by title. The material for the musical plays is arranged in the following order: scripts, music and lyrics manuscripts, piano-conductor parts, and piano parts. The latter two are in reproduced (dechon process) form. Holdings in this series are most extensive for the Broadway musicals Anyone Can Whistle, Do I Hear a Waltz?, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Gypsy, and West Side Story, and the television series Topper.
The songs consist of original manuscripts of music and lyrics for individual songs. There are also songs and incidental music for plays not included in this collection.
The miscellaneous writings consist of an unfinished novel, reviews, articles, and class papers by Mr. Sondheim.
