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Composer-lyricist Martin is best known for three classic American songs featured in MGM’s 1944 film musical Meet Me in St. Louis: “The Trolley Song,” “The Boy Next Door” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” But his output extended from 1941 (his first Broadway musical, Best Foot Forward) through 2010, an unprecedented career of seven decades that made him the elder statesman of American song.
The CD opens with a 1941 selection from Best Foot Forward and closes with Martin’s final completed song. Virtually all of the album’s 30 songs are accompanied by Martin himself at the piano – providing listeners with the chance to gain valuable insight into the composer’s intentions. Martin also performs five vocals.
Produced by musical theater authorities Bill Rudman and Ken Bloom, the “Hidden Treasures” CD is supplemented by an 88-page booklet with articles on Martin’s multifaceted talent. Mark Eden Horowitz, a senior music specialist at the Library of Congress, writes about Martin as composer and vocal arranger; master lyricist Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me) discusses the work of his fellow lyricist; Michael Feinstein comments on Martin as fellow vocalist (the two collaborated on a Martin songbook CD in 1992); Ted Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, talks about the influence of Martin’s mentor, Richard Rodgers; and Terry O’Donnell, Martin’s music editor for the last 18 years of his life, offers a vivid picture of the songwriter’s working process.