Which composer wrote the music for the 1961 film West Side Story?

Which composer wrote the music for the 1961 film West Side Story? Leonard Bernstein wrote the music for West Side Story. The film’s score carries the tension and energy of its rival New York street gangs through jazz, Latin-influenced rhythms, classical techniques, and recurring musical motifs.

The 1961 movie adapted the 1957 Broadway musical, itself inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Bernstein composed the music, while Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics. Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins directed the film, and Ernest Lehman wrote the screenplay. Songs such as “Maria,” “Tonight,” “America,” and “Somewhere” became standards beyond the film.

A common mistake is crediting Bernstein with the lyrics as well as the music. His role was composer; Sondheim supplied the words. Bernstein was also dissatisfied with the film’s expanded orchestration, which was prepared by Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal. The movie won 10 Academy Awards from 11 nominations, including Best Picture, and was selected for the National Film Registry in 1997.