What is the book of a musical?

Book, music, lyrics, score, and libretto

Book

The dramatic writing that shapes the stage story, including dialogue and action.

Music

The musical composition, credited to the composer.

Lyrics

The words written to be sung, credited to the lyricist.

Score

The musical material of the show; in a general discussion, its songs and music.

Libretto

The written text, commonly bringing the book and lyrics together.

For the basic terminology, see the glossary on page 13 of Lincoln Center Theater's My Fair Lady teacher guide.

These are different jobs, although the same person can do more than one. When a clue asks for a composer, answer with the person who wrote the music. A book writer or lyricist may be an equally important collaborator while being the wrong answer to that specific question.

Three familiar examples

Into the Woods: separate book and songwriting credits

James Lapine wrote the book of Into the Woods; Stephen Sondheim wrote its music and lyrics. Music Theatre International's show page lists those credits separately. Calling it a Sondheim musical is useful shorthand, but it does not give the full writing team.

Wicked: the musical's book and the source novel

Wicked credits Winnie Holzman with the musical's book and Stephen Schwartz with its music and lyrics. Gregory Maguire wrote the novel that inspired the musical. All three appear in the production's official creative credits. “Who wrote the book?” needs context here: the stage script and the source novel have different authors.

Hamilton: one writer, multiple credits

Lin-Manuel Miranda is credited with Hamilton's book, music, and lyrics. The production is based on Ron Chernow's biography. The Broadway League's Hamilton listing makes both distinctions. One writer holding several credits does not make the jobs interchangeable.

Does a sung-through musical still have a book?

It can. A continuous musical story still needs dramatic structure, even when there is very little spoken dialogue. For example, MTI describes Les Misérables School Edition as sung-through, while IBDB credits Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil with the book of the original Broadway production.

So “sung-through” describes how the story reaches the audience, rather than proving there is no dramatic writing. When exploring our sung-through musical collection, treat the format and the authorship credits as separate things to learn.

How to read a musical's credits without mixing them up

Begin with the exact credit labels, then look for a source-material line such as “based on the novel by.” Keep a small set of notes for each favorite musical: book writer, composer, lyricist, and source. This gives you a clearer picture than remembering one famous surname for the entire show.

Next, connect a song to its character and situation. Ask what the character wants before the song and what has changed afterward. That is a listening exercise you can try without needing to identify a technical category: it brings the dramatic story and the musical writing into the same conversation.

For practice, compare our Into the Woods, Wicked, and Hamilton guides. Then follow a favorite writer through the composer library or test your recall with Sondheim trivia.