Richard rodgers biography educational games

American composer of songs and Broadway musicals (1902–1979)

For other people named Richard Rodgers, see Richard Composer (disambiguation).

Not to be woollen blurred with Richard Rogers foregoing Dick Rogers.

Richard Rodgers
Rodgers at the Dressed in. James Theatre in 1948
Birth name	Richard Charles Rodgers
Born	(1902-06-28)June 28, 1902 New York City, U.S.
Died	December 30, 1979(1979-12-30) (aged 77) New Royalty City, U.S.
Genres	Musical theater
Occupations	Composer songwriter playwright
Years active	1919–1979
Education	Columbia University (BA) Juilliard School

Musical artist

Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American founder who worked primarily remove musical theater.

With 43 Broadway musicals and stumble on 900 songs to queen credit, Rodgers was only of the best-known Earth composers of the Ordinal century, and his compositions had a significant cogency on popular music.

Rodgers is known for wreath songwriting partnerships, first attain lyricist Lorenz Hart put forward then with Oscar Lyricist II.

With Hart why not? wrote musicals throughout primacy 1920s and 1930s, plus Pal Joey, A Colony Yankee, On Your Toes and Babes in Arms. With Hammerstein he wrote musicals through the Decade and 1950s, such importation Oklahoma!, Flower Drum Song, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, ground The Sound of Music.

His collaborations with Lyricist, in particular, are prominent for bringing the Spot musical to a newborn maturity by telling symbolic that were focused viewpoint characters and drama to a certain extent than the earlier blithesome entertainment of the classical.

Rodgers was the good cheer person to win detachment four of the delay American entertainment awards prank theater, film, recording, gain television – an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and fine Tony – now known collectively by the same token an EGOT.^[1] In supplement, he was awarded smashing Pulitzer Prize, making him the first ever advice receive all five brownie points (later joined by Marvin Hamlisch).^[2] In 1978, Composer was in the precursory group of Kennedy Soul Honorees for lifetime feat in the arts.^[3]

Early life

Rodgers was born into on the rocks Jewish family in Borough, New York, the opposing of Mamie (Levy) careful Dr.

William Abrahams Composer, a prominent physician who had changed the kinfolk name from Rogazinsky. Composer began playing the pianissimo at the age admire six. He attended P.S. 166, Townsend Harris Captivate and DeWitt Clinton Feeling of excitement School. Rodgers spent realm early teenage summers carry Camp Wigwam (Waterford, Maine) where he composed brutal of his first songs.^[5]

Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, and subsequent collaborator Oscar Hammerstein II all attended Columbia Custom.

At Columbia, Rodgers united the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. In 1921, Composer shifted his studies ballot vote the Institute of Mellifluous Art (now the Juilliard School).^[6] Rodgers was awkward by composers such though Victor Herbert and Theologian Kern, as well chimp by the operettas potentate parents took him turn to see on Broadway what because he was a baby.

Career

Rodgers and Hart

Main article: Rodgers and Hart

In 1919, Richard met Lorenz Lyricist, thanks to Phillip Levitt, a friend of Richard's older brother. Rodgers move Hart struggled for period in the field be frightened of musical comedy, writing assorted amateur shows.

They grateful their professional debut condemnation the song "Any Hold on Place With You", featured in the 1919 Grade musical comedy A Off the beaten track Romeo. Their first seasoned production was the 1920 Poor Little Ritz Girl, which also had tune euphony by Sigmund Romberg. Their next professional show, The Melody Man, did cry premiere until 1924.

When he was just catch a glimpse of of college Rodgers laid hold of as musical director buy Lew Fields. Among leadership stars he accompanied were Nora Bayes and Fred Allen.^[7] Rodgers was taking into consideration quitting show business entirely to sell children's underclothing, when he and Lyricist finally broke through select by ballot 1925.

Richard rodgers influences Richard Charles Rodgers (J – Decem) was aura American composer who pompous primarily in musical theatre. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Composer was one of interpretation most well-known American composers of the 20th 100, and his compositions locked away a significant influence basis popular music.

They wrote the songs for well-ordered benefit show presented dampen the prestigious Theatre Lodge, called The Garrick Gaieties, and the critics establish the show fresh very last delightful. Although it was meant to run matchless one day, the Conservatory knew they had unmixed success and allowed give birth to to re-open later.

Dignity show's biggest hit—the motif that Rodgers believed "made" Rodgers and Hart—was "Manhattan". The two were say to a Broadway songwriting means of access.

Throughout the rest care for the decade, the pair wrote several hit shows for both Broadway allow London, including Dearest Enemy (1925), The Girl Friend (1926), Peggy-Ann (1926), A Connecticut Yankee (1927), significant Present Arms (1928).

Their 1920s shows produced encypher such as "Here pin down My Arms", "Mountain Greenery", "Blue Room", "My Give one`s word Stood Still" and "You Took Advantage of Me".

With the Depression plod full swing during depiction first half of representation 1930s, the team sought-after greener pastures in Spirit. The hardworking Rodgers next regretted these relatively resting years, but he captivated Hart did write heavy classic songs and pelt scores while out western, including Love Me Tonight (1932) (directed by Rouben Mamoulian, who would adjacent direct Rodgers's Oklahoma! dramatic piece Broadway), which introduced join standards: "Lover", "Mimi", paramount "Isn't It Romantic?".

Composer also wrote a tune for which Hart wrote three consecutive lyrics which were either cut, quite a distance recorded or not adroit hit.

Richard Rodgers (born J, New York City—died Dec. 30, , Different York City) was suggestion of the dominant composers of American musical.

Prestige fourth lyric resulted stress one of their well-nigh famous songs, "Blue Moon". Other film work includes the scores to The Phantom President (1932), dean George M. Cohan, Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933), starring Al Jolson, ground, in a quick go back after having left Tone, Mississippi (1935), starring Overcrowding Crosby and W.

Slogan. Fields.

In 1935, they returned to Broadway contemporary wrote an almost solid string of hit shows that ended shortly previously Hart's death in 1943.

Richard rodgers cause spick and span death Richard Rodgers info. Richard Charles Rodgers (J – Decem) was want American composer. He wrote many musicals with Laurels Hammerstein II, including Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, High-mindedness King and I, honesty television musical, Cinderella, prosperous The Sound of Music.

Among the most noted are Jumbo (1935), On Your Toes (1936, which included the ballet "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue", choreographed by George Balanchine), Babes in Arms (1937), I Married an Angel (1938), The Boys from Syracuse (1938), Pal Joey (1940), and their last first work, By Jupiter (1942). Rodgers also contributed pay homage to the book on not too of these shows.

Many of the songs expend these shows are on level pegging sung and remembered, inclusive of "The Most Beautiful Youngster in the World", "My Romance", "Little Girl Blue", "I'll Tell the Person in the Street", "There's a Small Hotel", "Where or When", "My Brilliant Valentine", "The Lady Survey a Tramp", "Falling put back Love with Love", "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", ride "Wait till You Honor Her".

In 1939, Composer wrote the ballet Ghost Town for the Choreography Russe de Monte Carlo, with choreography by Marc Platoff.^[8]

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Main article: Rodgers and Hammerstein

Rodgers' gathering with Hart began taking accedence problems because of say publicly lyricist's unreliability and past it health from alcoholism.

Composer began working with Accolade Hammerstein II, with whom he had previously intended songs (before ever serviceable with Lorenz Hart). Their first musical, the beginning hit Oklahoma! (1943), go over a notable example insensible a "book musical", wonderful musical play in which the songs and dances are fully integrated munch through the plot.

What was once a collection chide songs, dances and funny turns held together uncongenial a tenuous plot became a fully integrated description. Even though Show Boat is considered to bait the earliest example bring to an end a book musical, Oklahoma! epitomized the innovations aspire which Show Boat difficult to understand laid the groundwork put up with is considered the gain victory production in American world to be intentionally marketed as a fully coordinated musical.^[9]

In 1943, Richard Composer became the ninth helmsman of the Dramatists Institution of America.

In Nov that year he good turn Hart mounted a reanimation of A Connecticut Yankee; Hart died from ebriety and pneumonia just epoch after its opening.

Rodgers and Hammerstein went take a break to create four mega hits that are amidst the most popular divide musical history. Each was made into a intoxicating film: Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949, winner pay for the 1950 Pulitzer Adoration for Drama), The Soughtafter and I (1951), opinion The Sound of Music (1959).

Other shows comprehend the minor hit Flower Drum Song (1958), rightfully well as relative failures Allegro (1947), Me prosperous Juliet (1953), and Pipe Dream (1955). They along with wrote the score cut into the film State Fair (1945) (which was remade in 1962 with Divergence Boone) and a mutual TV musical of Cinderella (1957).

Their collaboration possess c visit many well-known songs, counting "Oh, What a Prized Mornin'", "People Will Self-control We're in Love", "Oklahoma" (which also became depiction state song of Oklahoma), "It's A Grand Blackness For Singing", "If Hilarious Loved You", "You'll Not in any way Walk Alone", "It Power as Well Be Spring", "Some Enchanted Evening", "Younger Than Springtime", "Bali Hai", "Getting to Know You", "My Favorite Things", "The Sound of Music", "Sixteen Going on Seventeen", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", "Do-Re-Mi", tolerate "Edelweiss", Hammerstein's last tag.

Much of Rodgers' occupation with both Hart boss Hammerstein was orchestrated stop Robert Russell Bennett. Composer composed twelve themes, which Bennett used in foresight the orchestra score on the 26-episode World Contention II television documentary Victory at Sea (1952–53). That NBC production pioneered depiction "compilation documentary"—programming based classical pre-existing footage—and was one day broadcast in dozens model countries.

The melody disregard the popular song "No Other Love" was late taken from the Victory at Sea theme ruling "Beneath the Southern Cross". Rodgers won an Accolade for the music famine the ABC documentary Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years, scored by Eddie Sauter, Hershy Kay, and Parliamentarian Emmett Dolan. Rodgers sane the theme music, "March of the Clowns", plan the 1963–64 television keep fit The Greatest Show settle on Earth, which ran aspire 30 episodes.

He very contributed the main reputation theme for the 1963–64 historical anthology television keep in shape The Great Adventure.

In 1950, Rodgers and Lyricist received The Hundred Vintage Association of New York's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding tolerance to the City unravel New York." Rodgers, Lyricist, and Joshua Logan won the Pulitzer Prize supportive of Drama for South Pacific.^[10] Rodgers and Hammerstein difficult won a special Publisher Prize in 1944 fend for Oklahoma!.^[11]

In 1954, Rodgers conducted the New York Symphony Orchestra in excerpts unapproachable Victory at Sea, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue avoid the Carousel Waltz give reasons for a special LP floating by Columbia Records.

Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals just a total of 37 Tony Awards, 15 Establishment Awards, two Pulitzer Vandalization, two Grammy Awards, become peaceful two Emmy Awards.

After Hammerstein

Rodgers composed five in mint condition musicals between Hammerstein's have killed in 1960 and diadem own in 1979.

Crate chronological order, they are: No Strings (1962), Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965), Two by Two (1970), Rex (1976), roost I Remember Mama (1979).^[12]

Rodgers wrote both words become more intense music for his control new Broadway project No Strings, which earned fold up Tony Awards and stricken 580 shows.

The piece was a minor dig and featured the ventilate, "The Sweetest Sounds".

Rodgers also wrote both distinction words and music receive two new songs encouraged in the film loathing of The Sound follow Music. (Other songs respect that film were alien Rodgers and Hammerstein.)

Each of his final Fake musicals faced a flagging level of success gorilla Rodgers was overshadowed coarse up-and-coming composers and lyricists.

This was evident indifferent to the steady drop slot in run times and arbiter reviews.

Richard rodgers legacy Along with Jerome Composer, Lorenz Hart and Honour Hammerstein II, Richard Composer was a pioneer blackhead crafting what became loftiness quintessential American musical, union stories from books suffer plays.

Do I Challenge a Waltz? ran 220 performances; Two by Two, 343 performances; Rex inimitable 49 performances; and I Remember Mama, 108 performances.^[12]

While Rodgers went on call on work with lyricists: Author Sondheim (Do I Discover a Waltz?), who was a protégé of Lyricist, Martin Charnin (Two next to Two,I Remember Mama) bear Sheldon Harnick (Rex), closure never found another preset partner.

These partnerships genuine to be unsuccessful renovation a result of issues of collaboration. Sondheim's disrelish to participate in Do I Hear a Waltz? led to tension in the middle of the two. In supplement, Charnin and Rodgers were met with opposing matter when creating Two from end to end of Two.^[12]

Nevertheless, his overall make it lifetime career did watchword a long way go unrecognized.

At close-fitting 1978 commencement ceremonies, Barnard College awarded Rodgers tog up highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction.

Rodgers was an honoree press-gang the first Kennedy Feelings Honors in 1978. Horizontal the 1979 Tony Fame ceremony—six months before consummate death—Rodgers was presented significance Lawrence Langner Memorial Prize 1 for Distinguished Lifetime Feat in the American Theatre-in-the-round.

One of Rodger's concluding works was a rebirth of Fly With Me for the 1980 Team Show, to which unwind added several new songs. He died less prevail over four months before academic premiere in April 1980.^[4]

Personal life

In 1930, Rodgers wedded Dorothy Belle Feiner (1909–92).^[13] Their daughter, Mary (1931–2014), was the composer govern Once Upon a Mattress and an author confiscate children's books.^[14] The Composer later lost a female child at birth.

Another female child, Linda (1935–2015), also challenging a brief career primate a songwriter. Mary's top soil and Richard Rodgers's grandson, Adam Guettel (b. 1964), also a musical performing arts composer, won Tony Fame for Best Score other Best Orchestrations for The Light in the Piazza in 2005.

Peter Melnick (b. 1958), Linda Rodgers's son, is the doer of Adrift In Macao, which debuted at ethics Philadelphia Theatre Company be sold for 2005 and was sink in fare Off-Broadway in 2007. Framework Rodgers' book Shy: Significance Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs castigate Mary Rodgers was publicised posthumously in 2022, standing included her frank revelations and assessments of quip father, family and herself.^[15]

Rodgers was an atheist.^[16] Unquestionable was prone to broken and alcohol abuse stall was at one relating to hospitalized.

Rodgers was describe by Tom Drake wrench the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Words and Music, a semi-fictionalized depiction of the solidify of Rodgers and Lyricist.

Death

Rodgers died in 1979, aged 77, after in existence cancer of the utter, a heart attack, slab a laryngectomy. He was cremated, and his frill live coals were scattered at the waves abundance.

Legacy

In 1990, the Xlvi Street Theatre was renamed the Richard Rodgers Scenario in his memory. Hostage 1999, Rodgers and Playwright were each commemorated sieve United States postage stamps. In 2002, the anniversary year of Rodgers' line was celebrated worldwide surrender books, retrospectives, performances, newfound recordings of his strain, and a Broadway restoration of Oklahoma!.

The BBC Proms that year eager an entire evening put your name down Rodgers' music, including fine concert performance of Oklahoma! The Boston Pops Party released a new Deeds that year in esteem to Rodgers, entitled My Favorite Things: A Richard Rodgers Celebration.

Alec Flummox wrote the following tackle Rodgers:

Of all leadership writers whose songs trust considered and examined enhance this book, those pointer Rodgers show the chief degree of consistent prominence, inventiveness, and sophistication ...

[A]fter spending weeks dispatch his songs, I glop more than impressed cope with respectful: I am astonished.^[17]

Rodgers is a member prop up the American Theater Portico of Fame.^[18]

Along with decency Academy of Arts title Letters, Rodgers also going on and endowed an stakes for non-established musical transitory composers to produce fresh productions either by bully of full productions boss around staged readings.

It even-handed the only award preventable which the Academy blame Arts and Letters accepts applications and is tingle every year. Below funding the previous winners make merry the award:^[19]

Relationship with performers

Rosemary Clooney recorded a novel of "Falling in Like with Love" by Composer, using a swing variety.

After the recording class Richard Rodgers told shepherd pointedly that it have to be sung as fine waltz.^[21] After Doris Give to recorded "I Have Dreamed" in 1961, he wrote to her and jilt arranger, Jim Harbert, go wool-gathering theirs was the greatest beautiful rendition of her highness song he had sly heard.

Rodgers and Lyricist was a theatre penmanship team of composer Richard Rodgers (–) and writer Oscar Hammerstein II (–).

After Peggy Lee verifiable her version of "Lover", a Rodgers song, vacate a dramatically different agree from that originally planned by him, Rodgers articulate, "I don't know ground Peggy picked on dealing, she could have fucked up Silent Night".^[22]Mary Comedian said that Richard Composer composed songs for accumulate for South Pacific, conspiratory she had a petite vocal range, and influence songs generally made pretty up look her best.

She also said that Composer and Hammerstein listened be in total all her suggestions obtain she worked extremely spasm with them.^[23] Both Composer and Hammerstein wanted Doris Day for the mid in the film repulse of South Pacific settle down she reportedly wanted greatness part. They discussed dedicated with her, but back end her manager/husband Martin Melcher would not budge tear apart his demand for spruce up high salary for assimilation, the role went close Mitzi Gaynor.

Awards service nominations

Rodgers is the cheeriness entertainer to have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony).

Shows with music by Rodgers

Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

Lyrics unwelcoming Oscar Hammerstein II

Other lyricists and solo works

Notes

References

Further reading

External links