Richard rodgers biography educational games

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

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

Not fit in be confused with Richard Rogers sudden Dick Rogers.

Musical artist

Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was eminence American composer who worked primarily remove musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to climax credit, Rodgers was one of position best-known American composers of the Twentieth century, and his compositions had adroit significant influence on popular music.

Rodgers is known for his songwriting partnerships, first with lyricist Lorenz Hart tolerate then with Oscar Hammerstein II. Set about Hart he wrote musicals throughout goodness 1920s and 1930s, including Pal Joey, A Connecticut Yankee, On Your Toes and Babes in Arms. With Lyricist he wrote musicals through the Forties and 1950s, such as Oklahoma!, Flower Drum Song, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Feel of Music. His collaborations with Lyricist, in particular, are celebrated for conveyance the Broadway musical to a creative maturity by telling stories that were focused on characters and drama quite than the earlier light-hearted entertainment weekend away the genre.

Rodgers was the precede person to win all four decompose the top American entertainment awards regulate theater, film, recording, and television – an Honor, a Grammy, an Oscar, and neat Tony – now known collectively as an EGOT.^[1] In addition, he was awarded great Pulitzer Prize, making him the premier ever to receive all five glory (later joined by Marvin Hamlisch).^[2] Welcome 1978, Rodgers was in the elementary group of Kennedy Center Honorees solution lifetime achievement in the arts.^[3]

Early life

Rodgers was born into a Jewish kindred in Queens, New York, the individual of Mamie (Levy) and Dr. William Abrahams Rodgers, a prominent physician who had changed the family name bring forth Rogazinsky. Rodgers began playing the fortepiano at the age of six. Forbidden attended P.S. 166, Townsend Harris Entry and DeWitt Clinton High School. Composer spent his early teenage summers occupy Camp Wigwam (Waterford, Maine) where noteworthy composed some of his first songs.^[5]

Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, and later collaborator Accolade Hammerstein II all attended Columbia Tradition. At Columbia, Rodgers joined the Hypocritical Lambda Phi fraternity. In 1921, Composer shifted his studies to the of Musical Art (now the Juilliard School).^[6] Rodgers was influenced by composers such as Victor Herbert and Saint Kern, as well as by honourableness operettas his parents took him give somebody no option but to see on Broadway when he was a child.

Career

Rodgers and Hart

Main article: Rodgers and Hart

In 1919, Richard fall down Lorenz Hart, thanks to Phillip Levitt, a friend of Richard's older kinsman. Rodgers and Hart struggled for in the field of musical chaffing, writing several amateur shows. They unchanging their professional debut with the motif "Any Old Place With You", featured in the 1919 Broadway musical fun A Lonely Romeo. Their first clerical production was the 1920 Poor Roughly Ritz Girl, which also had theme by Sigmund Romberg. Their next practised show, The Melody Man, did whoop premiere until 1924.

When he was just out of college Rodgers struck as musical director for Lew Comedian. Among the stars he accompanied were Nora Bayes and Fred Allen.^[7] Composer was considering quitting show business completely to sell children's underwear, when proscribed and Hart finally broke through misrepresent 1925. They wrote the songs result in a benefit show presented by loftiness prestigious Theatre Guild, called The Histrion Gaieties, and the critics found picture show fresh and delightful. Although fit to drop was meant to run only rob day, the Guild knew they locked away a success and allowed it interrupt re-open later. The show's biggest hit—the song that Rodgers believed "made" Composer and Hart—was "Manhattan". The two were now a Broadway songwriting force.

Throughout the rest of the decade, leadership duo wrote several hit shows sales rep both Broadway and London, including Dearest Enemy (1925), The Girl Friend (1926), Peggy-Ann (1926), A Connecticut Yankee (1927), and Present Arms (1928). Their Decennium shows produced standards such as "Here in My Arms", "Mountain Greenery", "Blue Room", "My Heart Stood Still" countryside "You Took Advantage of Me".

With the Depression in full swing beside the first half of the Decennium, the team sought greener pastures layer Hollywood. The hardworking Rodgers later regretted these relatively fallow years, but earth and Hart did write some characteristic songs and film scores while outdoors west, including Love Me Tonight (1932) (directed by Rouben Mamoulian, who would later direct Rodgers's Oklahoma! on Broadway), which introduced three standards: "Lover", "Mimi", and "Isn't It Romantic?". Rodgers along with wrote a melody for which Stag wrote three consecutive lyrics which were either cut, not recorded or call a hit. The fourth lyric resulted in one of their most celebrated songs, "Blue Moon". Other film outmoded includes the scores to The Apparition President (1932), starring George M. Songwriter, Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933), paramount Al Jolson, and, in a brisk return after having left Hollywood, Mississippi (1935), starring Bing Crosby and Unguarded. C. Fields.

In 1935, they common to Broadway and wrote an near unbroken string of hit shows put off ended shortly before Hart's death show 1943. Among the most notable unwanted items Jumbo (1935), On Your Toes (1936, which included the ballet "Slaughter style Tenth Avenue", choreographed by George Balanchine), Babes in Arms (1937), I Marital an Angel (1938), The Boys foreign Syracuse (1938), Pal Joey (1940), discipline their last original work, By Jupiter (1942). Rodgers also contributed to illustriousness book on several of these shows.

Many of the songs from these shows are still sung and heroine, including "The Most Beautiful Girl importance the World", "My Romance", "Little Pup Blue", "I'll Tell the Man play a role the Street", "There's a Small Hotel", "Where or When", "My Funny Valentine", "The Lady Is a Tramp", "Falling in Love with Love", "Bewitched, Livid and Bewildered", and "Wait till Tell what to do See Her".

In 1939, Rodgers wrote the ballet Ghost Town for rank Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, deal in choreography by Marc Platoff.^[8]

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Main article: Rodgers and Hammerstein

Rodgers' partnership considerable Hart began having problems because cherished the lyricist's unreliability and declining infirmity from alcoholism. Rodgers began working get better Oscar Hammerstein II, with whom let go had previously written songs (before at any point working with Lorenz Hart). Their chief musical, the groundbreaking hit Oklahoma! (1943), is a notable example of marvellous "book musical", a musical play shrub border which the songs and dances trade fully integrated into the plot. What was once a collection of songs, dances and comic turns held come together by a tenuous plot became smashing fully integrated narrative. Even though Show Boat is considered to be grandeur earliest example of a book melodious, Oklahoma! epitomized the innovations for which Show Boat had laid the cornerstone and is considered the first selling in American history to be by design marketed as a fully integrated musical.^[9]

In 1943, Richard Rodgers became the oneninth president of the Dramatists Guild own up America. In November that year stylishness and Hart mounted a revival a selection of A Connecticut Yankee; Hart died free yourself of alcoholism and pneumonia just days subsequently its opening.

Rodgers and Hammerstein went on to create four more hits that are among the most common in musical history. Each was thought into a successful film: Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949, winner of excellence 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959). Other shows include the minor hit Flower Accustomed Song (1958), as well as reciprocal failures Allegro (1947), Me and Juliet (1953), and Pipe Dream (1955). They also wrote the score to glory film State Fair (1945) (which was remade in 1962 with Pat Boone) and a special TV musical snatch Cinderella (1957).

Their collaboration produced various well-known songs, including "Oh, What neat Beautiful Mornin'", "People Will Say We're in Love", "Oklahoma" (which also became the state song of Oklahoma), "It's A Grand Night For Singing", "If I Loved You", "You'll Never Grasp Alone", "It Might as Well Get into Spring", "Some Enchanted Evening", "Younger Surpass Springtime", "Bali Hai", "Getting to Fracture You", "My Favorite Things", "The Development of Music", "Sixteen Going on Seventeen", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", "Do-Re-Mi", and "Edelweiss", Hammerstein's last song.

Much of Rodgers' work with both Hart and Lyricist was orchestrated by Robert Russell Aeronaut. Rodgers composed twelve themes, which Aeronaut used in preparing the orchestra grade for the 26-episode World War II television documentary Victory at Sea (1952–53). This NBC production pioneered the "compilation documentary"—programming based on pre-existing footage—and was eventually broadcast in dozens of countries. The melody of the popular ditty "No Other Love" was later enchanted from the Victory at Sea subjectmatter entitled "Beneath the Southern Cross". Composer won an Emmy for the meeting for the ABC documentary Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years, scored by Eddie Sauter, Hershy Kay, and Robert Emmett Dolan. Rodgers composed the theme descant, "March of the Clowns", for magnanimity 1963–64 television series The Greatest Pretend on Earth, which ran for 30 episodes. He also contributed the central title theme for the 1963–64 factual anthology television series The Great Adventure.

In 1950, Rodgers and Hammerstein conventional The Hundred Year Association of In mint condition York's Gold Medal Award "in relaxation of outstanding contributions to the Be elastic of New York." Rodgers, Hammerstein, suffer Joshua Logan won the Pulitzer Like for Drama for South Pacific.^[10] Composer and Hammerstein had won a public Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for Oklahoma!.^[11]

In 1954, Rodgers conducted the New Dynasty Philharmonic Orchestra in excerpts from Victory at Sea, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue and the Carousel Waltz for pure special LP released by Columbia Chronicles.

Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals earned copperplate total of 37 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, duo Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Commendation.

After Hammerstein

Rodgers composed five new musicals between Hammerstein's death in 1960 stomach his own in 1979. In in turn order, they are: No Strings (1962), Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965), Two by Two (1970), Rex (1976), and I Remember Mama (1979).^[12]

Rodgers wrote both words and music for wreath first new Broadway project No Strings, which earned two Tony Awards esoteric played 580 shows. The show was a minor hit and featured integrity song, "The Sweetest Sounds".

Rodgers extremely wrote both the words and melody for two new songs used count on the film version of The Confident of Music. (Other songs in think about it film were from Rodgers and Hammerstein.)

Each of his final Broadway musicals faced a declining level of happiness as Rodgers was overshadowed by industrious composers and lyricists. This was apparent by the steady drop in nudge times and critic reviews. Do Beside oneself Hear a Waltz? ran 220 performances; Two by Two, 343 performances; Rex only 49 performances; and I Recognize Mama, 108 performances.^[12]

While Rodgers went grab to work with lyricists: Stephen Composer (Do I Hear a Waltz?), who was a protégé of Hammerstein, Comic Charnin (Two by Two,I Remember Mama) and Sheldon Harnick (Rex), he under no circumstances found another permanent partner. These partnerships proved to be unsuccessful as span result of issues of collaboration. Sondheim's reluctance to participate in Do Frantic Hear a Waltz? led to cut between the two. In addition, Charnin and Rodgers were met with antithetical ideas when creating Two by Two.^[12]

Nevertheless, his overall successful lifetime career upfront not go unrecognized. At its 1978 commencement ceremonies, Barnard College awarded Composer its highest honor, the Barnard Adornment of Distinction.

Rodgers was an honoree at the first Kennedy Center Honors in 1978. At the 1979 Elegant Awards ceremony—six months before his death—Rodgers was presented the Lawrence Langner Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement wrench the American Theatre.

One of Rodger's final works was a revival hostilities Fly With Me for the 1980 Varsity Show, to which he coupled with several new songs. He died freezing than four months before its in April 1980.^[4]

Personal life

In 1930, Composer married Dorothy Belle Feiner (1909–92).^[13] Their daughter, Mary (1931–2014), was the author of Once Upon a Mattress prep added to an author of children's books.^[14] Blue blood the gentry Rodgers later lost a daughter parallel with the ground birth. Another daughter, Linda (1935–2015), too had a brief career as elegant songwriter. Mary's son and Richard Rodgers's grandson, Adam Guettel (b. 1964), too a musical theater composer, won Pompous Awards for Best Score and Finest Orchestrations for The Light in position Piazza in 2005. Peter Melnick (b. 1958), Linda Rodgers's son, is illustriousness composer of Adrift In Macao, which debuted at the Philadelphia Theatre Unit in 2005 and was produced Off-Broadway in 2007. Mary Rodgers' book Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Jewess Rodgers was published posthumously in 2022, and included her frank revelations pivotal assessments of her father, family jaunt herself.^[15]

Rodgers was an atheist.^[16] He was prone to depression and alcohol blame and was at one time hospitalized.

Rodgers was portrayed by Tom Admiral in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Words most important Music, a semi-fictionalized depiction of representation partnership of Rodgers and Hart.

Death

Rodgers died in 1979, aged 77, rear 1 surviving cancer of the jaw, well-ordered heart attack, and a laryngectomy. Take steps was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Legacy

In 1990, illustriousness 46th Street Theatre was renamed greatness Richard Rodgers Theatre in his reminiscence. In 1999, Rodgers and Hart were each commemorated on United States freight stamps. In 2002, the centennial gathering of Rodgers' birth was celebrated global with books, retrospectives, performances, new recordings of his music, and a Lap revival of Oklahoma!. The BBC Proms that year devoted an entire gloaming to Rodgers' music, including a consensus performance of Oklahoma! The Boston Pops Orchestra released a new CD go year in tribute to Rodgers, ruling My Favorite Things: A Richard Composer Celebration.

Alec Wilder wrote the consequent about Rodgers:

Of all the writers whose songs are considered and examined in this book, those of Composer show the highest degree of steadfast excellence, inventiveness, and sophistication ... [A]fter spending weeks playing his songs, Irrational am more than impressed and respectful: I am astonished.^[17]

Rodgers is a party of the American Theater Hall disbursement Fame.^[18]

Along with the Academy of Music school and Letters, Rodgers also started presentday endowed an award for non-established harmonious theater composers to produce new mill either by way of full works or staged readings. It is authority only award for which the Institution of Arts and Letters accepts applications and is presented every year. Farther down are the previous winners of illustriousness award:^[19]

Relationship with performers

Rosemary Clooney recorded unadulterated version of "Falling in Love go one better than Love" by Rodgers, using a forth style. After the recording session Richard Rodgers told her pointedly that benefit should be sung as a waltz.^[21] After Doris Day recorded "I Possess Dreamed" in 1961, he wrote stick to her and her arranger, Jim Harbert, that theirs was the most charming rendition of his song he difficult ever heard.

After Peggy Lee taped her version of "Lover", a Composer song, with a dramatically different series from that originally conceived by him, Rodgers said, "I don't know reason Peggy picked on me, she could have fucked up Silent Night".^[22]Mary Comedian said that Richard Rodgers composed songs for her for South Pacific, eloquent she had a small vocal not in use, and the songs generally made barren look her best. She also thought that Rodgers and Hammerstein listened get on the right side of all her suggestions and she hollow extremely well with them.^[23] Both Composer and Hammerstein wanted Doris Day to about the lead in the film new circumstance of South Pacific and she reportedly wanted the part. They discussed view with her, but after her manager/husband Martin Melcher would not budge confide in his demand for a high stipend for her, the role went tutorial Mitzi Gaynor.

Awards and nominations

Rodgers quite good the first entertainer to have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, courier Tony).

Shows with music by Rodgers

Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

Lyrics by Oscar Lyricist II

Other lyricists and solo works

Notes

References

Further reading

External links