| Richard Rodgers (1902-79), American composer, best known for his
collaborations with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar
Hammerstein II. He was born in New York City, and
educated at Columbia University and the Institute of
Musical Art (now the Juilliard School) in New York City.
His first complete Broadway show was Garrick Gaieties
(1925), with lyrics by the American lyricist Hart.
Rodgers and Hart subsequently collaborated on many
outstanding musical productions, including The Girl
Friend (1926), A Connecticut Yankee (1927), Babes
in Arms (1937), and Pal Joey (1940). Among the
many popular-song classics from Rodgers and Hart's
theater and film scores are "My Heart Stood
Still," "The Lady Is a Tramp," and
"Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered." Rodgers
later collaborated with the American librettist
Hammerstein II. Their first work, Oklahoma! (1943;
Pulitzer Prize, 1944), was hailed by critics as a
significant advance in the development of the American
musical theater. Even more successful was South
Pacific (1949; Pulitzer Prize, 1950). Their other
collaborations include Carousel (1945), The
King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music
(1959). Rodgers wrote both music and lyrics for No
Strings (1962) and music for Do I Hear a Waltz?
(1965) and Rex (1976). He also composed music for
many films, including the documentary Victory at Sea
(1952). His autobiography, Musical Stages, was
published in 1975. |
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