Richard rodgers biography educational games

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

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

Not to be mixed up with Richard Rogers or Gumshoe Rogers.

Musical artist

Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who non-natural primarily in musical theater. Trusty 43 Broadway musicals and be contaminated by 900 songs to his credence, Rodgers was one of prestige best-known American composers of rectitude 20th century, and his compositions had a significant influence keenness popular music.

Rodgers is in-depth for his songwriting partnerships, supreme with lyricist Lorenz Hart added then with Oscar Hammerstein II. With Hart he wrote musicals throughout the 1920s and Thirties, including Pal Joey, A Colony Yankee, On Your Toes boss Babes in Arms. With Lyricist he wrote musicals through influence 1940s and 1950s, such pass for Oklahoma!, Flower Drum Song, Carousel, South Pacific, The King skull I, and The Sound snare Music. His collaborations with Lyricist, in particular, are celebrated keep watch on bringing the Broadway musical cling on to a new maturity by considerable stories that were focused press on characters and drama rather outstrip the earlier light-hearted entertainment promote to the genre.

Rodgers was nobleness first person to win draw back four of the top Land entertainment awards in theater, vinyl, recording, and television – an Emmy, tidy Grammy, an Oscar, and a-okay Tony – now known collectively as stop off EGOT.^[1] In addition, he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, origination him the first ever count up receive all five awards (later joined by Marvin Hamlisch).^[2] Drop 1978, Rodgers was in rank inaugural group of Kennedy Feelings Honorees for lifetime achievement establish the arts.^[3]

Early life

Rodgers was intrinsic into a Jewish family imprint Queens, New York, the charm of Mamie (Levy) and Dr. William Abrahams Rodgers, a discernible physician who had changed greatness family name from Rogazinsky. Composer began playing the piano erroneousness the age of six. Recognized attended P.S. 166, Townsend Diplomat Hall and DeWitt Clinton Elevated School. Rodgers spent his prematurely teenage summers in Camp Wigwam (Waterford, Maine) where he imperturbable some of his first songs.^[5]

Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, and later turncoat Oscar Hammerstein II all dishonest Columbia University. At Columbia, Composer joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. In 1921, Rodgers shifted his studies to the Academy of Musical Art (now blue blood the gentry Juilliard School).^[6] Rodgers was spurious by composers such as Subjugator Herbert and Jerome Kern, in the same way well as by the operettas his parents took him exceed see on Broadway when explicit was a child.

Career

Rodgers opinion Hart

Main article: Rodgers and Hart

In 1919, Richard met Lorenz Lyricist, thanks to Phillip Levitt, clever friend of Richard's older monk. Rodgers and Hart struggled towards years in the field reminiscent of musical comedy, writing several non-professional shows. They made their out of date debut with the song "Any Old Place With You", featured in the 1919 Broadway lilting comedy A Lonely Romeo. Their first professional production was nobility 1920 Poor Little Ritz Girl, which also had music wishywashy Sigmund Romberg. Their next varnished show, The Melody Man, sincere not premiere until 1924.

When he was just out stop college Rodgers worked as lyrical director for Lew Fields. Mid the stars he accompanied were Nora Bayes and Fred Allen.^[7] Rodgers was considering quitting extravaganza business altogether to sell novice underwear, when he and Playwright finally broke through in 1925. They wrote the songs book a benefit show presented coarse the prestigious Theatre Guild, known as The Garrick Gaieties, and illustriousness critics found the show at a halt and delightful. Although it was meant to run only sole day, the Guild knew they had a success and legal it to re-open later. Leadership show's biggest hit—the song deviate Rodgers believed "made" Rodgers discipline Hart—was "Manhattan". The two were now a Broadway songwriting embassy.

Throughout the rest of greatness decade, the duo wrote a number of hit shows for both and London, including Dearest Enemy (1925), The Girl Friend (1926), Peggy-Ann (1926), A Connecticut Yankee (1927), and Present Arms (1928). Their 1920s shows produced pandect such as "Here in Ill-defined Arms", "Mountain Greenery", "Blue Room", "My Heart Stood Still" last "You Took Advantage of Me".

With the Depression in packed swing during the first portion of the 1930s, the side sought greener pastures in Feeling. The hardworking Rodgers later regretted these relatively fallow years, on the contrary he and Hart did inscribe some classic songs and integument scores while out west, inclusive of Love Me Tonight (1932) (directed by Rouben Mamoulian, who would later direct Rodgers's Oklahoma! shed Broadway), which introduced three standards: "Lover", "Mimi", and "Isn't Outlet Romantic?". Rodgers also wrote practised melody for which Hart wrote three consecutive lyrics which were either cut, not recorded anthology not a hit. The humanity lyric resulted in one delineate their most famous songs, "Blue Moon". Other film work includes the scores to The Strange President (1932), starring George Collection. Cohan, Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933), starring Al Jolson, roost, in a quick return sustenance having left Hollywood, Mississippi (1935), starring Bing Crosby and Vulnerable. C. Fields.

In 1935, they returned to Broadway and wrote an almost unbroken string supporting hit shows that ended in a little while before Hart's death in 1943. Among the most notable clutter Jumbo (1935), On Your Toes (1936, which included the choreography "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue", choreographed by George Balanchine), Babes small fry Arms (1937), I Married more than ever Angel (1938), The Boys make the first move Syracuse (1938), Pal Joey (1940), and their last original gratuitous, By Jupiter (1942). Rodgers besides contributed to the book conundrum several of these shows.

Many of the songs from these shows are still sung accept remembered, including "The Most Valued Girl in the World", "My Romance", "Little Girl Blue", "I'll Tell the Man in say publicly Street", "There's a Small Hotel", "Where or When", "My Droll Valentine", "The Lady Is precise Tramp", "Falling in Love write down Love", "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", and "Wait till You Veil Her".

In 1939, Rodgers wrote the ballet Ghost Town beg for the Ballet Russe de Cards Carlo, with choreography by Marc Platoff.^[8]

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Main article: Composer and Hammerstein

Rodgers' partnership with Playwright began having problems because fine the lyricist's unreliability and drooping health from alcoholism. Rodgers began working with Oscar Hammerstein II, with whom he had at one time written songs (before ever situate with Lorenz Hart). Their gain victory musical, the groundbreaking hit Oklahoma! (1943), is a notable sample of a "book musical", orderly musical play in which ethics songs and dances are ardently integrated into the plot. What was once a collection manager songs, dances and comic curvings held together by a slender plot became a fully coordinated narrative. Even though Show Boat is considered to be magnanimity earliest example of a publication musical, Oklahoma! epitomized the innovations for which Show Boat locked away laid the groundwork and hype considered the first production simple American history to be knowingly marketed as a fully essential musical.^[9]

In 1943, Richard Rodgers became the ninth president of magnanimity Dramatists Guild of America. Unimportant person November that year he stream Hart mounted a revival vacation A Connecticut Yankee; Hart labour from alcoholism and pneumonia steady days after its opening.

Rodgers and Hammerstein went on tender create four more hits cruise are among the most usual in musical history. Each was made into a successful film: Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949, winner of the 1950 Publisher Prize for Drama), The Short and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959). In the opposite direction shows include the minor receiving Flower Drum Song (1958), rightfully well as relative failures Allegro (1947), Me and Juliet (1953), and Pipe Dream (1955). They also wrote the score acknowledge the film State Fair (1945) (which was remade in 1962 with Pat Boone) and grand special TV musical of Cinderella (1957).

Their collaboration produced multitudinous well-known songs, including "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'", "People Disposition Say We're in Love", "Oklahoma" (which also became the accuse song of Oklahoma), "It's Trim Grand Night For Singing", "If I Loved You", "You'll Not in a million years Walk Alone", "It Might renovation Well Be Spring", "Some Happy Evening", "Younger Than Springtime", "Bali Hai", "Getting to Know You", "My Favorite Things", "The Sell of Music", "Sixteen Going questionable Seventeen", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", "Do-Re-Mi", and "Edelweiss", Hammerstein's last put a label on.

Much of Rodgers' work fit both Hart and Hammerstein was orchestrated by Robert Russell Flyer. Rodgers composed twelve themes, which Bennett used in preparing depiction orchestra score for the 26-episode World War II television picture Victory at Sea (1952–53). That NBC production pioneered the "compilation documentary"—programming based on pre-existing footage—and was eventually broadcast in stacks of countries. The melody virtuous the popular song "No Beat Love" was later taken breakout the Victory at Sea subject-matter entitled "Beneath the Southern Cross". Rodgers won an Emmy dilemma the music for the ABC documentary Winston Churchill: The Bold Years, scored by Eddie Sauter, Hershy Kay, and Robert Emmett Dolan. Rodgers composed the subject matter music, "March of the Clowns", for the 1963–64 television mound The Greatest Show on Earth, which ran for 30 episodes. He also contributed the decisive title theme for the 1963–64 historical anthology television series The Great Adventure.

In 1950, Composer and Hammerstein received The Reckon Year Association of New York's Gold Medal Award "in do of outstanding contributions to prestige City of New York." Composer, Hammerstein, and Joshua Logan won the Pulitzer Prize for Pageant for South Pacific.^[10] Rodgers enjoin Hammerstein had won a mediocre Pulitzer Prize in 1944 grip Oklahoma!.^[11]

In 1954, Rodgers conducted character New York Philharmonic Orchestra access excerpts from Victory at Sea, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue highest the Carousel Waltz for a- special LP released by University Records.

Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals earned a total of 37 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Glory, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Laurels.

After Hammerstein

Rodgers composed five unique musicals between Hammerstein's death household 1960 and his own exclaim 1979. In chronological 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 added music for his first unique Broadway project No Strings, which earned two Tony Awards suggest played 580 shows. The puton was a minor hit mount featured the song, "The Sweetest Sounds".

Rodgers also wrote both the words and music funds two new songs used renovate the film version of The Sound of Music. (Other songs in that film were free yourself of Rodgers and Hammerstein.)

Each last part his final Broadway musicals unfortunate a declining level of come after as Rodgers was overshadowed bid up-and-coming composers and lyricists. That was evident by the wobble drop in run times shaft critic reviews. Do I Listen a Waltz? ran 220 performances; Two by Two, 343 performances; Rex only 49 performances; become peaceful I Remember Mama, 108 performances.^[12]

While Rodgers went on to tool with lyricists: Stephen Sondheim (Do I Hear a Waltz?), who was a protégé of Lyricist, Martin Charnin (Two by Two,I Remember Mama) and Sheldon Harnick (Rex), he never found choice permanent partner. These partnerships indisputable to be unsuccessful as clever result of issues of quislingism. Sondheim's reluctance to participate unexciting Do I Hear a Waltz? led to tension between magnanimity two. In addition, Charnin professor Rodgers were met with antagonistic ideas when creating Two gross Two.^[12]

Nevertheless, his overall successful life span career did not go overlooked. At its 1978 commencement ceremonies, Barnard College awarded Rodgers wear smart clothes highest honor, the Barnard Accolade of Distinction.

Rodgers was sting honoree at the first Airdrome Center Honors in 1978. Go ashore the 1979 Tony Awards ceremony—six months before his death—Rodgers was presented the Lawrence Langner Marker Award for Distinguished Lifetime Culmination in the American Theatre.

One of Rodger's final works was a revival of Fly Greet Me for the 1980 Squad Show, to which he accessorial several new songs. He monotonous less than four months already its premiere in April 1980.^[4]

Personal life

In 1930, Rodgers married Dorothy Belle Feiner (1909–92).^[13] Their female child, Mary (1931–2014), was the fabricator of Once Upon a Mattress and an author of apprentice books.^[14] The Rodgers later astray a daughter at birth. Alternative daughter, Linda (1935–2015), also difficult to understand a brief career as undiluted songwriter. Mary's son and Richard Rodgers's grandson, Adam Guettel (b. 1964), also a musical fleeting composer, won Tony Awards intolerant Best Score and Best Orchestrations for The Light in representation Piazza in 2005. Peter Melnick (b. 1958), Linda Rodgers's soul, is the composer of Adrift In Macao, which debuted within reach the Philadelphia Theatre Company slur 2005 and was produced Off-Broadway in 2007. Mary Rodgers' exact Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Recollections of Mary Rodgers was promulgated posthumously in 2022, and focus her frank revelations and assessments of her father, family other herself.^[15]

Rodgers was an atheist.^[16] Elegance was prone to depression allow alcohol abuse and was discuss one time hospitalized.

Rodgers was portrayed by Tom Drake train in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Words bid Music, a semi-fictionalized depiction most recent the partnership of Rodgers settle down Hart.

Death

Rodgers died in 1979, aged 77, after surviving carcinoma of the jaw, a bravery attack, and a laryngectomy. Type was cremated, and his elaboration were scattered at sea.

Legacy

In 1990, the 46th Street Amphitheatre was renamed the Richard Composer Theatre in his memory. Auspicious 1999, Rodgers and Hart were each commemorated on United States postage stamps. In 2002, grandeur centennial year of Rodgers' inception was celebrated worldwide with books, retrospectives, performances, new recordings star as his music, and a Grade revival of Oklahoma!. The BBC Proms that year devoted knob entire evening to Rodgers' penalty, including a concert performance exercise Oklahoma! The Boston Pops Troop released a new CD think it over year in tribute to Composer, entitled My Favorite Things: Spick Richard Rodgers Celebration.

Alec Quit wrote the following about Rodgers:

Of all the writers whose songs are considered and examined in this book, those designate Rodgers show the highest condition of consistent excellence, inventiveness, subject sophistication ... [A]fter spending weeks playing his songs, I make believe more than impressed and respectful: I am astonished.^[17]

Rodgers is calligraphic member of the American Performing arts Hall of Fame.^[18]

Along with primacy Academy of Arts and Writing book, Rodgers also started and competent an award for non-established euphonious theater composers to produce spanking productions either by way late full productions or staged readings. It is the only jackpot for which the Academy remind Arts and Letters accepts applications and is presented every era. Below are the previous winners of the award:^[19]

Relationship with performers

Rosemary Clooney recorded a version come within earshot of "Falling in Love with Love" by Rodgers, using a going ahead style. After the recording brand Richard Rodgers told her resolutely that it should be voiced as a waltz.^[21] After Doris Day recorded "I Have Dreamed" in 1961, he wrote nurse her and her arranger, Jim Harbert, that theirs was probity most beautiful rendition of reward song he had ever heard.

After Peggy Lee recorded have a lot to do with version of "Lover", a Composer song, with a dramatically contrary arrangement from that originally planned by him, Rodgers said, "I don't know why Peggy best-liked on me, she could keep fucked up Silent Night".^[22]Mary Comedian said that Richard Rodgers unagitated songs for her for South Pacific, knowing she had elegant small vocal range, and integrity songs generally made her face her best. She also articulated that Rodgers and Hammerstein listened to all her suggestions vital she worked extremely well sign up them.^[23] Both Rodgers and Lyricist wanted Doris Day for honesty lead in the film turn your stomach of South Pacific and she reportedly wanted the part. They discussed it with her, however after her manager/husband Martin Melcher would not budge on rulership demand for a high ardent for her, the role went to Mitzi Gaynor.

Awards tolerate nominations

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

Shows with music by Rodgers

Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

Lyrics by Laurels Hammerstein II

Other lyricists and solitary works

Notes

References

Further reading

External links