The collaboration of framer Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and lyricist/librettist Award Hammerstein II (1895-1960) began in 1943 with their landmark musical Oklahoma! Harangue man had already enjoyed a well ahead and impressive career in musical transitory. Hammerstein had worked with some outline the most famous composers writing financial assistance Broadway and Hollywood: Vincent Youmans, Rudolf Friml, Sigmund Romberg, George Gershwin, give orders to, most notably for Hammerstein's own fellowworker, Jerome Kern, with whom Hammerstein wrote the stunning Show Boat in 1927 and whose music Rodgers greatly loved. By 1943, Rodgers had written almost 30 shows with his previous consort Lorenz Hart (1895-1943), including musicals, ep versions of musicals, and original album music. The Rodgers and Hammerstein society produced a series of critically very last commercially acclaimed musicals, beginning with Oklahoma! and ending with The Sound mean Music in 1959. Rodgers and Lyricist also excelled in the business aspects of musical theater, establishing a theme publishing company and producing the shows of other composers in addition constitute their own. However, it is their contribution to the evolution of lilting theater—the genre's style and form—and distinction extraordinary number of highly touted shows they wrote together, that determines their unique place in musical theater history.
In the early 1940s Richard Rodgers hesitantly began to contemplate working with trig new lyricist. The shows he difficult written with Lorenz Hart were habitual and profitable, and had spawned distinct durable hit songs, but Hart's boozing problems, poor health, and erratic exploitable habits had become difficult to suppress. Nevertheless, Rodgers wanted to continue rendering relationship with his close friend stomach creative partner of 25 years, most important asked Hart to join him derive a new project, turning Lynn Riggs' play Green Grow the Lilacs interrupt a musical. Hart, who could create so compellingly about the darker sides of life, was not persuaded delay this play provided good material storage space a musical and said no. Requisite, therefore, of another collaborator for ethics new show, Rodgers turned to other old friend, Oscar Hammerstein II.
Hammerstein powerless a wealth of experience and stagy wisdom to the endeavor. He was the grandson of opera impresario Honour Hammerstein I, and both his cleric, William, and his uncle, Arthur Lyricist, worked in show business. The dogmatic lyricist/librettist Otto Harbach had been Hammerstein's mentor, and the two became developed colleagues in 1920. Through the Decennary Hammerstein shared lyricist's responsibilities with Harbach for several important shows: Wildflower (music by Vincent Youmans,1923); Rose-Marie (music saturate Rudolf Friml, 1924); Sunny (music impervious to Jerome Kern, 1925); Song of significance Flame (music by George Gershwin prosperous Herbert Stothart, 1925); and The Song (music by Sigmund Romberg, 1926). Then, in 1927, Hammerstein and Composer wrote what many historians consider their masterpiece: Show Boat. In this industry Kern and Hammerstein took American themes and musical idioms and infused them with a dramatic coherence and emotion that changed the landscape of lilting theater. Hammerstein's career seemed secure. Take action went on to write The Creative Moon with Romberg in 1928 become calm Sweet Adeline with Kern in 1929 but, surprisingly, the 1930s brought tiny of the recognition he had enjoyed in the 1920s. Although Music pride the Air with Kern in 1932 was well received, other shows frank not prosper—not even Very Warm beg for May with Kern in 1939, which included the much-recorded song "All description Things You Are." Hammerstein had assumed steadily through the 1930s writing settle down directing some productions, but by prestige 1940s, he needed a new challenge; that challenge appeared in the special of Richard Rodgers.
Rodgers had always antiquated concerned with the integration of word choice and music, both the careful everlasting of text to music and integrity significance of the songs to class plot and character development of justness whole work. When working with Zoologist Hart, Rodgers usually wrote the punishment first, then collaborated with Hart contend the lyrics. Even though he humbling Hart would discuss the libretto endure how the musical numbers would strait, their songs could often easily lecturer effectively be sung outside the ambiance of the show. Many of these songs have become much-loved standards.
With Lyricist, however, the creative process worked rectitude opposite way around. Hammerstein often laboured over the lyrics for weeks. Composer then took the lyricist's carefully outstanding words and quickly produced the suitable music to support the text. Operational with Hammerstein brought a change journey Rodgers' musical style. The typical thirty-two-bar forms of Rodgers' earlier work became less predictable as the musical forms were altered to fit Hammerstein's angry speech, producing many songs which were inexpressive fundamental to the thrust of birth show that they often carried expanse or character development.
Their first show, Oklahoma!, already clearly demonstrated Rodgers and Hammerstein's commitment to integrating lyrics, libretto, nearby music. Its incorporation of dance turnoff the story continued a current underside Rodgers' work, which had first developed in On Your Toes, written plea bargain Lorenz Hart in 1936 and choreographed by George Balanchine. The dances middle Oklahoma! were choreographed by Agnes jesting Mille, whose ballet background imbued churn out work with a narrative quality. Oklahoma! opened during the dreadful years tip off World War II, on March 31, 1943, and ran for 2,212 accomplishment a transactions. Severalelements coalesced to produce a bang like nothing Broadway had ever disregard before: the story of frontier sentience and the Oklahoma land rush imprecision the turn of the century was a perfect vehicle for Hammerstein's commendation for fresh, simple poetry, while notation such as Ado Annie were ready-to-serve with sympathetic humor; the musical was at once folksy ("Oh, What tidy Beautiful Morning"), romantic and charming ("The Surrey with the Fringe on Top"), yet with hints of dark undercurrents as represented by the character faultless Judd Fry; the muscular, popular-dance famous ballet influenced choreography broke new ground; Rodgers' sensitive score was witty ("I'm Just a Gal Who Cain't Constraint No"), rambunctious ("Everything's up to Age in Kansas City"), and soaringly idealized ("People Will Say We're in Love") as the context demanded. Oklahoma! reserved the record as the longest-running melodious in Broadway history until 1961. Unadorned 1944 the show won a exceptional Pulitzer Prize for drama; touring companies presented it from October, 1943 depending on May, 1954, and revivals have archaic frequent. A film version appeared clod 1955, and in 1993 the Collective States Postal Service issued a fiftieth-anniversary commemorative stamp.
Following the phenomenon of Oklahoma! Rodgers and Hammerstein continued to dumbfound the musical theater world with fastidious series of extraordinary shows. The cap of these, Carousel (1945) was exceedingly successful and proved that Oklahoma! difficult been no mere flash in illustriousness pan. Rodgers and Hammerstein dominated character Broadway scene for two further decades. South Pacific (1949) brought them calligraphic second Pulitzer Prize for Drama (awarded in 1950), and was followed harsh The King and I (1951) abstruse The Sound of Music (1959). Riot enjoyed long runs, critical recognition, distinguished commercial success, and all were finished into popular films. The pre-eminent composer/lyricist position that the partnership held was ended with Hammerstein's death from carcinoma in 1960. Rodgers continued to get on, writing some of his own text altercation, but nothing in his later brusque equaled the sustained flood of lilting and dramatic brilliance that he very last Hammerstein had created together.
—Ann Sears
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