Explore the life and musical legacy of Richard Rodgers (1902-1979), the influential American composer who, along with lyricists Lorenz Hart and later Oscar Hammerstein II, shaped the landscape of Broadway with unforgettable musicals. From the early success of “The Garrick Gaieties” to the groundbreaking collaboration with Hammerstein on classics like “Oklahoma!” and “The Sound of Music,” Rodgers’ contributions became synonymous with the golden age of musical theater.
Source: wikipedia.org
Richard Rogers; (1902 – December 30, 1979 ), American composer, who collaborated in the writing of some of the most popular musical shows in the history of the American theater. He was born in New York City on June 28, 1902. He began his long association with librettist Lorenz Hart when both were students at Columbia University, where they wrote the varsity show in 1920. Rodgers then spent the years 1921-1922 studying at the Institute of Musical Art, after which he and Hart wrote shows for amateur groups but were unable to break into the professional theater. Rodgers was about to give up the theater for a business career when he and Hart were asked to do the songs for The Garrick Gaieties (1925). This show, which was scheduled for only one performance, was so successful that it had a long Broadway run and launched Rodgers and Hart on their extraordinary career.
Later Rodgers and Hart hit shows include The Connecticut Yankee ( 1927), Jumbo (1935 ) On Your Toes (1936), Babes in Arms and I’d Rather Be Right (1937), I Married an Angel and The Boys from Syracuse (1938), Pal Joey (1940), and By Jupiter (1942).
After Hart’s death in 1943, Rodgers collaborated with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. Their Oklahoma! (1943), in which the songs arise from the drama and the dances help advance the plot, was a marked advance in the development of the American musical. It won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944. Among other great Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals are Carousel (1945); South Pacific (1949), winner of another Pulitzer Prize; The King and I (1952); and The Sound of Music (1959). Hammerstein died in 1960.
Rodgers’ later shows, with various collaborators, include No Strings (1962), Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965), and Two by Two (1970).
Rodgers also composed for films and television. The television film Victory at Sea (1952), for which he wrote the score, won an award from the U. S. Navy.
