Richard Rodgers is known to most people as just Rodgers as in Rodgers and Hammerstein and Rodgers and Hart. Inspired by the words of his legendary lyricist partners, Rodgers scored the music for many of Broadway's biggest musical hits--Carousel, The Sound of Music, The Boys from Syracuse, Oklahoma!--to name just a few. What this biography makes clear is that it was a far from simple man who composed the simple, infectious melodies that have kept generations of musical theatergoers humming long after the curtain closes. As a small child Rodgers had a knack for melody making and by the age of 17 heard his first song reverberate against the walls of Broadway. But his light, lilting melodies belied an often dark and brooding soul, a man who closed himself off even from those to whom he was closest. Oscar Hammerstein once remarked: "We've worked together all these years and I don't really know him."
Richard Rodgers is clearly a labor of love. Author William Hyland spent the majority of his professional life working at the CIA, the State Department, and the White House and later edited Foreign Affairs. The book reverentially analyzes Rodgers's evolutionary musical style and his contribution to American culture, yet Hyland seems loathe to broach subjects that might tarnish Rodgers's image--the moody, at times clinically depressed, difficult to work with Rodgers is assiduously kept in the wings. Still, the book offers insight into the creative process and is a pleasurable stroll for fans of musical theater.
William G. Hyland
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It's a grand collection fit for two of the most influential and successful composers of the modern era! This folio presents 70 songs from 11 of their blockbusters, complete with background information on each show and a great bio of this famous team. It also features an index by…
In this tale of the most phenomenal collaboration in Broadway history - that of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II - Overture and Finale revisits the creation of their two most beloved hits: Oklaboma!, their first show together, and The Sound of Music, their last. Full of e…
Still the most influential and popular songwriting team in the history of the American Musical Theatre, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein represent Broadway musicals at their finest. The team revolutionized the musical play with Oklahoma! in 1943 and then went on to explore t…
Compiling the best Broadway hits of America's most beloved songwriting team, this beautifully illustrated gift edition brings alive the timeless music of "Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song, The Sound of Music", and more. 60 illustrations, 30 in…
Now in paperback, this profusely illustrated volume celebrates the legendary collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Filled with original performance photographs, set and costume designs, backstage candids, and lively anecdotes, the book covers the team's compl…
A new edition to commemorate the legendary composer's 100th birthday. From Oklahoma! to Carousel, The Sound of Music to The King and I, the sights and sounds of Broadway were dominated by Richard Rodgers for the better part of the twentieth century. And now, on the centenary of h…
The greatest partnership in the history of the musical, captured in print, wonderfully illustrated. For this new edition, the book has been completely rewritten and substantially expanded to include material on Rodgers' early career with Lorenz Hart as well as his later work, and…
How does an effeminate boy–raised in Cowboyland with cattle and guns, hunting and trucks, sports and church, jocks and jerks, cruelty and small-mindedness–get from the Black Hills of South Dakota to the thrills and heartbreak of the white-hot lights of Broadway and the West End?…
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