Rodgers and Hammerstein

Rodgers and Hammerstein were an American songwriting duo consisting of Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960). They are most famous for creating a string of immensely popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s, in what is considered the golden age of their medium, including five shows that were legendary successes: Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. Over the course of their collaboration, their work and its adaptations garnered 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Awards, among other theater accolades.

Previous work and early partnership

Rodgers had previously been in a successful partnership with Lorenz Hart; among their Broadway hits were the shows Babes in Arms, Pal Joey, and A Connecticut Yankee. Hammerstein, a co-writer of the popular Rudolf Friml operetta Rose-Marie, began a successful collaboration with composer Jerome Kern on Sunny, which was a great hit; their 1927 musical Show Boat is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the American musical theatre. Hammerstein continued to work with Kern and operetta composer Sigmund Romberg, among others, over the next several years on shows such as Sweet Adeline, Music in the Air, and Very Warm for May, a critical failure which nevertheless contained one of Kern and Hammerstein's loveliest songs, "All the Things You Are."

Related Topics:
Lorenz Hart - Babes in Arms - Pal Joey - A Connecticut Yankee - Rudolf Friml - Rose-Marie - Jerome Kern - Sunny - 1927 - Show Boat - Sigmund Romberg

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As Lorenz Hart sank deeper into alcoholism and became more unreliable, it is said that Rodgers went to Hammerstein and asked if he would consider the possibility of working with him at some future date. They made a secret arrangement, which came into force after Hart died. When working with Hart, Rodgers would always write the music for Hart to wrote the lyrics. However when he teamed up with Hammerstein, Hammerstein would write the lyrics first and then Rodgers would write the music.

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