Rodgers en Hammerstein

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Rodgers en Hammerstein · Rodgers and Hammerstein was the writing duo of the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. Together in the 1940s and 1950s they wrote a series of American musicals that changed the genre. Rodgers wrote the music, Hammerstein the lyrics and the story of the songs. Their first joint musical was Oklahoma! from 1943, followed by, among others, Carousel, South Pacific and The King and I. The last of these was filmed in 1956, with Rita Moreno in a supporting role.

Music and breakthrough

Their musicals use songs to tell the story. The music grows out of the scene and the characters, and light songs stand alongside serious subjects. The music is melodic and easy to sing, and many songs became known far beyond the theatre.

Influence

Their last joint work was The Sound of Music, with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse based on the book by Maria von Trapp. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1959, with Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, and won five Tony Awards, including for best musical. Hammerstein died nine months after the premiere. In 1965 a film followed with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, which won five Oscars. In this way the duo stands at the foundation of the American musical tradition, on which later writers continued to build.

Listening