Rodgers & Hammerstein

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960) were an influential, innovative and highly successful American musical theatre writing team, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a series of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s, initiating what is considered the "Golden Age" of American musical theatre. With Rodgers composing the music and Hammerstein writing the lyrics, five of their shows, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music, were unparalleled successes. Among the many accolades their shows (and film versions) garnered were thirty-four Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and two Grammy Awards. The genius of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals was twofold: 1. Rodgers composed music that was highly appealing to average Americans. His music is at once both simple and sophisticated. 2. Hammerstein wrote lyrics that are full of deep emotion and a strong sense of optimism. But even more importantly, Hammerstein wrote his song lyrics in the context of the stories of the shows, many of which dealt with the triumph of individuals over some form of injustice or racial prejudice. Over time, Richard Rodgers emerged as the most successful composer in history in terms of a combination of: . Number of live performances of his work . Number of broadcasts of recordings . Royalty earnings The Musicals Of Rodgers And Hammerstein Oklahoma! (1943) The King and I (1951) Carousel (1945) Me and Juliet (1953) State Fair (film; 1945) Pipe Dream (1955) Allegro (1947) Cinderella (television; 1957) South Pacific (1949) Flower Drum Song (1957) The Sound of Music 1959) In the show South Pacific, the story is about a young American woman who is confronted with the issue of interracial marriage. In The King and I, the story is about the triumph of human rights and democracy over tyranny in Southeast Asia in the 19th century. The Sound of Music is about an Austrian family that must flee from the Nazis during World War Two. In a very real way, Hammerstein’s words taught average Americans in the 1950s and 1960s about human rights. Their music made many people realize that racism and prejudice were unacceptable values for Americans. Rodgers & Hammerstein used the medium of popular music to accomplish this. And in doing so, – amazingly – they became the most successful songwriting and theatrical team in history! Listening Examples Listed below is a series of links to 4 short YouTube videos. Read the descriptions for each printed below and then view all 4 videos. 1. Oscar Hammerstein II: Out Of My Dreams 1 (See below for additional segments of this documentary.) 2. Rodgers & Hammerstein: “Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific This is one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s best songs in terms of both the lyrics and the music. It is also an example of one of the many famous songs with lyrics by Hammerstein in which the character singing the song indirectly gives advice to the audience. These songs are among the most powerful musical statements in the genre of American musical theatre. (Another well-known example of a Rodgers and Hammerstein “advice song” is “Climb Every Mountain” from The Sound of Music.) 3. Rodgers & Hammerstein: “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught” from South Pacific According to author Andrea Most: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway musical South Pacific received scrutiny for its commentary regarding relationships between different races and ethnic groups. In particular, the song, "You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught," was subject to widespread criticism, judged by some to be too controversial or downright inappropriate for the musical stage. Sung by the character Lieutenant Cable, the song is preceded by a lyric saying that racism is "not born in you! It happens after you’re born..." [In the late 1940s] Rodgers and Hammerstein risked the entire South Pacific venture in light of legislative challenges to its decency or supposed Communist agenda. While the show was on a tour of the Southern United States, lawmakers in Georgia introduced a bill outlawing entertainment containing "an underlying philosophy inspired by Moscow." One legislator said that "a song justifying interracial marriage was implicitly a threat to the American way of life." Rodgers and Hammerstein defended their work strongly. James Michener, upon whose stories South Pacific was based, recalled, "The authors replied stubbornly that this number represented why they had wanted to do this play, and that even if it meant the failure of the production, it was going to stay in." 1 Copied below are the lyrics to the song, "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught." (Please note: the lyrics of this song as presented by the character of Lieutenan Joseph Cable in the show South Pacific are an ironic or even satirical statement. The character does not really believe what he is singing; he actually believes the opposite. But out of context, it might be possible to interpret this song as a statement promoting racial prejudice. In fact, the opposite is true.) You've got to be taught to hate and fear, You've got to be taught from year to year, It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear, You've got to be carefully taught. You've got to be taught to be afraid Of people whose eyes are oddly made, And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade, You've got to be carefully taught. You've got to be taught before it's too late, Before you are six or seven or eight, To hate all the people your relatives hate, You've got to be carefully taught! 4. Rodgers & Hammerstein: You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel The performance linked above by operatic soprano Renee Fleming was part of a special concert given on the 1st anniversary of September 11, 2001 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. This song demonstrates the lasting importance of the music and words of Rodgers and Hammerstein, who wrote the song 66 years earlier, in 1945. It is another striking example of Rodgers and Hammerstein song in which the character singing the song is giving powerful advice to the audience. Author’s Note: After seeing and hearing these Rodgers and Hammerstein “advice songs,” for many years, I can’t help feeling that it is Hammerstein himself who is speaking directly to the audience, imparting his own advice. Given the fact that these songs and shows are still immensely popular after more than a half century, it appears to me that his advice is still being taken. Supplementary Listening Examples Oscar Hammerstein II: Out Of My Dreams 2 Oscar Hammerstein II: Out Of My Dreams 3 Oscar Hammerstein II: Out Of My Dreams 4 Rodgers & Hammerstein: Climb Every Mountain from The Sound of Music Rodgers & Hammerstein: “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma Oscar Hammerstein & Jerome Kern: All The Things You Are (1939) Sung by Jo Stafford (1946) Oscar Peterson Trio In this video, the legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson uses the melody and harmonic structure of Kern & Hammerstein’s song “All The Things You Are” as the theme for a set of virtuosic jazz variations. 1 Andrea Most, "‘You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught’: The Politics of Race in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific" Theater Journal 52, no. 3 (October 2000), 306 .

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