Bell WorkRemembering our Entrance

Procedures:◦Go directly to your seat◦Place your belongings under your

chairWhen finished, Set up a piece of

paper with this title:◦Rodgers and Hart/Hammerstein

Rodgers and Hart/Hammerstein-Kings of Musical Comedy and Music

Theatre Arrives

ObjectivesStudents will understand the

biography of Rodgers and Hart and how they led to Rodgers and Hammerstein

Students will take notes on his biography

Students will view examples Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Work as the inventors of Music Theater

Receive an assignment involving R&H

Rodgers and HartRichard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart met

in Columbia UniversityRodgers was in the School of Music

while Hart was an English Major studying poetry

Rodgers and Hart joined an amateur song writing competition to write a song about NYC at their school and won with the song “Manhattan”

This one song solidified their styles of writing.

Their Writing Styles

Rodgers had a very predictable way of writing music and it was easily identified. It would go like this: Intro, A, A, B, A

More importantly though, were Hart’s lyrics. They were very heart-felt…no pun intended

Hart was very in tune with human emotions and could write lyrics that spoke to people on a deeper level.

Hart was also a master at rhyming multi-syllabic words and making up words to get a rhyme just right: i.e. Laughable, Unphotographable Ex. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dpb3vNsTd8 (0.48)

Their WorksThe two men worked very well

together and took the musical comedy world by storm.

Some of their most famous works included:◦Babes in Arms◦The Boys from Syracuse◦Chee-Chee◦She’s My Baby

Most Famous Work…Pal Joey

Their most famous work today is a musical comedy based on a main characters who is a villain. The audience hated it.

The Break-upHart could not take criticism very well and

turned to drink.Because of this problem, Hart missed a lot of

his appointments and Rodgers began missing a lot of his deadlines.

Rodgers had to hire other lyricists to help him produce shows on time, because Hart would be hung over from the night before

Eventually Rodgers had to break it off with Hart so Hart could go seek help

Rodgers and HammersteinOnce Rodgers and Hart were no more,

Oscar Hammerstein II took his place.Oscar Hammerstein had to establish

himself differently than Hart, because the duo was so famous.

Hammerstein had his own way of writing lyrics which was with more warmth, optimism, and sometimes corny

This really spoke to Richard Rodgers and he shaped his music to match Hammerstein’s lyrics.

A New Genre of TheaterThe two began a project that

changed the face of theater forever.

In 1943, the team produced their first musical “Oklahoma!”

Music Theater is BornWith “Oklahoma!”, R & H did

something that no other writing team had attempted before. “The Songs and Dances in the Show came right out of the dialogue the actors were saying!”

Music Theater ContinuedThis changed the way composers

and authors wrote musicals. It enhanced the stories so the actors could sing or dance about what they were feeling, and made the audience pay attention to the full story line

The show was a huge hit in 1943 because of it’s target audience….Women and Children

BrainstormWhy did the men not go to see

the show right away?

Where were they?

Will This Help????

WORLD WAR IIThe men weren’t home to see it, but heard

about it overseas and came home in 1945 and gave the show another big surge when the entire family went to go and see it.

LegacyRodgers and Hammerstein are

the “Father’s of American Musical Theater”.

They rarely produced flops and were very much in tune with the audience and what they wanted to see at that point in time.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Works

R & H have written such musicals as:◦Oklahoma!◦Carousel◦South Pacific◦The King and I◦Cinderella◦Flower Drum Song◦The Sound of Music

In ConclusionRodgers and Hart = Masters of

Musical Comedy Era

VS

Rodgers and Hammerstein= Inventors of Musical Theater Era

QuestionsIf you have any questions about

either composing team, please ask them now!

Have a Great Day and I’ll See you Tomorrow!