bell work set up a clean sheet of paper please title it “lerner and loewe”
TRANSCRIPT
BIOGRAPHY
• Frederick “Fritz” Loewe was a German composer who immigrated to America in the early 20’s after World War 1
• He had already made his fortune in Germany and was doing well selling a lot of songs here in America as well.
• It wasn’t until he saw “Oklahoma!” that he realized that he wanted to tackle the American stage
HOW THEY MET
• For years, he had been searching for the right lyricist, and finally found one in the oddest place.
• While attending a party at his country club, he was on his way to the bathroom and bumped into Alan Jay Lerner.
• Yes Lerner and Loewe met in the Loo
• The two began talking, after their bathroom visit, and were very interested in starting a musical together
WHY MENTION THEY MET IN A COUNTRY CLUB???
WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU ABOUT THEIR PERSONALITIES IF I TOLD YOU THEY MET IN A
COUNTRY CLUB??????
ANSWER
They Were Rich!
They were used to getting what they want
Certain rules didn’t apply to them
They were also perfectionists
BECAUSE OF THIS…..
• It affected their music writing. A lot of these traits seeped into their professional work.
• You will see this as their writing progresses
THEIR FIRST PROJECT
• The hardest part of the composing business is getting a good idea that will get you started.
• But L & L didn’t want a Good idea, they wanted a PERFECT idea, so they took some time to travel the world and ended up in Scotland.
• While in Scotland, they were inspired by town folklore and began coming up with a story about a town that disappeared for 100 years and would return for 1 day
BRIGADOON
• The result of this was the Broadway smash hit “Brigadoon” (1947)
• Perhaps you’ve heard of it spoofed in a popular cartoon?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SstfdbHJGYQ
• That is the main theme from Brigadoon
THE CONTROVERSY AROUND THIS SHOW
• Lerner and Loewe, after the show was produced was that they stole the show from a German fable that was passed down for generations that speaks of the exact same thing.
• To this day, the families of Lerner and Loewe still contend that the story was completely original
L & L THE PERFECTIONISTS
• Even though the composing team now had a hit under their belt, the working relationship was strained due to the perfectionist attitude of both of the men.
• This was a blessing and curse
• How?
ANSWER
• It was okay for deadlines not to be met, because they were rich and could extend them
• However, they fought all of the time and insulted the others writing.
• This caused a “break” from writing together
YEARS OF WORKING TOGETHER
• Even though the two had to take breaks from writing with each other, they rarely produced a flop because they were perfectionists.
• Their major works include:• Paint Your Wagon-1951•My Fair Lady-1956•Camelot-1960•Gigi-1973
THEIR LEGACY
• L & L were very similar to R & H in the sense that they had similar writing styles
• HOWEVER, the biggest difference was that because of Fritz Loewe’s world wide experience, he could adapt his music to match the part of the world their story was set in.
• Lerner was also gifted in this sense too.
• L & L made Music Theatre an International Sensation by:1. Setting shows in different countries making Americans aware of
different cultures2. Starting a trend of bringing their shows over to Europe and
other countries that we now call “International Tours”