Hammerstein, Oscar, II

(born July 12, 1895, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Aug. 23, 1960, Doylestown, Pa.) U.S. lyricist, musical-comedy author, and producer. Grandson of the opera impresario Oscar Hammerstein (1846–1919), he studied law at Columbia University before beginning his theatre career. Among his early musicals are Rose Marie (1924; music by Rudolf Friml), The Desert Song (1925; music by Sigmund Romberg), and the Jerome Kern musicals Sunny (1925) and Show Boat (1927), the latter a musical theatre landmark. In the early 1940s he began a famous collaboration with Richard Rodgers; the two soon became the preeminent figures in the American musical theatre, creating among others Oklahoma! (1943, Pulitzer Prize), Carousel (1945), State Fair (1945), South Pacific (1949, Pulitzer Prize), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959). They formed the publishing firm Williamson Music, and from 1949 were theatrical producers as well.

Hammerstein, Oscar, II (1895–1960) lyricist; born in New York City (grandson of Oscar Hammerstein). The writer of words for Show Boat in 1927 with composer Jerome Kern, he is considered one of America's foremost song writers. His greatest successes were with Richard Rodgers. Together they created Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949), and The Sound of Music (1959). His singable lyrics include "Ol' Man River," "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," and "Climb Every Mountain."