Hart, Lorenz

Hart, Lorenz (Milton)

(born May 2, 1895, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Nov. 22, 1943, New York City) U.S. lyricist. A descendant of Heinrich Heine, Hart initially worked as a translator of German. In 1918 he met Richard Rodgers, then age 16, at Columbia University. Their many Broadway hits would include The Garrick Gaieties (1925), A Connecticut Yankee (1927), The Boys from Syracuse (1938), and Pal Joey (1940). Their 25-year collaboration (often difficult because of Hart's alcoholism and aversion to deadlines) yielded nearly 1,000 songs, including “Blue Moon” (their only song not introduced on stage or film), “My Funny Valentine,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered.” Hart died of liver failure at age 48.

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Hart, (Milton) Lorenz (1895–1943) lyricist; born in New York City. He studied journalism and wrote poetry at Columbia University and translated plays for the Shuberts before meeting composer Richard Rodgers in 1918. They collaborated on four songs for Poor Little Ritz Girl (1920) and did their first complete score for The Garrick Gaities (1925). During the next 18 years they collaborated on a string of successful Broadway and Hollywood musicals—among them On Your Toes (1936), The Boys from Syracuse (1938), and Pal Joey (1940). Although they created many popular songs, including "With a Song in My Heart" (1929), "Blue Moon" (1934), and "My Funny Valentine" (1937), Hart's show lyrics were distinguished by their clever wordplay, intricate internal rhymes, and often sardonic attitude. Dissatisfied with his life, he went on a drinking binge and died of pneumonia.