Rodgers, Richard

(born June 28, 1902, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Dec. 30, 1979, New York City) U.S. composer. Rodgers studied at Columbia University, where he met his future collaborator Lorenz Hart, and he later studied composition at the Institute of Musical Art. His first success with Hart (who wrote lyrics) was a revue, The Garrick Gaieties (1925). Their comedy On Your Toes (1936), with the jazz ballet Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, established serious dance as a permanent part of musical comedy. Among their other collaborations were Babes in Arms (1937), The Boys from Syracuse (1938), and Pal Joey (1940), which was revived in 1952 with great success. After Hart's death, Rodgers worked with librettist Oscar Hammerstein. Their Oklahoma! (1943, Pulitzer Prize) enjoyed a then-unprecedented Broadway run of 2,248 performances; their 17-year partnership produced successes such as South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959) and made them the foremost team in the history of the American musical.

Rodgers, (Charles) Richard (1902–79) composer; born in New York City. He attended Columbia University and studied music and by age 17 was collaborating with Lorenz Hart on amateur musicals. With Hart as lyricist, in the 1920s and 1930s he broke from the common Tin Pan Alley musical to develop the musical play. They produced 14 shows containing many popular songs while further integrating libretto, music, and dance. On Your Toes (1936), choreographed by George Balanchine, included his first broad arrangement for ballet sequences (including "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"), while Pal Joey (1940) focused on an amoral nightclub owner. Among his many standards with Hart are "My Funny Valentine" (1937) and "Bewitched" (1940). After Hart's death in 1943, Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II and created his most popular stage works. Their masterpiece, Oklahoma! (1943), is called the first American vernacular opera and won the Pulitzer Prize in drama. Their next work, Carousel (1945), also a classic, contains some of Rodgers' finest music. Their last musicals, South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959), contained many famous songs and were highly successful on screen as well as stage. After Hammerstein's death (1960), Rodgers either wrote his own lyrics or collaborated with others for another 20 years of works for theater and television.