Rodgers, Richard (1902-1979), became famous as a composer for the American musical theater. He worked chiefly with two great lyric writers, Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers’ songs include “The Lady Is a Tramp” and “Falling in Love with Love,” written with Hart, and “People Will Say We’re in Love” and “Some Enchanted Evening,” written with Hammerstein.
Rodgers was born on June 28, 1902, in New York City and attended Columbia University. He began to work with Hart on amateur shows in 1919. They achieved their first professional success with The Garrick Gaieties (1925). During the 1920’s and 1930’s, Rodgers and Hart helped make musical comedy into a well-developed art form. Two of their outstanding productions were On Your Toes (1936), which contained Rodgers’ ballet “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” and Pal Joey (1940). See Hart, Lorenz.
Shortly before Hart’s death in 1943, Rodgers joined with Hammerstein to write Oklahoma!, one of the top musicals in history. Rodgers and Hammerstein also created several other shows that rank among the greatest musicals. These works include Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959). They won a 1945 Academy Award for their song “It Might As Well Be Spring” from State Fair. See Hammerstein, Oscar, II.
Rodgers won a Pulitzer Prize in drama for South Pacific and a special Pulitzer citation for Oklahoma! In 1952, he composed the music for Victory at Sea, a documentary TV series. He also wrote the music and lyrics for No Strings (1962) and the music for Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965) and Rex (1976). He died on Dec. 30, 1979.
