Friml, << FRIHM uhl, >> Rudolf (1879-1972), was one of the most popular composers of operettas of the early 1900’s. Friml wrote more than 20 operettas, gaining immediate fame with The Firefly (1912), his first show. Rose-Marie (1924) became the most popular international hit of the 1920’s. It features the ballad “Indian Love Call.” Herbert Stothart also contributed to the score and Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the book and lyrics. The Vagabond King (1925) contains the well-known “Song of the Vagabonds.” Friml composed one of his most popular melodies for The Ziegfeld Follies of 1923. After lyrics were added, it became known as “The Donkey Serenade.”
Friml was born on Dec. 7, 1879, in Prague, in what is now the Czech Republic. He studied with the famous Czech composer Antonín Dvorák. In 1901, Friml became the piano accompanist for the noted Czech violinist Jan Kubelik. Friml performed in America with Kubelik and as a piano soloist, settling in the United States in 1906. He became a citizen of the United States in 1925. Friml wrote light instrumental pieces for orchestra until he began composing operettas. In the early 1930’s, musical tastes changed and the romantic European style of Friml’s compositions seemed outdated. He therefore gave up the theater and spent the rest of his life composing privately and performing piano concerts. Friml died on Nov. 12, 1972.
