Composer Richard Rogers—along with his lyricist partners Lorenz Hart and, later, Oscar Hammerstein II—helped to change American musical theater from a more frivolous type of entertainment to a more serious and realistic artistic performance. His music is considered classic with over 80 standards that are still performed today, such as My Funny Valentine, which has been covered by more than 600 artists. He won multiple awards, including a Pulitzer Prize. His catalog is enormous, and summarizing his work in two pages will not be easy.
One thing that jumps out is how well his Broadway musicals transitioned to film, which doesn't always happen. You might explore the reasons why, such as how well he and his partners captured the zeitgeist of the moment. You could also explore how timeless their work is, since musicals and films such as Oklahoma! and My Fair Lady are still being performed and enjoyed worldwide today. His music has been described as "wonderfully singable, danceable melodies" but he also wrote darker, more longing and wistful tunes as well.
Rodgers himself is quoted as asking "What is wrong with sweetness and light?" In short, these are popular and catchy tunes that score well and provide opportunities for the vocal and dance showcases that made musical films so popular in their day. The bottom line is that the public was and is able to relate to the melodies he composed, which has contributed to Rodgers' continuing success and acclaim.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/richard-rodgers-about-richard-rodgers/690/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006256/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/31/archives/richard-rodgers-is-dead-at-age-77-broadways-renowned-composer.html
Friday, June 29, 2018
The class is music and film. It covers scores by music composers in films. The 2 pages essay I'm writing is about Richard Rodgers, music composer before 1970. It must include: body of work, his writing style, and how his writing style differs from other composers specifically before the 1970 time period only. Also, it should discuss his background and any trends he set (example of trendset would be John Williams contribution to Star Wars). Also you can advise of any research websites online to review expect for obvious ones like Wikipedia. For example, are there websites for music majors for these topics?
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