Richard Rodgers And Hammerstein: The Most Famous Composers

From performing in musicals and television shows, composing music, and writing Broadway musicals, Lin-Manuel Miranda is one of the most influential celebrities of recent years. He has done so many amazing things with his musical theatre talents including writing two Broadway musicals and writing music for some Disney movies. Many people know about his accomplishments with Broadway, but what they don’t know is why he started doing musical theatre in the first place. His love of Broadway started long ago, when he was growing up in New York City. Lin-Manuel Miranda was born in New York City, New York on January 16, 1980.

There are three big periods of music. These periods are Baroque, Classical, and Romantic. In these periods there were several different composers who helped shape that period. Here are but a few in each of the period.

Musical theater has been filled with countless talented composers. The amount of talent in the theater world is endless, but only few composers gain iconic status. The Gershwins, Rogers & Hammerstein, and Stephen Sondheim come to mind when thinking of the pinnacle of composing. One other man who deserves his permanent place with these others would be Cole Porter. Porter’s extensive library of songs has become classics along with a series of hit musicals that are still done in high mass today. Porter had his share of incredibly tough times, and it simply only makes his rise to the top even more impressive. Cole Porter is without a doubt one of the best composers to ever write for the stage in history.

While Ludwig van Beethoven and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky have much in common, they also have many differences. Both men are famous for their orchestral compositions and their future influence on other composers. They experienced a blend of horrible failures and great successes. Although they were from different musical time periods, they both made huge contributions to the world of music.

Today, I am seeing “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella”, starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. I am viewing this in M.O.T Charter High School’s theater classroom. I am seeing this with my fellow theater classmates. Although I have seen this film before , I am very thrilled to hear Whitney Houston and Brandy sing “Impossible/It’s Possible”! The three elements I am discussing in this piece are costuming, set, and singing.

The original songs in the musical include Magic to Do, Corner of the Sky, Welcome Home, War is a Science, Glory, Simple Joys, No Time at All, With You, Spread a Little Sunshine, Morning Glow, On the Right Track, And There He Was, Kind of Woman, Extraordinary, Prayer for a Duck, Love Song, I Guess I’ll Miss the Man, and Finale. These are the songs Schwartz designed to be catchy, different, and exciting.

For many young theatre lovers, Stephen Sondheim is their introduction the the musical theatre world. Whether it be from Into the Woods to West Side Story, Sondheim has been a great inspiration to those wanting to be introduced to the musical theatre world. People praise Sondheim on his ability to create compelling characters and expanded worlds that the characters live in. What Sonheim is credited for most, however, is his creation of the plotless musical. He created a bunch of characters and then proceeded to round out their stories into one song. He took seven one act plays and created one musical. Company was created in the 1970s and reflected the values of the time while being able to still reflect the values of today.

Stephen Schwartz is a famous American composer, producer, and creator of music and film. With a degree in drama, Schwartz was first hired as a producer in his early years. Schwartz was interested in musical Theater since the early 1970’s when he was famous for three popular shows on Broadway; Godspell, Pippin, and The Magic Show (The Songwriters Hall of Fame). Stephen Schwartz accomplishments include winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics, obtaining three Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards and also being nominated for six Tony Awards. (circletheatre.org). Stephen Schwartz has made an impact on American Musical Theater by influencing Americans by composing famous musicals and earning many awards from which American’s remember him by.

Oklahoma! The first collaboration of Rodgers and Hammerstein was entitled Oklahoma! The idea of the musical came from a play called Green Grow the Lilacs, written by Lynn Riggs in 1931. This story is about the state of Oklahoma at the turn of the century, when the Indian Territory joined the United States. It is the story of a girl named Laurey Williams and her (sort of) love triangle with two boys by the names of Curley McClain and Jud Fry. Laurey is in love with Curley, but she attends a dance with Jud instead. At the dance, Curley surprised Laurey by bidding an enormous amount on the basket of food she has prepared. They soon marry, and after the wedding, Jud starts a fight with Curley, but he

Leonard Bernstein is seen as one of the greatest composers in America. Bernstein composed great music, conducted great music, and also preformed great music as a pianist. Bernstein is probably most known for his film score in the production West Side Story. According to The New York Times, he was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history.” Being born and educated in the United States, Bernstein was the first American to obtain worldwide acclaim. He is also cited in the Encyclopedia of World Biography, that “his special gift of bridging the gap between the concert hall and the world of Broadway made him one of the most glamorous musical figures of his day.”

The use of music is a key to determining if a film is in the musical genre. Not only are songs used to further the story along in a musical, but they also have the ability to put the audience in the emotional state of the character singing. Song has always been used as a good conductor for emotional understanding. For example, during the song "You Were Meant for Me" in Singin’ in the Rain, Don Lockwood is able to confess his love to Kathy Selden in a way that feels magical and shows a connection between the two would be lovers. Also, the song “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” in Grease is able to betray the emotional depth of the character Rizzo’s fear, shame, and anger. At the time this film came out, topics such as teen pregnancy were not generally presented in films. By having this character sing her issue, the audiences, who may have dismissed her outright for her actions, are able to sympathize with her plight. Moreover, in Rent, the song "I'll Cover You" by Angel and Collins allow the viewer to get caught up in this young couple's relationship without having to worry or even consider that this is a gay couple.

Many composers have impacted music since the beginning of time. Out of all composers we have studied Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Armstrong all stand out to me. They have all contributed to the history of music in amazing ways. Out of those that stand out to me, I think Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Armstrong are the most influential composers. Each in their own way have affected the course of music and how it is composed and also appreciated.

By 1935, Gershwin had successfully written several serious compositions, but it was during this year in particular that his most famous opera, Porgy and Bess, was performed. This opera received mixed reviews and led Gershwin to pursue an interest for films. Gershwin moved to California and wrote several film scores.

Two great writers of American musical theatre, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, had one idea in common. They wanted to present to the American public a new and revolutionary musical that would stand out above the rest. They wanted to make an impact on the societies of the era. They wanted to be creative and do something that was considered rebellious. When they finally combined their ideas together they created an American masterpiece in musical theatre: Oklahoma!. It was the first Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration, starting the most successful creative partnership in the history of American musical theatre.

The two songs that made the grates impression were "there is nothin' like a dame" sung by the singing cardsman and "light of a clear blue morning" sung by the collegiate chorale. They were not the traditional chorale songs I was expecting to hear. The first song stuck out because of the performance itself. The men made it entertaining as explained earlier. In contrast, the second song had a high clear sound that contrasted with the emotion the soloist managed to evoke. The words of the song produced a sorrowful mood but the crispness of the soloist’s voice brought the feeling of hope to the