Richard Rodgers by Meryle Secrest
This biography of Richard Rodgers chronicles the life of the composer by covering five decades of Americal musical history. It is a portrait of a complex man. The biography covers Rogers' 25 year collaboration with Lorenz Hart, producing such songs as "The Lady is a Tramp" and "Blue Moon". After Hart died, Rogers collaborated with Oscar Hammerstein II and together they wrote "Oklahoma!", "South Pacific" and "Carosel" amnong others. Personable, sunny and seductive, but riddled with insecurities, he still composed 39 musicals and over 1000 songs.
Although Jerome Kern virtually created the modern American musical, and, latterly, Stephen Sondheim has brought it to new heights of invention and sophistication, many would say that the most significant of all composers in the field was the prodigally talented Richard RodgersUnique among Broadway composers, Rodgers enjoyed two phenomenally successful careers with very different lyricists: his early work with the witty, corrosive Lorenz Hart produced some of the most enduring standards in the history of popular music. And had Rodgers' career only consisted of this association, he would be assured of a place in musical history. But his subsequent work with Oscar Hammerstein II (in such groundbreaking musicals as Oklahoma! and South Pacific) changed forever the face of the American musical, adding relevance and dramatic veracity to a medium that had all too often been superficial. Rodgers' skills lay primarily in the area of melody, and there were few composers (apart, possibly, from Gershwin) who could match the prodigality of his invention. What Secrest's remarkable and penetrating biography reveals is what a troubled man Rodgers was. Throughout his career, we were presented with the cool (in fact cold) professional, and the intimation from associates such as Stephen Sondheim that Rodgers had a difficult private life is here confirmed by Secrest. But as a celebration of a musical genius, this is unlikely to be beaten.
Meryle Secrest was born and educated in Bath. She has written biographies of Romaine Brooks, Bernard Berenson, Kenneth Clark, Salvador Dali, Frank Lloyd Wright, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. She lives in Maryland, USA.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780747552161 |
| ISBN 10 | 0747552169 |
| Title | Richard Rodgers |
| Author | Meryle Secrest |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2001-12-03 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |