From every "beautiful mornin'" to "some enchanted evening," the
songs of Oscar Hammerstein II are part of our daily lives, his
words part of our national fabric.
Born into a theatrical dynasty headed by his grandfather and
namesake, Oscar Hammerstein II breathed new life into the moribund
art form of operetta by writing lyrics and libretti for such
classics as "Rose-Marie" (music by Rudolf Friml), "The Desert Song
"(Sigmund Romberg), "The New Moon "(Romberg) and "Song of the
Flame" (George Gershwin). Hammerstein and Jerome Kern wrote eight
musicals together, including "Sweet Adeline, Music in the Air," and
their masterpiece, "Show Boat." The vibrant "Carmen Jones" was
Hammerstein's all-black adaptation of the tragic opera by Georges
Bizet.
In 1943, Hammerstein, pioneer in the field of operetta, joined
forces with Richard Rodgers, who had for the previous twenty-five
years taken great strides in the field of musical comedy with "his"
longtime writing partner, Lorenz Hart. The first Rodgers and
Hammerstein work, "Oklahoma ," merged the two styles into a
completely new genre--the musical play--and simultaneously launched
the most successful partnership in American musical theater. Over
the next seventeen years, Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote eight more
Broadway musicals: "Carousel, Allegro, South Pacific, The King and
I, Me and Juliet, Pipe Dream, Flower Drum Song, " and "The Sound of
Music." They also wrote a movie musical "(State Fair)" and one for
television "(Cinderella)." Collectively their works have earned
dozens of awards, including Pulitzers, Tonys, Oscars, Grammys, and
Emmys.
Throughout his career, Hammerstein created works of lyrical beauty
and universal feeling, and he continually strove--sometimes against
fashion--to seek out the good and beautiful in the world. "I know
the world is filled with troubles and many injustices," he once
said. "But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly . . . I just
couldn't write anything without hope in it."
All of his lyrics are here--850, more than a quarter published for
the first time--in this sixth book in the indispensable Complete
Lyrics series that has also brought us the lyrics of Cole Porter,
Lorenz Hart, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Frank Loesser. From
the young scribe's earliest attempts to the old master's final
lyric--"Edelweiss"--we can see, read, and, yes, sing the words of a
theatrical and lyrical genius.
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