Richard Rodgers

Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) was an American composer for the musical theatre, with some forty Broadway shows and more than 900 songs to his name. His career fell into two long partnerships. With the lyricist Lorenz Hart, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, he wrote sharp, urbane musical comedies including On Your Toes, Babes in Arms and Pal Joey. With Oscar Hammerstein II he wrote Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music, shows in which songs and story were bound together more closely than Broadway had been used to. His honours included Pulitzer, Tony, Oscar, Grammy and Emmy awards.