This PDF file contains information about the music of Rodgers & Hammerstein, including links to musical examples.

1. Rodgers & Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960) were
an influential, innovative and highly successful American musical theatre
writing team, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created
a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s, initiating
what is considered the "golden age" of American musical theatre. With
Rodgers composing the music and Hammerstein writing the lyrics, five of
their shows, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The
Sound of Music, were outstanding successes. Among the many accolades
their shows (and film versions) garnered were thirty-four Tony Awards,
fifteen Academy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and two Grammy Awards.
The genius of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals was twofold:
1. Rodgers composed music that was incredibly appealing to average
Americans. His music was at once both simple and sophisticated. Over time,
Richard Rodgers emerged as the most successful composer in history in
terms of:
Number of live performances of his work
Number of broadcasts of recordings
Royalty earnings
2. Hammerstein wrote lyrics that are full of deep emotion and a strong sense
of optimism. But even more importantly, Hammerstein wrote his song lyrics
in the context of the stories of the shows, which dealt with the triumph of
individuals over racial prejudice.
In the show South Pacific, the story is about a young American woman who
is confronted with the issue of interracial marriage. In The King and I, the
story is about the triumph of human rights and democracy over tyranny in
Southeast Asia in the 19th
century. The Sound of Music is about an Austrian
family that must flee from the Nazis during World War Two.

2. In a very real way, Hammerstein’s lyrics taught average Americans in the
1950s and 1960s about human rights. Their music made people realize that
racism and prejudice were unacceptable values for Americans. Rodgers &
Hammerstein used the medium of popular music to accomplish this.
Please watch the following video on the work of Oscar Hammerstein II:
Oscar Hammerstein II: Out Of My Dreams
(Television Documentary Excerpt) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJxXVnOjYo8
Please listen to these examples of the music of Rodgers & Hammerstein:
Rodgers & Hammerstein: “Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific
Rodgers & Hammerstein: “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught” from South Pacific
Rodgers & Hammerstein: “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma
Rodgers & Hammerstein: You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel
From the 1920s onward, American Jazz musicians used songs from
Broadway shows and the American Musical Theatre as the thematic material
for their jazz improvisations. The following two musical samples demonstrate
this. The first sample is a song called “All The Things You Are” by Oscar
Hammerstein II and composer Jerome Kern from a now-forgotten Broadway
show they wrote in 1939 called Very Warm For May. The song, however is
considered to be one of the most outstanding songs of the genre of American
Musical Theatre. The second example is a jazz performance by a famous jazz
pianist using the same song as the thematic material for his improvisation.
Oscar Hammerstein & Jerome Kern:
All The Things You Are (1939)
performed by vocalist Jo Stafford in 1946
Oscar Peterson Trio (performing a jazz improvisation on "All The Things You Are")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpP8oMEw3W8