Richard rodgers biography education credit

Born Richard Charles Rodgers, June 28, 1902, in Hammels Station, NY; died December 30, 1972, in New York City; son of William (a physician) and Mamie Rodgers; married Dorothy Feiner, 1930; children: Mary, Linda.

Education: Attended Columbia University, 1919-21; attended Institute of Musical Arts (now the Juilliard School), 1921-23.

Many observers agree that Richard Rodgers did not merely write Broadway musicals--he created the Broadway musical.

Working first with Lorenz Hart and then with Oscar Hammerstein, he left two legacies: Rodgers and Hart wrote clever, witty, and sometimes cynical musical comedies; Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote serious and heartwarming musical dramas.

The two pairs transformed the American musical from a light, cliche-ridden play with songs to a tightly knit, completely integrated theatrical/musical work.

Rodgers's life was focused on music and theater from a very early age.

His mother, an amateur pianist, and father, a doctor with a lovely baritone voice