An inspiration to generations of songwriters.
Oscar Hammerstein II, born the grandson and namesake of an operatic impresario, was born in New York City in 1985. Despite Hammerstein's father's wishes for him to pursue a career outside of the arts, he ended up at Columbia, writing the Varsity show the same year that a younger Richard Rodgers was in attendance.
"He's a meticulously hard worker and yet he'll roam the grass of his farm for hours and sometimes for days before he can bring himself to put a word on paper." —Rodgers on Hammerstein
He was a large, sturdy man with brilliant eyes and keen fashion sense that showed his imagination and professionalism everywhere he went. As noted by Richard Rodgers, he was a careful and meticulous man. His appreciation for the outdoors often inspired his lyrics, and he was acutely attune to his surroundings as inspiration for his award-winning words.
A Veteran of the Spotlight
Hammerstein’s skills as a librettist quickly established his reputation as a change maker. In a way, he forced the revolution from makeshifts scripts built around specific actors and dance numbers to scripts that told a story. He recognized early on that a score was, indeed, important, but a winning book is what made a show a hit in its season. He collaborated with several theater makers over the course of his career (in stark opposition to Rodgers monogamous style). Hammerstein was all over Broadway for a decade before settling down in his partnership with Rodgers. Show Boat, a collaboration with Jerome Kern in 1927, was Hammerstein’s biggest hit before the Rodgers and Hammerstein years. Hammerstein brought a unique operatta style to his lyric-writing, sometimes spending weeks on just one song... but hey, they’re sure worth the wait.
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