Search -
Composers for the American Musical Theatre
Composers for the American Musical Theatre Author:David Ewen A popular writer about musical subjects tells the story of fourteen composers and the works they have created which constitute one of the most dynamic cultural forces in our country and in the world, the American musical theatre. — Mr. Ewen describes the roots of the modern musical theatre in foreign importations, the minstrel show, farce and bur... more »lesque. He recalls the operettas of such composers as Victor Herbert, Rudolph Friml, Sigmund Romberg, which brought the musical theatre into being, and discusses the musical productions of George M. Cohan, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Kurt Weill, Frederick Loewe, Frank Loesser, Jerry Bock, and Leonard Bernstein. The pages ring with the memories of such great shows as Babes in Toyland, Student Prince, Showboat, As Thousands Cheer, Porgy and Bess, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story,and their melodies that all the world sings.
David Ewen, who has been called "music's interpreter to the American people", is the most widely read writer of music in the world. His books have included biographies of George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, and Irving Berlin, as well as Famous Instrumentalists, Famous Conductors, and Famous Modern Conductors. In 1962-1963, he wrote and co-produced a series of fifty-two broadcasts tracing the history of American popular music, which was beamed all over the world in two dozen languages and dialects by the Voice of America. His stories of the composers for the American musical theatre are an essential part of the library of anyone interested in music and the theatre.« less