Oscar Hammerstein II †Lyricist, Writer, Producer, Director Essay

Oscar Hammerstein II was born July 12, 1895 in New York, New York. He died August 23, 1960 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania of stomach cancer. His given name was Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein. When he entered the theatre profession, he dropped his middle names and adopted the â€Å"II† from the grandfather for which he was named. His grandfather was a theatre builder and opera company producer. By titling himself â€Å"II† he capitalized on his grandfather’s success; the name recognition alone was a career builder. Hammerstein was always interested in the theatre. His father, although a theatrical producer himself, did not want his son to go into the â€Å"family business†. He made him promise â€Å"never to do anything as foolish as to consider making the theatre your livelihood. Become a lawyer. You’d be great at it and it’s also one of the more secure professions I know of.† â€Å"Getting to Know Him – Biography of Oscar Hammerstein II† Hugh Fordin As per his father’s wish, Hammerstein entered Columbia University as an English major. He was an honor student and was involved in many extra-curricular activities; one of which was the Varsity Show. This was where Hammerstein met Larry Hart and the man with whom he would later collaborate, Richard Rodgers. At the time of the initial meeting, Rodgers was only a fourteen year old boy whose older brother Morty was a member of Hammerstein’s fraternity. Although his father had passed away, Hammerstein felt compelled to honor his father’s wishes and entered Columbia law school. He finished his Bachelor’s degree during his first year of law school. During his second year of law school, Hammerstein was so disenchanted with the law he asked his uncle Arthur, a successful producer of musical comedies, for a job. He was hired as an assistant stage manager. After witnessing his nephew’s theatrical ability, Uncle Arthur hired him as a permanent member of the staff. Soon after having been hired by his uncle, he began an apprenticeship with Otto Harbach. What began as an apprenticeship turned into a twenty year collaboration and produced Hammerstein’s first Broadway success Always You. Over the course of his career Hammerstein would collaborate with many different composers notably, Jerome Kern, Vincent Youmans, Rudolf Friml and Sigmund Romberg. Hammerstein’s most successful collaboration would be with the man he had met during his varsity show days at Columbia University, Richard Rodgers. The collaboration with Richard Rodgers began in the early 1940’s with their adaptation of the play Green Grow the Lilacs. This became Oklahoma! and changed Broadway forever. Oklahoma! revolutionized the Broadway theater by integrating the music and book. Previously only Show Boat and Pal Joey, respectively a Hammerstein and a Rodgers production, had used songs to further the story along. Oklahoma! not only used the songs as an integral part of the story but it also incorporated American ballet. The opening was different – only one person on stage with an offstage voice singing as the curtain opened. The female chorus didn’t appear until 45 minutes into the play. The â€Å"chorus† girls where covered in period dress. There were no â€Å"star vehicle† numbers. No song in this musical play was written to become a popular hit. Oklahoma! changed the American musical theatre and gave Hammerstein, who had been battling a career slump, a new burst of energy for the most successful period of his career.