The Farmer and the Cowman

Born in New York City, Richard Rodgers was a groundbreaking contributor to musical theater, whose influence continues to this day. He attended Columbia University and the Institute for Musical Art (today’s Juilliard School). Rodgers collaborated on songs and scores with lyricists Lorenz Hart (1895–1943) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960). He wrote more than nine hundred songs and forty Broadway musicals. These include Oklahoma! (1943), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), The Flower Drum Song (1958), and The Sound of Music (1959). The 46th Street Theatre on Broadway was renamed the Richard Rodgers Theatre in his honor.

Lyricist and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II was born in New York City and attended Columbia University. One of his first achievements was the musical Show Boat (1927), which he created with the composer Jerome Kern. After several years in Hollywood, Hammerstein returned to New York, where his partnership with composer Richard Rodgers led to the production of Broadway’s finest musicals including Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949), and The King and I (1951). Many of Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s joint works were adapted into films.