BELL WORK

• Set up a clean sheet of paper

• Please Title it “Lerner and Loewe”

LERNER A

ND LOEW

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MU

SI C

TH

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TR

E G

OE

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MUSIC THEATRE GOES INTERNATIONAL!!!!!

BIOGRAPHY

• Frederick “Fritz” Loewe was a German composer who immigrated to America in the early 20’s after World War 1

• He had already made his fortune in Germany and was doing well selling a lot of songs here in America as well.

• It wasn’t until he saw “Oklahoma!” that he realized that he wanted to tackle the American stage

HOW THEY MET

• For years, he had been searching for the right lyricist, and finally found one in the oddest place.

• While attending a party at his country club, he was on his way to the bathroom and bumped into Alan Jay Lerner.

• Yes Lerner and Loewe met in the Loo

• The two began talking, after their bathroom visit, and were very interested in starting a musical together

WHY MENTION THEY MET IN A COUNTRY CLUB???

WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU ABOUT THEIR PERSONALITIES IF I TOLD YOU THEY MET IN A

COUNTRY CLUB??????

ANSWER

They Were Rich!

They were used to getting what they want

Certain rules didn’t apply to them

They were also perfectionists

BECAUSE OF THIS…..

• It affected their music writing. A lot of these traits seeped into their professional work.

• You will see this as their writing progresses

THEIR FIRST PROJECT

• The hardest part of the composing business is getting a good idea that will get you started.

• But L & L didn’t want a Good idea, they wanted a PERFECT idea, so they took some time to travel the world and ended up in Scotland.

• While in Scotland, they were inspired by town folklore and began coming up with a story about a town that disappeared for 100 years and would return for 1 day

BRIGADOON

• The result of this was the Broadway smash hit “Brigadoon” (1947)

• Perhaps you’ve heard of it spoofed in a popular cartoon?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SstfdbHJGYQ

• That is the main theme from Brigadoon

THE CONTROVERSY AROUND THIS SHOW

• Lerner and Loewe, after the show was produced was that they stole the show from a German fable that was passed down for generations that speaks of the exact same thing.

• To this day, the families of Lerner and Loewe still contend that the story was completely original

L & L THE PERFECTIONISTS

• Even though the composing team now had a hit under their belt, the working relationship was strained due to the perfectionist attitude of both of the men.

• This was a blessing and curse

• How?

ANSWER

• It was okay for deadlines not to be met, because they were rich and could extend them

• However, they fought all of the time and insulted the others writing.

• This caused a “break” from writing together

YEARS OF WORKING TOGETHER

• Even though the two had to take breaks from writing with each other, they rarely produced a flop because they were perfectionists.

• Their major works include:• Paint Your Wagon-1951•My Fair Lady-1956•Camelot-1960•Gigi-1973

THEIR LEGACY

• L & L were very similar to R & H in the sense that they had similar writing styles

• HOWEVER, the biggest difference was that because of Fritz Loewe’s world wide experience, he could adapt his music to match the part of the world their story was set in.

• Lerner was also gifted in this sense too.

• L & L made Music Theatre an International Sensation by:1. Setting shows in different countries making Americans aware of

different cultures2. Starting a trend of bringing their shows over to Europe and

other countries that we now call “International Tours”

QUESTIONS

Any Questions about Lerner and Loewe?????

HAVE A GREAT SPRING BREAK