Lorenz Hart

For more information on Lorenz Milton Hart, visit Britannica.com.

Hart, Lorenz [Milton] (1895–1943), lyricist. Born in New York, he was educated at Columbia, where he wrote lyrics for college shows. Hart left college to accept a job as translator for the Messrs. Shubert, then Broadway first heard his lyrics when Lew Fields interpolated “Any Old Place with You” in A Lonely Romeo (1919). Working with composer Richard Rodgers, the team had songs heard in Poor Little Ritz Girl (1920) but did not find recognition until the 1925 and 1926 editions of the Garrick Gaieties, introducing such hits as “Manhattan” and “Mountain Greenery.” Subsequent successes included Dearest Enemy (1925), The Girl Friend (1926), Peggy‐Ann (1926), A Connecticut Yankee (1927), Present Arms (1928), Spring Is Here (1929), and Simple Simon (1930). After a stint in Hollywood, Rodgers and Hart returned to New York to create a series of even more memorable shows: Jumbo (1935), On Your Toes (1936), Babes in Arms (1937), I'd Rather Be Right (1937), I Married an Angel (1938), The Boys from Syracuse (1938), Too Many Girls (1939), Higher and Higher (1940), Pal Joey (1940), and By Jupiter (1942). Hart also collaborated on the books for On Your Toes, Babes in Arms, and I Married an Angel. He was a master at polysyllabic and internal rhymes and at innovative lyric forms. His work was pervaded with his essentially misanthropic view of the world. Although personal problems, especially alcoholism, beset his later years, Hart's gifts never waned. His lyric for “To Keep My Love Alive,” which was added to the 1943 revival of A Connecticut Yankee just before his death, was the equal in wit and style to anything he had written earlier. Biography: Lorenz Hart: A Poet on Broadway, Frederick Nolan, 1994.

1895-1943.

American lyricist whose song credits include "Isn't It Romantic" (1932) and "My Funny Valentine" (1937).

1940

Pal Joey. A musical about Joey Evans, a shabby nightclub performer, and the women he uses to further his career. John O'Hara wrote the libretto, based on his 1940 novel of the same name. The musical is considered a landmark because it features an unsympathetic main character while treating serious, realistic themes.

• Born: May 02, 1895, New York, NY
• Died: November 22, 1943, New York, NY
• Active: '20s, '30s
• Genres: Vocal Music
• Instrument: Lyricist, Songwriter

Biography

Pop music and show tune lyricist Lorenz Hart is best-known for his work with composer Richard Rodgers. As one of the most successful songwriting duos of Broadway, they influenced the sound of theater throughout the '20s and '30s. Born in N.Y.C. on May 2, 1895, Hart first met and teamed up with the younger Rodgers while writing for shows at Columbia University. Their first hit came not long after they started with "Any Old Place With You" (1919), used in Broadway's A Lonely Romeo. Their next success came with 1920's Poor Little Ritch Girl, which included seven of the duo's songs. The next several years went by with little success as the pair wrote for minor productions, even taking a break from songwriting altogether. Their break came in 1925 with The Garrick Gaieties, and their first complete score, Dearest Enemy. Some of their following successful shows included The Girl Friend (1926), Jumbo (1935), and By Jupiter (1942), but even the less successful productions included numbers that become popular songs, such as "Thou Swell" (1927) and "With a Song in My Heart" (1929). As stage productions became less lucrative during the Depression, the team went to Hollywood where they worked on films from the early to mid-'30s. Standouts from this time include Love Me Tonight (1932) and Mississippi (1935). Many of Rodgers & Hart's stage hits were made into movie musicals during this time as well. They returned to Broadway in 1935 for the most hailed period of their career. Each of their scores yielded several hit songs. For example, "Where or When," "The Lady Is a Tramp," and "My Funny Valentine" all came from 1937's Babes in Arms. Other hits from their late-'30s and early-'40s shows include "Spring Is Here," "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," to name just a few. Lorenz Hart was not only lyricist, but also co-librettist for many shows, including Babes in Arms. Other notable songs of his include "Manhattan," "My Heart Stood Still," "Isn't It Romantic?," and "Dancing on the Ceiling." After By Jupiter opened in 1942, Hart lost his drive to write as personal problems with alcohol and mental illness increased. Rodgers & Hart briefly reunited to compose new material for the 1943 stage revival of an early success, A Connecticut Yankee, but Hart had by this time lost interest in composing. Soon after the production's opening, Hart contracted double pneumonia and died on November 22, 1943. Hart was portrayed by Mickey Rooney in the 1948 movie about Rodgers & Hart Words and Music. ~ Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide

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