Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein, born into a show-business family in New York on July 12, 1895, had a long career as a Broadway lyricist that included several of the landmarks of the musical genre. A collaborator on Show Boat, the 1927 Jerome Kern work that launched the musical as a serious art form, Hammerstein (who dropped his middle names and went by Oscar Hammerstein II) joined with composer Richard Rodgers to create a series of long-running shows that were eventually made into movie musicals. Hammerstein ranked second only to Irving Berlin among the most prolific lyricists of the 20th century.
The grandfather Hammerstein was named after was a theater builder and opera company director, and his father worked as manager of an historic vaudeville theater in New York. As a young man, Hammerstein attended Columbia University and law school and took part in dramatic presentations there. He later became stage manager in his uncle Arthur's theater, and tried his hand -- unsuccessfully -- at writing screenplays. Hammerstein co-wrote songs for Broadway during the '20s with lyricist Otto Harbach including Show Boat and Sweet Adeline (1929). He collaborated with many composers over the years, including Kern and George Gershwin, but he is most often identified in the public mind with composer Richard Rodgers. They teamed up after Rodgers' songwriting partner, Lorenz Hart, became ill and died in 1943. From this time until a year before Hammerstein's own passing in 1960, "Rodgers & Hammerstein" were unmatched creators of smash hit Broadway musicals. Their first big hit was 1943's Oklahoma!, for which they received a Pulitzer Prize. The duo received another Pulitzer for 1949's South Pacific. Rodgers & Hammerstein are also responsible for such wildly successful musicals as The King and I (1951) and The Sound of Music (1959). Some of Hammerstein's best-known songs include"Ol' Man River," "Lover, Come Back to Me" (1928), "Why Was I Born?" (1929), "All the Things You Are" (1939), "People Will Say We're In Love" (1943), "Some Enchanted Evening" (1949), "Getting to Know You" and and "My Favorite Things". Hammerstein produced many of the shows that he scored -- and some he didn't, including Annie Get Your Gun.
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The King and I (Original Studio Cast Complete Recording) (2023 DigiMIX Remaster)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Jay Records on 5 Feb 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oklahoma! (1998 Royal National Theatre Recording)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Hugh Jackman
Film Soundtracks - Released by First Night Records on 24 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Highlights from 3 Great Musicals: The Sound of Music, South Pacific & The King And I
Oscar Hammerstein II, Michael Reed, Richard Rodgers, Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra
Classical - Released by Denon on 1 Jan 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
South Pacific (All Star Studio Cast, Complete Recording) (2023 DigiMIX Remaster)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by JAY Records on 1 Aug 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Pipe Dream (2012 Encores' Live Cast Recording From New York City Center)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Ghostlight Records on 2 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The King And I (The New Broadway Cast Recording)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Varese Sarabande on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show Boat (1993 Studio Cast Recording) (1946 Version)
Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by JAY Records on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
State Fair (Original Motion Picture Soundtracks 1945 & 1962)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Varese Sarabande on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show Boat (1994 World Premiere Cast Recording)
Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by That's Entertainment Records Ltd on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carousel (1993 London Cast Recording)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by First Night Records on 1 Dec 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show Boat (A London Studio Cast Recording)
Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Varese Sarabande on 3 May 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Songs of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Arts Music on 10 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
South Pacific (1988 London Cast Recording)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by First Night Records on 31 Dec 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oklahoma!
Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers
Film Soundtracks - Released by Bringins Music on 30 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show Boat (Highlights)
Film Soundtracks - Released by The Digital Gramophone on 8 Feb 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
South Pacific (2002 Royal National Theatre Cast Recording)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by First Night Records on 30 Jun 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Grand Night For Singing
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Varese on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Many a New Day: The Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II
Phillip Officer, Oscar Hammerstein II
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Phillip Officer on 26 Aug 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carmen Jones (Original Film Soundtrack)
Georges Bizet, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Supreme Media on 2 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carmen Jones (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Georges Bizet, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Diamond Days on 30 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
South Pacific (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Film Soundtracks - Released by Tsk Music on 1 Jul 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo