ONLINE: The careers of composers Jerome Kern and Jule Styne spanned the 20th century. They created numerous groundbreaking and popular shows, with many of their songs considered part of the Great American Songbook. Each composer partnered with multiple lyricists and librettists, giving their scores great variety. In the 1910s and '20s, the shows Kern created with Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse defined the American musical. His masterpiece was “Show Boat” with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Kern also wrote the scores of film musicals such as “Roberta” and "Swing Time” for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Styne’s first successes were in Hollywood in the 1930s and '40s, when he wrote songs with Sammy Cahn. In the 1950s and '60s he partnered with lyricists Stephen Sondheim, Bob Merrill and Betty Comden and Adolph Green on shows such as “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “Gypsy” and “Peter Pan.” The course is lecture with video and audio clips; students can ask questions and make comments during class. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 200.
Class sessions are recorded.
