Richard Rodgers scrapbooks

id
5245
origination
Rodgers, Richard, 1902-1979
date statement
1916-1980
key date
1916
identifier (local_mss)
21868
org unit
Music Division
call number
JPH 85-5
b-number
b10943669
total components
922
total series
2
max depth
4
boost queries
(none)
component layout
Default Layout
Extended MARC Fields
false
Extended Navigation
false
created
2013-04-01 15:05:16 UTC
updated
2026-08-16 02:30:51 UTC
status note
(missing)
Display Aeon link
true

Description data TOP

unitid
{"value"=>"JPH 85-5", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"21868", "type"=>"local_mss"}
unitdate
{"type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1916/1980", "value"=>"1916-1980"}
date_inclusive_start
1916
date_inclusive_end
1980
keydate
1916
date_start
1916
date_end
1980
unittitle
{"value"=>"Richard Rodgers scrapbooks"}
physdesc
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"60 v"}, {"name"=>"physfacet", "value"=>"ill, music"}, {"name"=>"dimensions", "value"=>"44 cm"}], "supress_display"=>true}
repository
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library. Music Division.</span> <div class=\"address\"> <span class=\"addressline\">New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center</span> <span class=\"addressline\">40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498</span></div>"}
abstract
{"value"=>"The Richard Rodgers scrapbooks contain materials collected by Richard Rodgers, generally pertaining to his shows and other professional activities."}
langmaterial
{"value"=>"Materials in English"}
prefercite
{"value"=>"<p>Richard Rodgers scrapbooks, Music Division, The New York Public Library</p>"}
origination
{"value"=>"Rodgers, Richard, 1902-1979", "type"=>"persname"}
bioghist
{"value"=>"<p>As Richard Rodgers's life is well-documented in many reference sources, only a basic outline is provided here.</p> <p>Richard Rodgers, composer and producer, was born in New York on June 28, 1902. He composed his first song, <em>My Auto Show Girl</em> when he was fourteen years old. In 1918 Rodgers met his first professional partner, Lorenz Hart. Together they presented their first hit show, <em>The Garrick Gaieties</em> in 1925. In 1929 Rodgers and Hart appeared in a two-reel autobiographical short, <em>Masters of Melody</em> produced by Paramount-Famous-Lasky Corp. and written and directed by S. J. Kaufman. In 1948, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a biographical film about the professional relationship and career of Rodgers and Hart.</p> <p>Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II in 1942 to produce <em>Oklahoma!</em>. After the death of Lorenz Hart in 1943, Hammerstein became Rodgers' permanent collaborator. They worked together until Hammerstein's death in 1960. Among the works created by Rodgers and Hammerstein are: <em>Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, State Fair, Flower Drum Song, The King and I</em> and <em>Cinderella</em>. Following Hammerstein's death Rodgers continued to produce musicals. In 1962 he wrote both the music and the lyrics for <em>No Strings</em>, and in 1965 he teamed up with Stephen Sondheim on <em>Do I Hear a Waltz?</em> His last musical was an adaptation of John Van Druten's play <em>I Remember Mama</em> which opened on Broadway on May 31, 1979.</p> <p>Richard Rodgers married Dorothy Feiner in 1930. They had two daughters, Mary and Linda. Richard Rodgers died December 30, 1979.</p>"}
scopecontent
{"value"=>"<p>During the early years of his career Richard Rodgers occasionally kept clippings and other ephemera documenting his career. With the advent of his collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein II, Rodgers (or more likely members of his staff) increased their clipping activity covering productions (for which he was a composer as well as those for which he was a producer such as <em>Annie Get Your Gun</em>) and his career in general. This explains why the first 10 scrapbooks cover his the beginnings of his career from 1916 to the death of Lorenz Hart in 1943, but that the remaining 50 scrapbooks (and most of the additional 5 boxes) cover his career after 1943.</p> <p>It would appear that Rodgers probably had these clippings loose and only at a point later in his career did he (or perhaps his wife) mount them in scrapbooks and attempt to provide a table of contents for each volume. This would explain the scrapbooks' uniformity of appearance from the first through 58th scrapbook (bound in dark blue). Scrapbooks 59 and 60 (bound in a light maroon), containing additional clippings on <em>No Strings</em>, appears to have been a cache of material missed when the collection was initially put together.</p> <p>It's hard to understand how the five boxes put at the end of the collection fit in, since they contain a variety of loose clippings most which date after 1943 but where not integrated into the scrapbooks.</p> <p>Rodgers or his staff attempted to create a table of contents for each of the volumes. In some cases each article was inventoried, but in other cases the general contents of the volume are simply listed as the title of a show. These tables of contents are affixed to the inside front cover of each volume and were copied to make this finding aid.</p> <p>Researchers should not assume that this collection contains all the contemporaneous articles ever written on a show (for example, the reviews for <em>Do I Hear a Waltz</em> are only those with a positive outlook). The tables of contents (from which this finding aid is created) should not be regarded a definitive or even wholly accurate index as occasionally Rodgers inserted articles for shows or other career activities that are not relevant to the stated contents.</p> <p>Material pertinent to these productions may be found in scrapbooks other than those listed.</p> <p>Personal and general material may be found throughout the books.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Richard Rodgers scrapbooks are arranged in two series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/21868#c1219755'>Scrapbooks</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/21868#c1220659'>List of Material Supplementing The Richard Rodgers Scrapbooks</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>(Located Under Classmark Jph 85-5).</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
arrangement
{"value"=>"<p>Arrangement of the scrapbooks is generally chorological up through volume 58. The chronology is usually based on a particular show. Successive productions of a show are often gathered in a single volume, resulting in overlapping dates. Such is the case with volumes 12 and 13 (for example). Volume 12, concerning touring and later productions of <em>Carousel</em>, dates from 1946-1954, whereas volume 13, covering <em>Annie Get Your Gun</em> (for which Rodgers and Hammerstein functioned as producers) dates from 1946-1950.</p> <p>The boxes at the end of collection contain a variety of miscellaneous material (including letters, programs and photographs) ranging from 1905 through 1985.</p>", "supress_display"=>true}
acqinfo
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Dorothy Rodgers, 1984</p>"}
processinfo
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Finding aid created February 2013</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p>Richard Rodgers scrapbooks, JPH 85-5, Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
userestrict
{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Chief, Music Division, The New York Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
relatedmaterial
{"value"=>"<p>Richard Rodgers papers, *T-Mss 1987-006</p> <p>Richard Rodgers collection of musicals and interviews, *L (89-19)</p> <p>Richard Rodgers Songs, JPG 86-1</p>"}
note
{"type"=>"did", "value"=>"Includes programs, clippings, photos, letters, and music"}
{"type"=>"did", "value"=>"Items in plastic sleeves, bound"}
{"type"=>"did", "value"=>"Spine of each numbered vol. contains the composer's name and the inclusive dates of the material"}
{"type"=>"did", "value"=>"Index is typescript"}
extent_statement
60 v : ill, music ; 44 cm

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