A PIANO TOUR OF RICHARD RODGER’S WALTZES

            I’ve long been a fan of the melodies composed by Richard Rodgers – first with lyrics by Lorenz Hart and then (in glorious Broadway musicals) by Oscar Hammerstein II. Among his many musical attributes, Rodgers was probably the most prolific composer of waltzes for the Broadway theatre, touching all the bases – love ballads, up-tempo, list songs, even a hint of folk.

             I’ve selected ten of Rodgers’ waltzes from Broadway shows (most of which were also featured in the follow-up movies) that I recorded on the piano for my 2009 CD album, IT’S THREE-QUARTER TIME – A Cornucopia of Popular American Waltzes. (Two of my previous blog entries contained other waltzes from that album, but none of these.) Seven of the selections come from Rodgers & Hammerstein shows, and the other three were earlier efforts in which Hart wrote the lyrics.

             Here, in the order they’re presented, are the ten Rodgers waltzes:

 1.     The Carousel Waltz, the rousing opening theme (without lyrics) of 1945’s “Carousel.”

 2.     Out of My Dreams, from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 1943 Broadway show, “Oklahoma”.

 3.     Falling in Love with Love, lyrics by Hart, from their 1938 show, “The Boys from Syracuse.”

 4.     A Wonderful Guy, lyrics by Hammerstein, from their 1949 show, “South Pacific”.

 5.     My Favorite Things, lyrics by Hammerstein, from their 1959 show, “The Sound of Music.”

 6.     The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, lyrics by Hart, from Billy Rose’s 1935 show “Jumbo.”

 7.     This Nearly was Mine, from “South Pacific”.

 8.     Hello Young Lovers, lyrics by Hammerstein, from their 1951 show, “The King and I”.

 9.     Wait Till You See Her, lyrics by Hart, from their 1942 show, “By Jupiter”.

 10.  Edelweiss, lyrics by Hammerstein, from “The Sound of Music”.

  I hope you enjoy the collection. You can access this 24-minute medley by clicking on the play button below.