Popular music began in the early part of the twentieth century and traces its roots to three distinct sources: European operetta, the British music hall, and nineteenth century minstrel shows and ragtime. Mr. Schultzberg will amplify how popular music merged gracefully into the music being written for the stage by some native-born composers like George M. Cohan and Cole Porter, but was mostly dominated by immigrants and the sons of immigrants, such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and Jerome Kern. They began a legacy that was carried on by Arthur Schwartz, Harold Arlen, Frank Loesser, Leonard Bernstein, and dozens of others for most of the twentieth century. Mr. Schultzberg presents a brief glimpse into the lives of these musicians/composers/lyricists, playing selections of their music.

A gifted composer, Richard Rodgers found himself paired with two talented lyricists and created two very different kinds of popular music that thrilled theatre and movie audiences for more than four decades. All three men were upper middle class New Yorkers whose music reached into the heart and soul of the average American through such creations as Manhattan, Where or When, My Funny Valentine, Oh! What a Beautiful Morning, and The Sound of Music. Mr. Schultzberg will begin this presentation with the family origins of these men and follow them through successes and disappointment culminating in their dazzling careers during the golden age of musical theatre and its offshoot in the Hollywood versions of their legendary works. This presentation will offer a "healthy portion" of the sounds of their music via audio tapes.