Claire’s Musical Musings
As seen in the April 2023 edition of our team Newsletter
The musical piece, “Manhattan” by composition duo Rodgers and Hart is an iconic work for the city of New York. At the time it was written, Rodgers and Hart had only been able to sell -one- piece to a Broadway show; all of their other songs were donated for free to local amateur groups and benefit shows. Rodgers was so disheartened that he considered leaving the music business altogether. But in the spring of 1925, Rodger was asked to compose all of the music for a two performance run of yet another benefit show called, “Garrick’s Gaieties.” The proceeds were intended to raise money for new curtains for the theatre and Rodgers himself was asked to conduct the eleven person orchestra. Imagine the start of the second act of the show: there is no action onstage and the orchestra is performing in front of a plain backdrop curtain. The conductor raises his baton, the musicians play “Manhattan,” and the audience goes wild! There was so much applause that they had to perform two more encores of the piece to satisfy the jubilant crowd. Rodgers knew he was on to something big; the benefit show slated for only two performances was so popular that it went on to run for an additional 209 performances. Within a year, Rodger and Hart had three Broadway shows running simultaneously.
“Manhattan” describes a young couple in New York City who are incredibly in love, yet simply too poor to afford a honeymoon. Instead of traveling to Niagara Falls to celebrate their marriage, they decide to enjoy the delights of Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island. The verses detail the ‘balmy breezes' of the subway, the noisy carts on Mott Street, a stroll down Delancey, and excursions to other (free) locations like Central Park, Coney Island and Brighton Beach. They even propose that they may take a vacation further north in exotic Yonkers!
Rodgers and Hart went on to write “Showboat,” “The King and I,” “South Pacific,” “Carousel,” “Oklahoma” and a host of others. The rest they say, is history. From Broadway to Lincoln Center, the rich culture of music is one of the things that makes this city great, and also a great and rewarding place in which to live!
Check back for next month’s edition!
