The Complete Lyrics Of Lorenz Hart [Paperback]

Lorenz Hart (Author), Dorothy Hart (Editor), Robert Kimball (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 1995

This expanded edition includes an appendix of previously uncollected and newly discovered lyrics.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This expanded edition of the 1986 original now includes 40 additional songs by the lyricist of the famous Rogers and Hart team. Along with its musical importance, this collection is also a great piece of Americana.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 367 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; Expanded edition (August 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306806673
• ISBN-13: 978-0306806674
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,235,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable document on many levels, October 10, 1999

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Lyrics Of Lorenz Hart (Paperback)

Very few collections of lyrics are worth reading as literature. First there was W.S. Gilbert, who showed the way that intelligent lyrics need not be anathema to a light-hearted musical; and whose lyrics can stand as independent poems. Afterwards we had P.G. Wodehouse, Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Ira Gershwin--and the best of 'em all, Lorenz Hart.

Not only is what he says witty but how he says it is even wittier. There is no room here to give examples of his incredible rhymes. But turn to the single example of "To Keep My Love Alive" which might be the very last set of lyrics he wrote before a lifetime of alcohol finally took its toll; and then compare it with any Gilbert's "list" songs to see the genius of this artist.

On an other level, any student of psychology will pounce upon the self-lacerating images conjured up in his "love" songs. Because of his own physical problems, we have "My Funny Valentine" in which the love object is "less than Greek" with a chin that's a little weak. And being in love is little more than "broken dates" and "flying plates."

His out and out parodies rival Cole Porter's, as witness "Way Out West on West End Avenue" with its kitchen range and so on. And all this is helped by his "signature" trick of breaking up words in the middle to get rhymes like "Summer journeys to Niagra/ And to other places aggra-/ Vate, all our cares."

On the level of Broadway musical history, the value of this collection speaks for itself, especially with the fine photographs and annotations about every show and then every song within the show. A scholarly masterpiece.

So how come you don't have a copy?

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important collection, May 9, 2001

By 

Susan Fong (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Lyrics Of Lorenz Hart (Paperback)

Lorenz Hart is one of the finest lyricists in the history of American musical theater. He is largely responsible for elevating the process of writing lyrics into an art form. Before Hart, lyrics were usually trite and predictable with simplistic rhymes such as "I am blue, and so are you."

Hart wrote lyrics that are cerebral and sophisticated. His compositions are infused with wit and wisdom. He used complex rhymes. An example from "My Funny Valentine": "Your looks are laughable, unphotographable. Yet you're my favorite work of art. Is your figure less than Greek? Is your mouth a little weak? When you open it to speak, are you smart?"

Another example from "Bewitched": "I'm wild again, beguiled again, a whimpering simpering child again...." And yet another example from "Lady is a Tramp": "She gets too hungry for dinner at eight. She likes the theater and never comes late. She never bothers with people she hates. That's why the lady is a tramp."

Hart could be wistful and romantic as in "My Romance": "My romance doesn't need to have a moon in the sky. My romance doesn't need a blue lagoon standing by. No month of May. No twinkling star. No hideaway. No soft guitar."

Hart's lyrics are consistently observant and very often ingenious. They are the perfect match for the variety and intricacy of Richard Rodgers' superb music.

When you read through this collection of Hart's compositions, you will realize why this diminutive, gifted and endearing artist is a true giant of the musical theater.