A Ship Without A Sail: The Life of Lorenz Hart

ISBN: 1416594256

Author: Marmorstein, Gary

Condition: New

From Blue Moon to Where or When, and My Funny Valentine, Lorenz Hart, together with Richard Rodgers, created some of the most beautiful and witty songs ever written. Here is the story of the strikingly unromantic life of this songwriting genius.An unforgettable portrait of an exuberant yet troubled artist who so enriched the American songbookBlue Moon, Where or When, The Lady Is a Tramp, My Funny Valentine, Isnt It Romantic?, My Romance, Theres a Small Hotel, Falling in Love with Love, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered-lyricist Lorenz Hart, together with composer Richard Rodgers, wrote some of the most memorable songs ever created. More than half a century after their collaboration ended, Rodgers & Hart songs are indispensable to the repertoire of nightclub singers everywhere. A Ship Without a Sail is the story of the complicated man who was Lorenz Hart.His lyrics spin with brilliance and sophistication, yet at their core is an unmistakable wistfulness. The sweetness of My Romance and Isnt It Romantic? is unsurpassed in American song, but Harts lyrics could also be cynical, funny, ironic. He brought a unique wit and elegance to popular music.Larry Hart and Richard Rodgers wrote approximately thirty Broadway musicals and dozens of songs for Hollywood films. At least four of their musicals-On Your Toes, Babes in Arms, The Boys from Syracuse, and Pal Joey- have become classics. But despite their prodigious collaboration, Rodgers and Hart were an odd couple. Rodgers was precise, punctual, heterosexual, handsome, and eager to be accepted by Society. Hart was barely five feet tall, alcoholic, homosexual, and more comfortable in a bar or restaurant than anywhere else. Terrified of solitude, he invariably threw the party and picked up the check. His lyrics are all the more remarkable considering that he never sustained a romantic relationship, living his entire life with his mother, who died only months before he died at age forty-eight.Gary Marmorsteins revelatory biography includes many of the lyrics that define Harts legacy-those clever, touching stanzas that still move us or make us laugh.