View source for Frederick Loewe

{{Short description|American composer (1901–1988)}}
{{about||the meteorologist|Fritz Loewe}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{infobox musical artist 
| image           = Frederick Loewe (1962).jpg
| alt             = 
| caption         = Loewe {{circa|1962}}
| name            = Frederick Loewe
| birth_name      = Friedrich "Fritz" Löwe  
| birth_place     = [[Charlottenburg]], Berlin, Germany
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1901|06|10}}
| death_place     = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{Death date and age|1988|02|14|1901|06|10}}
| occupation      = {{hlist|Musician|composer|lyricist}}
| genre           = Broadway theatre musicals 
| origin          = New York City, U.S.
| associated_acts = [[Alan Jay Lerner]]
}}

'''Frederick Loewe''' ({{IPAc-en|l|oʊ}} {{respell|LOH}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/organization/standards-guidelines/ijkl/#l|title=NLS: Say How|website=Loc.gov}}</ref> born '''Friedrich''' "'''Fritz'''" '''Löwe''',<ref>{{Cite web|title=Frederick Loewe - Biography|url=http://www.frederickloewe.org/fritz/bio.htm|access-date=June 24, 2020|website=Frederickloewe.org}}</ref> {{IPA|de|ˈfʁiːdʁɪç fʁɪts ˈløːvə|lang}}; June 10, 1901 – February 14, 1988<ref name=PSCemDis>[http://www.pscemetery.com/pdfs/interments.pdf Palm Springs Cemetery District, "Interments of Interest"], ''Pscemetery.com''</ref>) was an American composer. He [[Lerner and Loewe|collaborated with]] lyricist [[Alan Jay Lerner]] on a series of [[Broadway musical]]s, including ''[[Brigadoon]]'', ''[[Paint Your Wagon (musical)|Paint Your Wagon]]'', ''[[My Fair Lady]]'',  and ''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]'', all of which were made into films, as well as the original film musical ''[[Gigi (1958 film)|Gigi]]'' (1958), which was first [[Gigi (musical)|transferred to the stage]] in 1973.

==Biography==
Loewe was born in [[Charlottenburg]], Berlin, Germany, to [[Vienna|Viennese]] parents Edmund and Rosa Loewe. His father was a Jewish [[operetta]] star who performed throughout Europe and in [[North and South America]]; he starred as Count Danilo in the 1906 Berlin production of ''[[The Merry Widow]]''.<ref name="Lees2005-12">{{cite book|last=Lees|first=Gene|author-link=Gene Lees|title=The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EujKPSbVOooC&pg=PA13|access-date=June 3, 2012|date=July 1, 2005|publisher=U of Nebraska Press|isbn=978-0-8032-8040-3|pages=12–13}}</ref>

Loewe grew up in Berlin and attended a [[Prussia]]n cadet school from the age of five until he was thirteen. At an early age Loewe learned to play piano by ear and helped his father rehearse, and he began composing songs at age seven. He eventually attended the [[Stern Conservatory]] in Berlin,<ref>David A. Jasen. Tin Pan Alley: An Encyclopedia of the Golden Age of American Song. Routledge, 2004</ref> one year behind [[Claudio Arrau]], and studied with [[Ferruccio Busoni]] and [[Eugene d'Albert]]. He won the coveted Hollander Medal awarded by the school and gave performances as a concert pianist while still in Germany. At 13, he was the youngest piano soloist ever to appear with the [[Berlin Philharmonic]].

In 1924, his father received an offer to appear in New York City, and Loewe traveled there with him, determined to write for [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. This proved to be difficult. He eventually found work playing piano in German clubs in [[Yorkville, Manhattan|Yorkville]] and in movie theaters as the accompanist for silent films. In 1931, he married Ernestine Zerline. Childless, they divorced in 1957.<ref>{{cite news |title='Camelot' And 'My Fair Lady' Composer Frederick Loewe Dies At 86 |url=https://www.apnews.com/cc6eb9c406e314763ce27498d8559edf |access-date=December 2, 2018 |work=Associated Press |date=February 15, 1988}}</ref>

Loewe began to visit the [[Lambs Club]], a hangout for theater performers, producers, managers and directors. He credited The Lambs for keeping him working until his career expanded, and left a share of his royalties of ''Brigadoon'' to The Lambs Foundation.<ref>[http://www.thelambsfoundation.org "The Lambs’ Foundation"], ''Thelambsfoundation.org''</ref> He met [[Alan Jay Lerner]] there in 1942. Their first collaboration was a musical adaptation of Barry Connor's farce ''The Patsy'', called ''[[Life of the Party (musical)|Life of the Party]]'', for a Detroit [[Stock company (acting)|stock company]].<ref name=master>[http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/frederick-loewe/ "Frederick Loewe Biography"], ''Masterworksbroadway.com'', retrieved May 28, 2018</ref> It enjoyed a nine-week run and encouraged the duo to join forces with [[Arthur Pierson (director)|Arthur Pierson]] for ''[[What's Up? (musical)|What's Up?]]'', which opened on Broadway in 1943.<ref name=master/> It ran for 63 performances and was followed by ''[[The Day Before Spring]]'', which ran on Broadway from November 1945 to April 1946.<ref>[http://www.playbill.com/production/the-day-before-spring-national-theatre-vault-0000002824# ''The Day Before Spring''], ''Playbill'' (vault), retrieved May 29, 2018</ref>

Their first hit was ''[[Brigadoon (musical)|Brigadoon]]'', a romantic fantasy set in a mystical Scottish village, directed by [[Robert Lewis (actor)|Robert Lewis]] with choreography by [[Agnes de Mille]].<ref name=master/> The musical ran on Broadway from March 1947 to July 1948 and won the 1947 [[New York Drama Critics' Circle]] award as Best Musical.<ref>[http://www.playbill.com/production/brigadoon-ziegfeld-theatre-vault-0000011703# ''Brigadoon''], ''Playbill'' (vault), retrieved May 29, 2018</ref> It spawned the songs "[[Almost Like Being in Love]]" and "[[The Heather on the Hill]]", both of which became standards. It was followed in 1951 by the less successful [[California Gold Rush|Gold Rush]] story ''[[Paint Your Wagon (musical)|Paint Your Wagon]]'',<ref name=master/> which despite its lukewarm critical reception included several songs which went on to become popular, including "[[Wand'rin' Star]]" and "[[They Call the Wind Maria]]".

In 1956, Lerner and Loewe's ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' was produced on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. Their adaptation of [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]'', with the leads, Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, being played originally by [[Rex Harrison]] and [[Julie Andrews]], was a huge hit on Broadway and in London. The musical won the [[Tony Award for Best Musical]].<ref name=master/> [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] took notice and commissioned them to write the film musical ''[[Gigi (1958 film)|Gigi]]'' (1958), which won nine [[Academy Award]]s, including Best Picture.<ref name=master/>

Their next Broadway musical was ''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]'' in 1960. The production starred [[Richard Burton]], Julie Andrews and [[Robert Goulet]].<ref name=master/><ref>[http://www.playbill.com/production/camelot-majestic-theatre-vault-0000007848" ''Camelot'' Broadway"], ''Playbill'', retrieved May 28, 2018</ref> According to ''Playbill'', "The show achieved an unprecedented advance sale of three and a half million dollars, propelled in part by a preview on the Ed Sullivan Show that featured its stars, Richard Burton and Julie Andrews."<ref>Rogers, Madeline. [http://www.playbill.com/features/article/7640.html# "New York Philharmonic: A Night at the Round Table"], ''Playbill'', May 1, 2008</ref> ''Camelot'' ran for 873 performances.<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/camelot-2275 ''Camelot''], ''Ibdb.com'', retrieved May 29, 2018</ref>

Loewe then decided to retire to [[Palm Springs, California]], where he bought a home in 1960.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Meeks|first1=Eric G.|title=The Best Guide Ever to Palm Springs Celebrity Homes|date=2014|orig-year=2012|publisher=Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe|isbn=978-1479328598|page=24}}</ref> For many years he did not write anything until he was approached by Lerner to augment the ''Gigi'' film score with additional tunes for a [[Gigi (musical)|1973 stage adaptation]], which won him his second Tony, this time for Best Original Score.<ref>[http://www.playbill.com/production/gigi-uris-theatre-vault-0000011090 " ''Gigi'' Broadway"], ''Playbill'' (vault), retrieved May 28, 2018</ref><ref name=master/>

In 1974, they collaborated on a musical film version of ''[[The Little Prince (1974 film)|The Little Prince]]'', based on the classic children's tale by [[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry]].<ref name=master/>
<ref>[https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-little-prince-v29587/cast-crew " ''The Little Prince'' Cast and Crew"], ''Allmovie.com'', retrieved May 29, 2018</ref> This film was a critical failure, but the soundtrack recording and the film itself are in print on CD and DVD. Loewe and Lerner were nominated for the 1974 Academy Award for Best Song and Best Adapted or Original Song Score (with [[Angela Morley]] and [[Douglas Gamley]]).<ref>[https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-little-prince-v29587/awards " ''The Little Prince'' Awards"], ''Allmovie.com'', retrieved May 29, 2018</ref>

Loewe was inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1972. Seven years later, in 1979, he was inducted into the [[American Theater Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/19/archives/theater-hall-of-fame-enshrines-51-artists-great-things-and-blank.html |title=Theater Hall of Fame Enshrines 51 Artists |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 19, 1979 |access-date=February 7, 2019}}</ref>

Loewe remained in Palm Springs until his death at 86.<ref>{{cite book |last=Johns |first=Howard |title=Palm Springs Confidential: Playground of the Stars! |year=2004 |publisher=Barricade Books |location=Fort Lee, NJ |isbn=978-1-56980-269-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781569802694/page/190 190]|oclc=54392060|lccn=2004041116|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781569802694/page/190}}{{LCC|PN2285 .J56 2004}}</ref> The cause of death was cardiac arrest, according to John F. Morris, an artist and longtime friend.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/15/obituaries/frederick-loewe-dies-at-86-wrote-my-fair-lady-score.html |title= Frederick Loewe Dies at 86 |newspaper= The New York Times |date=February 15, 1988}}</ref> He had a Golden Palm Star on the [[Palm Springs Walk of Stars]] dedicated to him in 1995.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20121208224143/http://www.palmspringswalkofstars.com/web-storage/Stars%20by%20date/Stars%20dedicated%20by%20date.pdf Palm Springs Walk of Stars: By Date Dedicated]}}</ref> He was buried in the [[Desert Memorial Park]] in [[Cathedral City, California]].<ref name=PSCemDis/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Brooks|first1=Patricia|title=Laid to Rest in California: a guide to the cemeteries and grave sites of the rich and famous |chapter=Chapter 8: East L.A. and the Desert |page=239 |year=2006|publisher=Globe Pequot Press|location=Guilford, CT|isbn=978-0762741014|last2=Brooks |first2=Jonathan |oclc= 70284362}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* [[Gene Lees|Lees, Gene]] (2005). ''The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe'', U of Nebraska Press, {{ISBN|0-8032-8040-8}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.Frederickloewe.org|Frederick Loewe Foundation – official website}}
*{{IBDB name}}
*{{Shof|id=43|name=Frederick Loewe}}
*{{IMDb name|517350|Frederick Loewe}}
*[https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu012019 Frederick Loewe Collection] at the [[Library of Congress]]
*{{Find a Grave|1417|Frederick Loewe|}}

{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Frederick Loewe
| list =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1951–1960}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score 1947–1969}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 1980s}}
{{TonyAward MusicalScore 1947–1975}}
}}
{{Lerner and Loewe}}
{{My Fair Lady}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loewe, Frederick}}
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1988 deaths]]
[[Category:American musical theatre composers]]
[[Category:American male musical theatre composers]]
[[Category:American male songwriters]]
[[Category:Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters]]
[[Category:Golden Globe Award–winning musicians]]
[[Category:Broadway composers and lyricists]]
[[Category:Kennedy Center honorees]]
[[Category:German emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:American people of Austrian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Jewish American songwriters]]
[[Category:Composers from Berlin]]
[[Category:Musicians from Palm Springs, California]]
[[Category:Burials at Desert Memorial Park]]
[[Category:20th-century American classical musicians]]
[[Category:Songwriters from California]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:Members of The Lambs Club]]
[[Category:20th-century American songwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century American male composers]]