Lerner & Loewe
Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe known best for the music and lyrics of some of Broadway’s most successful musical shows, including My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Brigadoon.
Lerner and Loewe met in 1942 and their collaboration was not without conflict and turmoil. It has been said that Lerner would throw out the first two melodies that Loewe would write to any song even if they were both perfect in an attempt to “push” Loewe to write his best work. Lerner, on the other hand, would take weeks to perfect a lyric. After Brigadoon their first major success, Loewe said he would never work with Lerner again. This was short lived as they did work together again on My Fair Lady. With their work on Camelot their partnership became troublesome and after Camelot, Loewe retired stating he would never write another note. The 1974 musical film The Little Prince was their last collaboration receiving mixed reviews but praised for being one of their most clever scores. In spite of their disagreements, Lerner and Loewe were close friends and remained so until the end of their lives. In 1985, six months before Lerner’s death, the writing duo made their final public appearance when they received a Kennedy Center Honor.
