In a simple Google search, typing in “Who is the Father of American Musical Theatre?” will bring up several results all pointing to one of the most accomplished and cherished composers of the twentieth century: Jerome Kern. Kern, an American musical theatre and popular music composer, is often regarded as the “Father of the American Musical Theatre” for his various accomplishments and innovations over the course of his decades long career. His ability to branch out, create, and apply new ideas to his music, and primarily to musical theatre, set the precedent for what the American musical comedy would eventually become. His contributions to the American musical theatre were widely recognized and inspired and set the mold for how several composers …show more content…
Kern’s father did not want him to study music at first, and so, when Kern was 17 he began working for his father’s business. However, Kern’s enthusiasm for music got in the way and soon Kern was off to study piano and harmony at the New York College of Music in 1902. In 1903, Kern went to study abroad in Germany, making his way to London where he wrote songs for British productions (Gale Research). “And it was in London that he met American producer Charles Frohman, who first hired Kern to compose additional songs for the European shows he was importing to New York” (Stempel). After a year, he returned to New York and “worked early on as a song plugger for the publishing house of T.B. Harms and as a show rehearsal pianist” (Stempel). T.B. Harms would later become the company that published Kern’s own works, but for many years Kern wrote adaptations of British musical songs because of what was popular at the time. “At this time, British productions dominated Broadway. Kern was hired in 1904 to adapt one of these shows, “Mr. Wix of Wickham,” for the Broadway stage by “Americanizing” some of the numbers and by writing some additional songs of his own” (Gale Research). Because of this early experience with “Americanizing” and adapting various pieces, Kern’s style in his own …show more content…
“Kern’s songs had an unerring sense not only of musical architecture but of musical style. By tempering the sound of English musical comedy, Kern located a musical theater voice that caught the more casual strength of American colloquial utterance without sacrificing any of its grace” (Stempel). Kern’s “style” was developed, as previously stated, through years of adapting British musicals to suit a more American-esque style of musical that audience members can more closely relate to. “Kern’s music is noted for its natural flow of rhythm and for the often folk-song-like quality of its melodies, which possess an indefinable but unmistakably American character” (Jerome Kern). Another important factor to note in the success of Kern’s songwriting is the way in which the songs were developed. Although many composers of the time wrote lyrics before music, Kern had a different style to his writing, as the music was always written first for him. “It was always the music with Kern. When Kern had completed a song to his satisfaction, it was time for the lyricist to provide the words. If a lyricist wanted an extra note to fit the lyric, Kern refused. He would not allow the slightest alteration” (Hischak). Kern’s dedication to his style of music and doing things his way created various new innovations that helped inspire what other composers would replicate in their