Composer guide

Lerner and Loewe

Lerner and Loewe were the songwriting team behind Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, and Camelot. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the words and Frederick Loewe wrote the music, and together they gave Broadway's Golden Age some of its most elegant and romantic scores.

Lerner and Loewe musicals in our library

Brigadoon (1947)
Their first big hit, after two short-lived Broadway shows, which won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and made Almost Like Being in Love a standard.
My Fair Lady (1956)
Their masterpiece, adapted from Shaw's Pygmalion, which ran 2,717 performances and won six Tony Awards including Best Musical.
Camelot (1960)
Their last original Broadway musical together; its troubled production strained the partnership, and Loewe retired soon after.

Who were Lerner and Loewe?

Frederick Loewe was born in Berlin on June 10, 1901, to Viennese parents; his father, Edmund Loewe, was an operetta star. He came to New York in 1924. Alan Jay Lerner was born in New York City on August 31, 1918. The two met at the Lambs Club in Manhattan in August 1942, and Lerner went on to write the book and lyrics while Loewe composed.

Loewe's melodies carry the warmth of European operetta, while Lerner's lyrics are witty, literate, and conversational. They liked literary and storybook settings, from a Scottish village that wakes once a century to Shaw's Pygmalion and the legend of King Arthur, and their songs, such as Almost Like Being in Love, I Could Have Danced All Night, and If Ever I Would Leave You, became standards.

Lerner and Loewe's Broadway shows in order

Their Broadway shows were What's Up? (1943), The Day Before Spring (1945), Brigadoon (1947), Paint Your Wagon (1951), My Fair Lady (1956), and Camelot (1960). In Hollywood they wrote Gigi (1958), which won nine Academy Awards, a record for a single film at the time.

The troubled production of Camelot was hard on the partnership, and afterward Loewe retired to Palm Springs, California. He came back to add new songs to a 1973 Broadway stage version of Gigi, and the pair wrote a final film score for The Little Prince (1974). Lerner kept writing with other composers, including Kurt Weill on Love Life (1948), Burton Lane on On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965), and Andre Previn on Coco (1969). Lerner died in 1986 and Loewe in 1988.

Legacy, awards, and where to start

My Fair Lady ran 2,717 performances, a Broadway record at the time, and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The stage Gigi won the 1974 Tony for Best Original Score. Lerner also won three Oscars, for writing An American in Paris and for the screenplay and title song of Gigi. Film versions of Brigadoon (1954), My Fair Lady (1964), and Camelot (1967) kept their songs in circulation for generations.

Start with My Fair Lady, which is funny, sharp, and full of famous songs. Then try Brigadoon for pure romance and Camelot for a grander, sadder story about ideals that fall apart.

Lerner and Loewe: frequently asked questions

What musicals did Lerner and Loewe write?

On Broadway: What's Up?, The Day Before Spring, Brigadoon, Paint Your Wagon, My Fair Lady, Camelot, and a 1973 stage version of Gigi. They also wrote the films Gigi (1958) and The Little Prince (1974).

Who wrote the music and who wrote the lyrics, Lerner or Loewe?

Frederick Loewe wrote the music. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the lyrics and the scripts, known as the book.

Why did Lerner and Loewe stop working together?

The difficult production of Camelot in 1960 strained the partnership, and Loewe retired to Palm Springs. They reunited only briefly, for the stage Gigi in 1973 and The Little Prince film in 1974.

Did Lerner and Loewe win an Oscar?

Yes. Their 1958 film Gigi won nine Academy Awards, including Best Original Song for its title song.

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