Frederick Loewe Biography

Frederick Loewe

After studying music in Berlin, Loewe immigrated to the United States in 1924. He played the piano in New York restaurants and soon began composing songs. His first Broadway shows were not successful, but his luck changed when he met lyricist Alan Jay Lerner in 1942. Their collaboration produced the successful musicals Brigadoon (1947), Paint Your Wagon (1951), My Fair Lady (1956; winner of a Tony), and Camelot (1960), as well as the film Gigi (1958). Together with Lerner he received the prestigious Kennedy Center Award in 1985.