(Charles) Rudolf Friml - Early life, The Firefly, Friml's Greatest Successes, Works, Works cited
Pianist and composer, born in Prague, Czech Republic (formerly Austria-Hungary). He studied under Dvorák at the Prague Conservatory and settled in the USA in 1906 (becoming a citizen in 1925). His completion of The Firefly (1912) for Victor Herbert initiated his long series of highly successful Broadway operettas (191234), containing such standards as Indian Love Song from Rose Marie (1924), Some Day from The Vagabond King (1925), and The Donkey Serenade from the film version of The Firefly (1937). He also contributed to the Ziegfeld Follies (19215). After settling in Hollywood (1934) he scored numerous films, and at age 92 he became an original member of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
Rudolf Friml (December 7, 1879 - November 12, 1972) was a composer of operettas, musicals, songs, as well as a pianist.
Early life
Born in Prague, at that time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and now capital of the Czech Republic, Friml showed aptitude for music at an early age.
The Firefly
One of the most popular theatrical forms in the early decades of the 20th Century in America was the operetta and its most famous composer was Irish-born Victor Herbert. It was announced in 1912 that operetta diva Emma Trentini would be starring in a new operetta by Herbert with lyricist Otto Harbach entitled The Firefly. Shortly before the writing of the operetta, Trentini appeared in a special performance of Herbert's Naughty Marietta conducted by Herbert himself.
Arthur Hammerstein, the operetta's sponsor, frantically began to search for a composer. After a month of work, Friml produced a glittering score for what would be his first theatrical success.
After the success of The Firefly, Friml followed with three more operettas that were successful, though not as successful as The Firefly. He also contributed songs to a musical in 1915 entitled The Peasant Girl.
Friml's Greatest Successes
Friml wrote his most famous operettas in the 1920's. This operetta, on which Friml collaborated with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, was a hit worldwide and a few of the songs from it also became hits including "The Mounties" and "Indian Love Call". Friml's use of murder as part of the plot as well as his integrating the music and the plot was ground-breaking for its time.
After Rose-Marie's success came two other operettas, The Vagabond King in 1925 with lyrics by Brian Hooker and W.H. Post, and The Three Musketeers in 1928, with lyrics by P.G.
Friml's last stage musical was Music Hath Charms in 1934. The Vagabond King, Rose Marie, and The Firefly were all made into films and included at least some of Friml's music. Oddly enough, his operetta version of The Three Musketeers was never filmed, despite the fact that the novel itself has been filmed many times - once as a musical with Don Ameche and The Ritz Brothers. A few of his works have seen revivals on Broadway, these include a 1943 production of The Vagabond King and a 1984 production of The Three Musketeers. "The Donkey Serenade" from the film version of The Firefly, "The Mounties" and "Indian Love Call" are still frequently heard, often in romantic parody or comic situations.
His two sons also worked as musicians;
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