Frederick Loewe |

Frederick Loewe

Lowe, an American composer of Austro-German origin, worked primarily in the musical genre. His music is distinguished by simplicity, grace, melodic brightness, and the use of common dance rhythm intonations.

Frederick Low (Friedrich Löwe) was born on June 10, 1904 in Vienna in the family of an operetta actor. Father Edmund Loewe performed on the Austrian and German provincial stages in Berlin, Vienna, Dresden, Hamburg, and Amsterdam. During his wanderings, the family remained in Berlin. My son showed early musical talent. He studied with the famous F. Busoni, and at the age of thirteen he already performed as a soloist-pianist with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, and his first composition belongs to the age of fifteen.

Since 1922, Edmund Loewe settled in New York and moved his family there. There, their last name began to sound like Lowe. Young Frederick tried many activities at the beginning of his life: he was a dishwasher in a cafeteria, a riding instructor, a professional boxer, a gold digger. In the early 30s, he became a pianist in a beer bar in the German quarter of New York. Here he again begins to compose – first songs, and then works for musical theater. Since 1942, his joint work with Alan Lerner begins. Their musicals are increasingly winning the audience. The co-authors reached the peak of popularity in 1956, when My Fair Lady was created.

Despite the fact that Lowe is associated with the American musical atmosphere, his works easily show closeness to the Austrian culture, with the work of I. Strauss and F. Lehar.

Lowe’s main works are over ten musicals, including The Delicious Lady (1938), What Happened (1943), Spring’s Eve (1945), Brigadoon (1947), My Fair Lady (1956). “Paint Your Wagon” (1951), “Camelot” (1960), etc.

L. Mikheeva, A. Orelovich