Gilbert, Jean
Gilbert, Robert, *29 September 1899 Berlin, †20 March 1978 Locarno, son of Jean (he kept his father’s pseudonym), composer, poet, and writer. He studied art history and philosophy in Freiburg im Breisgau and Berlin. Initially, he composed together with his father, (for example the singspiel Annemarie 1925), and later he independently wrote music for several operettas, including Die leichte Isabell, Prosit Gipsy, and Die Kleine auf Besuch. He gained fame as a lyricist for approximately 60 operettas, including Im weißen Rössl (music by R. Benatzky), Feuerwerk (music by P. Burkhard), Zwei Herzen im Dreivierteltakt (music by R. Stolz), and Ihr erster Walzer (music by O. Straus), as well as for more than 100 films, including Der Kongress tanzt and Der letzte Walzer. He translated into German and adapted the texts of well-known American musicals, including Annie Get Your Gun (music by I. Berlin), My Fair Lady (music by F. Loewe), Hello, Dolly! (music by J. Herman), and The Man from La Mancha (music by M. Leigh). He also published several volumes of poetry and novels.