Herman, Jerry (EN)

Herman Jerry, born Gerald Herman, *10 July 1933 New York, †6 December 2019 Miami, American musical composer and songwriter. He was self-taught in music and studied stage design at the University of Miami and Parsons School of Design (until 1954). Until 1961, he played piano in nightclubs, wrote songs and music for the theatre, and collaborated with television. In 1961, he made his debut as a composer on Broadway (Milk and Honey). In 1964, he achieved huge success there with the musical Hello, Doly! (2,844 performances); in 1969, the film version of the musical directed by G. Kelly (with B. Streisand as Dolly and L. Armstrong) brought Herman worldwide fame; the title song became a standard in popular music. Among Herman’s later works, the musical Mame was also very popular.

Herman’s musicals draw on the traditions of American revue and burlesque; their librettos, full of minor conflicts, coincidences, gags, and dramatic inconsistencies, also contain lyrical and reflective accents. Herman uses simple melodics derived from micromotives, traditional harmonies, and expressive, mostly dance-like rhythm patterns.

Literature: S. Green The World of Musical Comedy, New York 1960, 31974.