Jerome Kern - Selected Works

Selected Works

Note: All shows listed are musical comedies for which Kern was the sole composer unless otherwise specified.

During his first phase of work (1904–1911), Kern wrote songs for 22 Broadway productions, including songs interpolated into British musicals or featured in revues (sometimes writing lyrics as well as music), and he occasionally co-wrote musicals with one or two other composers. During visits to London beginning in 1905, he also composed songs that were first performed in several London shows. The following are some of the most notable such shows from this period:

• Mr. Wix of Wickham (1904) – contributed most of the songs for this musical's New York production
• The Catch of the Season (1905) – contributor to this Seymour Hicks musical's New York production
• The Earl and the Girl (1905) – contributor of music and lyrics to this Hicks and Ivan Caryll musical's American productions
• The Little Cherub (1906) – contributor to this Caryll and Owen Hall musical's New York production
• The Rich Mr. Hoggenheimer (1906) – contributor of eight songs
• The Beauty of Bath (1906) – contributor to the original London production of this Hicks musical, with lyricist P. G. Wodehouse
• The Orchid (1907) – contributor to this Caryll and Lionel Monckton musical's New York production
• The Girls of Gottenberg (1908) – contributor of "I Can't Say That You're The Only One" to this Caryll and Monckton musical's New York production
• Fluffy Ruffles (1908) – co-composer for eight out of ten songs
• The Dollar Princess (1909)
• Our Miss Gibbs (1910) – contributor of four songs and some lyrics to this Caryll and Monckton musical's New York production
• La Belle Paree (1911) – revue – co-composer for seven songs; the Broadway debut of Al Jolson

From 1912 to 1924, the more-experienced Kern began to work on dramatically concerned shows, including incidental music for plays, and, for the first time since his college show Uncle Tom's Cabin, he wrote musicals as the sole composer. His regular lyricist collaborators for his more than 30 shows during this period were Guy Bolton, P. G. Wodehouse, Harry B. Smith, Anne Caldwell, and Howard Dietz. Some of his most notable shows during this very productive period were as follows:

During the last phase of his theatrical composing career, Kern continued to work with his previous collaborators but also met Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach, with whom Kern wrote his most lasting, memorable, and well-known works. The most successful of these are as follows:

• Sunny (1925) – a follow-up to Sally and almost as big a hit; first collaboration with Hammerstein and Harbach
• Criss Cross (1926) – with Harbach
• Show Boat (1927; revived frequently) – with Hammerstein
• Blue Eyes (1928; London)
• Sweet Adeline (1929) – with Hammerstein
• The Cat and the Fiddle (1931) – Kern collaborated with Harbach the music, book and lyrics
• Music in the Air (1932; revived in 1951) – composer and co-director with Hammerstein
• Roberta (1933) – with Harbach (remade as Lovely to Look At (1952))
• Three Sisters (1934; London)
• Mamba's Daughters (1939; revived in 1940) – play – featured songwriter
• Very Warm for May (1939) – with Hammerstein; Kern's last stage musical, and a failure

In addition to revivals of his most popular shows, Kern's music has been posthumously featured in a variety of revues, musicals and concerts on and off Broadway.

• Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood (1986) – Broadway revue consisting solely of Kern songs with lyrics by twelve different writers
• Big Deal (1986) – a Bob Fosse dance revue; includes "Pick Yourself Up"
• Something Wonderful (1995) – concert celebrating Oscar Hammerstein II's 100th birthday – featured composer
• Paul Robeson (1988; revived in 1995) – one-man play; included "Ol' Man River"
• Dream (1997) – revue – includes "You Were Never Lovelier", "I'm Old Fashioned", and "Dearly Beloved"
• Swing! (1999) – dance revue; includes "I Won't Dance"
• Elaine Stritch at Liberty (2002) – one-woman show; included "All In Fun"
• Never Gonna Dance (2003) – musical consisting solely of songs composed by Kern, with lyrics by nine different writers
• Jerome Kern: All the Things You Are (2008) – K T Sullivan's revue biography of Kern featuring Kern's songs
• Come Fly Away – a Twyla Tharp dance revue; includes "Pick Yourself Up"