George Forrest | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Chet Forrest |
| Born | George Forrest Chichester Jr. (1915-07-31)July 31, 1915 |
| Origin | Brooklyn,New York |
| Died | October 10, 1999(1999-10-10) (aged 84) |
| Genres | Musical theatre |
| Occupations | Songwriter,lyricist |
| Instrument | Piano |
George Forrest (bornGeorge Forrest Chichester Jr., July 31, 1915 – October 10, 1999) was an American writer of music and lyrics formusical theatre best known for the showKismet, adapted from the works ofAlexander Borodin. He was also known professionally at times asChet Forrest.
Throughout his career Forrest worked exclusively with the composer-lyricistRobert Wright. The two men had an affinity for adaptingclassical music themes and adding lyrics to these themes for the Broadway musical stage and films. Wright said that the music was usually a 50-50 "collaboration" between Wright and Forrest and the composer. While both men were credited equally as composer-lyricists, it was Mr. Forrest who worked with the music.
Kismet was one of several works Forrest created with Wright commissioned byimpresarioEdwin Lester for theLos Angeles Civic Light Opera (LACLO).Song of Norway,Gypsy Lady,Magdalena, and their adaptation ofThe Great Waltz were also commissioned by Lester for the LACLO. The LACLO then exported most of these productions to Broadway. Forrest and Wright won aTony Award for their work onKismet. In 1995, they were awarded theASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers Award.[1]
Forrest was cremated at Van Orsdel (Northside Chapel) Crematory, Miami.[2]
Hit songs of their day include "The Donkey Serenade" (written with composerHerbert Stothart, "based on a theme ofRudolf Friml") fromThe Firefly, "Always and Always" fromMannequin and "It's a Blue World" fromMusic in My Heart.
Hit songs of the day include "Strange Music" fromSong of Norway; and "Stranger in Paradise", "Baubles, Bangles, & Beads" and "And This Is My Beloved" fromKismet.
| Archives at | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| How to use archival material |
