{{Short description|American composer and illustrator (1929–2018)}} {{infobox person |name = Harvey Lester Schmidt |birth_place = [[Dallas, Texas]], United States |birth_date = September 12, 1929 |death_place= [[Tomball, Texas]], United States |death_date = February 28, 2018 (aged 88) |education = [[University of Texas]] |occupation= Theatre composer |known_for= Musical Theatre, illustrator |awards= Inductee [[American Theatre Hall of Fame]]<br />[[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]
}} '''Harvey Lester Schmidt''' (September 12, 1929 – February 28, 2018<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/obituaries/harvey-schmidt-co-creator-of-the-fantasticks-is-dead-at-88.html|title = Harvey Schmidt, Co-Creator of 'The Fantasticks,' is Dead at 88|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 3 March 2018|last1 = Sandomir|first1 = Richard}}</ref>) was an American composer for [[musical theatre]] and [[illustrator]]. He was best known for composing the music for the longest running musical in history, ''[[The Fantasticks]]'', which ran [[off-Broadway]] for 42 years, from 1960 to 2002.
==Biography== {{More citations needed section|date=December 2021}} Schmidt was born in [[Dallas]], Texas. He attended the [[University of Texas]] to study art, but when he met [[Tom Jones (writer)|Tom Jones]] at the university, he started to accompany the drama student on the piano. They soon started writing musicals together, the first being a revue. However, after serving in the Army, Schmidt moved to New York and worked as a graphic artist for [[NBC Television]] and later as an illustrator for ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'', ''[[Harper's Bazaar]]'', ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', and ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]''.<ref>Rosati, Nancy.[http://www.talkinbroadway.com/spot/jonesschmidt1.html "An interview with Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329170405/http://www.talkinbroadway.com/spot/jonesschmidt1.html |date=2018-03-29 }}, talkinbroadway.com, November 29, 2001.</ref>
All of Schmidt's major musicals were written with lyricist [[Tom Jones (writer)|Tom Jones]]. The duo is best known for the musical ''[[The Fantasticks]]'', which ran for 42 years off-Broadway, from 1960 to 2002 for a total of 17,162 performances. He also collaborated on the [[The Fantasticks (film)|1995 feature film adaptation]]. In 1992, Schmidt received a [[Tony Award]] honor for ''The Fantasticks'', then in its 33rd year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winners |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/winners/year/1992/category/tony-honors/show/any/ |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=www.tonyawards.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
Jones and Schmidt followed with the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[110 in the Shade]]'' in 1963, which ran for 330 performances on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Composer and Lyricist for Schmidt and Jones. ''[[I Do! I Do!]]'' followed in 1966, which brought [[Mary Martin]] and [[Robert Preston (actor)|Robert Preston]] to the Broadway stage in a two-person musical and ran for 560 performances. Jones and Schmidt were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist and Best Musical.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}
They both appeared in a revue of their songs, ''The Show Goes On'', at the York Theatre Company in 1997. The run was extended several times and the show was recorded on the DRG label.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}
Schmidt and Jones wrote a musical based on [[Thornton Wilder]]'s ''[[Our Town]]'', which took the duo thirteen years to write, only to have the rights rescinded by Wilders nephew<ref>[http://broadwayworld.com/article/InDepth_InterView_John_Kander_201001102_page2 "Indepth Interview, John Kander"] BroadwayWorld.com, November 2, 2010.</ref>|
==Honours==
Schmidt was inducted into the [[American Theatre Hall of Fame]]. His recording, ''Harvey Schmidt Plays Jones and Schmidt'', was released in 2005.<ref>Suskin [https://broadwayworld.com/article/InDept, Steven.[http://www.playbill.com/features/article/95432-ON-THE-RECORD-Harvey-Schmidt-Plays-Jones-Schmidt-and-The-Musicality-of-Charles-Strouse "On the Record: 'Harvey Schmidt Plays Jones & Schmidt' and 'The Musicality of Charles Strouse'"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604191709/http://www.playbill.com/features/article/95432-ON-THE-RECORD-Harvey-Schmidt-Plays-Jones-Schmidt-and-The-Musicality-of-Charles-Strouse |date=2011-06-04 }} Playbill.com, October 2, 2005</ref>
Schmidt and Jones were both inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in July 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Harvey Schmidt {{!}} Songwriters Hall of Fame |url=https://www.songhall.org/profile/harvey_schmidt |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=www.songhall.org}}</ref>
==Songs== * "I Can See It" from the musical ''[[The Fantasticks]]''; later recorded by [[Barbra Streisand]] * "Much More" from the musical ''The Fantasticks''; later recorded by Barbra Streisand for ''[[The Barbra Streisand Album]]'' * "[[Soon it's gonna rain|Soon It's Gonna Rain]]" from the musical ''The Fantasticks''; later recorded by Barbra Streisand for ''The Barbra Streisand Album'' *"[[Try To Remember]]" from the musical ''The Fantasticks'' *"What is a Woman?" from the musical ''[[I Do! I Do!]],'' later recorded by [[Peggy Lee]] *"[[My Cup Runneth Over (song)|My Cup Runneth Over]]" from the musical ''[[I Do! I Do!]],'' later recorded by [[Bing Crosby]] and [[Ed Ames]].
==Theatre== * ''Shoestring '57'' (1957) * ''Demi-Dozen'' (1958) * ''[[The Fantasticks]]'' (1960) * ''[[New York Scrapbook]]'' (1961 TV Special) * ''[[110 in the Shade]]'' (1963) * ''[[I Do! I Do!]]'' (1966) * ''[[Celebration (musical)|Celebration]]'' (1969) * ''[[The Bone Room]]'' (1968) * ''[[Colette (musical)|Colette]]'' (1970) * ''[[Bad Company (1972 film)|Bad Company]]'' (1972) (score for non-musical film) * ''[[Philemon (musical)|Philemon]]'' (1973) * ''Colette Collage'' (1982 revision) * ''Grovers Corners'' (1987) * ''[[Mirette (musical)|Mirette]]'' (1996) * ''[[The Show Goes On (musical)|The Show Goes On]]'' (1997) * ''[[Roadside (musical)|Roadside]]'' (2001)<ref>[http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_r/roadside.html ''Roadside'' (2001) Synopsis"] The Guide to Musical Theatre, accessed February 11, 2010</ref>
==See also== *''[[Mirette on the High Wire]]''
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0772974}} *{{IBDB name|12362}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20111222013437/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&keyword=name&first=Harvey&last=Schmidt&middle= Internet Off-Broadway Database listing] *[http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_p/philemon.htm The Guide to Musical Theatre Philemon]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Harvey}} [[Category:American musical theatre composers]] [[Category:American male musical theatre composers]] [[Category:Broadway composers and lyricists]] [[Category:Musicians from Dallas]] [[Category:Writers from Texas]] [[Category:1929 births]] [[Category:2018 deaths]] [[Category:Classical musicians from Texas]]