Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II formed one of the most influential songwriting partnerships in American musical theater. Their collaboration began in 1943 with Oklahoma! and continued through a series of landmark Broadway productions that defined the golden age of musical theater, including The King and I, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music. Rodgers brought sophisticated harmonic language and memorable melodic lines to Hammerstein's carefully crafted lyrics, creating songs that work equally well in concert halls, jazz clubs, and classrooms.