Frederic G. Ranken (c. 1869 – October 19, 1905, in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

) was an American

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

, and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

for

light opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

s and

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

staged on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

from 1899 through 1907. His greatest success was the libretto for

Reginald De Koven Henry Louis Reginald De Koven (April 3, 1859January 16, 1920) was an American music critic and prolific composer, particularly of comic operas. Biography De Koven was born in Middletown, Connecticut, and moved to Europe in 1870, where he receive ...

's 1905 comic opera '' Happyland''. He also wrote libretti for composers

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...

and

Ludwig Engländer Ludwig Engländer (October 20, 1853 Vienna, Austrian Empire – September 13, 1914) was an Austrian Empire-born American composer of more than 30 musicals. He was born in Vienna, Austrian Empire.Passport application available in the series ''U.S ...

, and was a lyricist for composers

Alfred Baldwin Sloane Alfred Baldwin Sloane, often given as A. Baldwin Sloane, (28 August 1872, Baltimore – 21 February 1925, Red Bank, New Jersey) was the most prolific songwriter for Broadway musical comedies in the United States at the beginning of the 20th centur ...

and

Gustave Kerker Gustave Adolph Kerker, sometimes given as Gustav or Gustavus Kerker, (February 28, 1857 – June 29, 1923) was a Kingdom of Prussia-born composer and conductor who spent most of his life in the United States. He became a musical director for Broad ...

among others. As a playwright he wrote the books for several musicals.

Life and career

Frederic G. Ranken was born in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

, the son of the owner of an electrical works in that city. He was educated at schools in his home town and began his professional life working for his father. He was the librettist for

's 1899

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

''The Ameer'' which was staged at Broadway's

Wallack's Theatre Three New York City playhouses named Wallack's Theatre played an important part in the history of American theater as the successive homes of the stock company managed by actors James W. Wallack and his son, Lester Wallack. During its 35-year ...

. He was also the librettist for

's opera ''The Jewel of Asia'' (1903,

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

) and

's '' Happyland'' (1905, Lyric Theatre); the latter the greatest success of his career. His final libretto was for De Koven's operetta ''The Student King'' which premiered posthumously at the

Garden Theatre The Garden Theatre was a major theater on Madison Avenue and 27th Street in Manhattan, New York City. The theatre opened on September 27, 1890, and closed in 1925. Part of the Madison Square Garden (1890), second Madison Square Garden complex, t ...

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

1906 and continued to run at that theatre into 1907. Ranken wrote both the book and lyrics for several Broadway musicals, including ''The Chaperons'' (1902, composer Isidore Witmark); '' Nancy Brown'' (1903, composer Henry K. Hadley); and ''

The Gingerbread Man "The Gingerbread Man" (also known as "The Gingerbread Boy") is a fairy tale about a gingerbread man's misadventures while fleeing from various people that culminates in the titular character being eaten by a fox. "The Gingerbread Boy" first appe ...

'' (1905, composer

. He also was a lyricist for songs written by

for the 1903 musical ''Winsome Winnie'' which was staged at the Casino Theatre.Dietz, p. 194 Ranken died of yellow fever at the age of 36 in

on October 19, 1905.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranken, Frederic 1869 births 1905 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American librettists American lyricists People from Troy, New York