Frederick Loewe (1901–1988) was born in Berlin in 1901. His father was a famous operetta singer. Loewe received a classical music education as a pianist, studying with Ferruccio Busoni and Eugene d’Albert. At 13, he was the youngest piano soloist ever to appear with the Berlin Philharmonic. At the same time, he was strongly attracted to popular genres and began writing songs at a young age, composing the tunes for a music hall sketch in which his father toured Europe. In 1924 he moved to the United States, where he supported himself for several years as a pianist in beer halls, mail carrier and even as a gold miner and cowpuncher. It was not until 1934 that Loewe settled in New York and began composing music again. In 1942 he met Alan Jay Lerner, an American lyricist and librettist. Their collaboration marked the beginning of the Golden Age of American musicals. My Fair Lady is based upon George Bernard Shaw’s famous play Pygmalion. The musical opened on Broadway in 1956 and went on to set a record for number of performances. It was also staged in London, where it proved to be just as big a success. The film version, starring the unforgettable Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, was released in 1964. Both the stage productions and the film won a number of awards. My Fair Lady has been called “the perfect musical”.