(David), famous American composer for stage and screen; b. N.Y, Jan. 27, 1885; d. there, Nov. 11, 1945. Kern was educated in N.Y. public schools, studying music with his mother, then at the N.Y. College of Music in 1902-03. He subsequently spent a year studying theory and composition in Heidelberg, Germany.

Kern then returned to N.Y., where he became pianist and salesman for a publishing firm in 1905. That same year, he published his first song, How'd You Like to Spoon with Me, which became famous. In 1906 he was in London, where he was connected with a theatrical production.

Kern gained his first success as a composer for the stage with his musical comedy The Red Petticoat, which opened in N.Y. in 1912. He continued to write for the stage through the '40s, as well as for films beginning in the '30s.

Kern's greatest success was SHOW BOAT, which premiered in Washington, D.C., in 1927. A most remarkable score, and one of the finest of its kind in the genre, it contains the famous song Ol' Man River. It has been widely proclaimed a classic of American musical theater and has been revived by opera companies as well.

In addition to Show Boat, Kern composed over 40 stage musicals, including Very Good Eddie (1915), Roberta (1933), and Very Warm for May (1939). Among the films he scored were Swing Time (1936) and Cover Girl (1944). He also wrote songs that were added into other musicals and films, including The Last Time I Saw Paris for Lady Be Good from 1941. Among the lyricists he worked with were Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, and IRA GERSHWIN.

Kern's orchestral works include Scenario (based on themes from Show Boat; 1941) and Mark Twain Suite (1942).