Milton Schafer

Milton Schafer (September 24, 1920 – April 12, 2020) was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist whose career spanned concert performance, children's recordings, and Broadway composition. As a young musician, he placed as a runner-up for first prize in the Texas-based National Guild of Piano Teachers competition, after which he spent a year in Paris studying with Nadia Boulanger. He subsequently returned to the United States and made his Town Hall debut as a pianist in 1950 to favorable reviews, then performed at the same venue again in 1954.

Following his concert work, Schafer spent two years as a musical assistant — serving as both accompanist and adviser — to songwriter Bob Merrill, known for "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" After a period at MGM in Hollywood, Vernon Duke signed him as a composer with Frank Loesser's publishing company, Frank Music. His first musical project, an unproduced adaptation of Samuel Taylor's play The Happy Time — distinct from the later Kander and Ebb musical of the same name — featured music and lyrics entirely by Schafer. He also wrote the music and lyrics for a children's album recorded by Danny Kaye titled Mommy Gimme a Drinka Water.

Schafer's first produced Broadway musical was Bravo Giovanni, which starred Cesare Siepi and Michele Lee. The production earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Composer and Lyricist in 1963. His second Broadway credit, Drat! The Cat!, opened in 1965 with Elliott Gould and Lesley Ann Warren in the leading roles. That show featured lyrics and a book by Ira Levin, and its score included the song originally titled "She Touched Me," which Barbra Streisand recorded under the title "He Touched Me."

Beyond the stage, Schafer's song "Crazy Barbara" was later adapted as a children's picture book, That Crazy Barb'ra, illustrated by G. Brian Karas and published by Dial Press in 2003.