Ernö Rapée
Erno Rapée (actually Ernest Rappaport; born June 4, 1891 in Budapest, † June 26, 1945 in New York City ) was an American pianist, composer and conductor of Hungarian origin.
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Biography
He studied piano and conducting at the Budapest Conservatory. Later he was the assistant of Ernst von Schuch in Dresden. After a trip to America, he became assistant to Hugo Riesenfeld the Rialto movie theater in New York. There he began to compose for the film and to conduct theater orchestras. After engagements at the Rialto and the Rivoli movie theater brought him Samuel Rothafel as music director at his Capitol cinema Roxy Theatre, where rappee had to conduct a 77 - piece orchestra.
In this theater he wrote his famous symphonic arrangement of the Hungarian Rhapsody No.. 13 by Franz Liszt. As concertmaster and second conductors he dedicated his compatriot Jeno Blau, who later achieved fame as Eugene Ormandy. The Capitol Orchestra 1923-1924 made under the direction of Rapée also a number of recordings at the company Brunswick- Balke - Collender. After another change of location Rapée led a 68 -strong orchestra at the Fox Theatre of Philadelphia. One of the guest artists during his holdings there was Percy Grainger.
Europe and return to the U.S.
Then he went back to Europe and conducted with international success in Berlin the theater orchestra at the Ufa palace with 85 musicians. During his stay there he was invited to conduct a concert of the Berlin Philharmonic. Later he joined as conductor of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and other well-known orchestra in appearance.
After remarkable success in Europe, he returned in 1926 to the USA, where on March 1927, he conducted the opening of the Roxy Theater in New York Roxy Symphony Orchestra with 110 musicians ( at that time the largest permanent orchestras in the world, it exceeded the New York Philharmonic by three musicians). Million radio listeners listened to his symphony concerts during the transmissions in the " Roxy - hour " on Sunday afternoon. The peak of his career but climbed rappee as Chéfdirigent and music director of Roxy's "Radio City Music Hall " Symphony. He remained in this position until his death as a result of a heartbeat on 26 June 1945.
Works
During his years as head of cinema orchestras composed on Broadway and arranged rappee illustration music for the still silent film. The publisher Robbins - Engel began in 1923 his music under the name " Capitol Photoplay Series" issue as Kinothek.
In the same year already was his composition When Love Cometh Stealing in the " Gold Seal" series ( carefully selected pieces, printed on high quality paper) published. It was five years thereafter, the theme song in Paul Leni's film The Man Who Laughs with Conrad Veidt. An important collection of film music illustration Rapée wrote in collaboration with Dr. William Axt. In it were pieces as a series of three Agitatos, Appassionato No. 1, Debutante, Frozen North, screening Preludes no. 1 and 2, and tender memories.
In 1928 Rapée collaborated with composer Lou Pollack. It originated Charmaine, the theme song for the war film What Price Glory and Diane, a waltz for the Fox production Seventh Heaven.
During the 1920s, wrote several books Rapée with a cinema theme music. We are especially famous Encyclopedia of Music for Pictures ( Belwin, NY 1925, Reprint 1974, Arno Press, ISBN 0-405-01634-4 ) and Motion Picture Moods for Pianists and Organists. A rapid -reference collection of selected pieces, 52 to moods and situations angepasst (G. Schirmer, NY 1924, Reprint 1974, Arno Press, ISBN 0-405-01635-2 ).