Kenyon Hopkins
Kenyon Hopkins ( born January 15, 1912 in Coffeyville, Kansas, † April 7, 1983 in Princeton, New Jersey) was an American composer, arranger and conductor, with emphasis in the areas of jazz, classical and film music. He made some significant musical works on others for the American cinema of the 1950s and 1960s. Including compositions for movies like Baby Doll - Do not covet the other woman, Twelve Angry Men or The Hustler.
Life and work
Born in rural Coffeyville, Kansas Hopkins, was the son of a clergyman. He grew up in Michigan and studied music theory and composition at Oberlin College and Temple University. After graduating in 1933, he moved to New York City Kenyon Hopkins. There he attended the Contemporary School of Music and worked together for several years with various orchestras, among others, with the bandleader Paul Whiteman and known instrumental variables such as André Kostelanetz. In this New York time also emerged a number of classical concert works of Hopkins, including two symphonies and several contemporary chamber music pieces, modern classical works for the concert hall.
His next musical career in radio and theater was interrupted during the Second World War only by three years of military service, which he performed at the Coast Guard. He then returned as an arranger and composer for the band leader Raymond Paige. From 1951 to 1961, Hopkins worked as musical director for the Radio City Music Hall. From 1963 to 1964 for a one-year stint as musical director for the CBS radio network.
In 1956 he began his career as a film composer, as to what the director Elia Kazan for the Tennessee Williams adaptation Babydoll - committed not covet the other woman with Karl Malden, Carroll Baker and Eli Wallach.
1957 signed him the director Sidney Lumet for his award-winning masterpiece Twelve Angry Men with Henry Fonda in the lead role. Kenyon Hopkins was allowed to compose for the film only 2 pieces, but strategically surrounded the film at the beginning and end of the film with the pieces Boy 's Theme and Rose Bud as a strong emotional clip and much contributed to the action and atmosphere of the film. In the same year he composed the music for Jack Garfeins drama Die like a man with Ben Gazzara.
In 1959, he reunited with Sidney Lumet. This time at the Tennessee Williams adaptation The man in the snake skin, where Marlon Brando played the role of Valentine ' Snakeskin ' Xavier. In 1960 he composed the music for Elia Kazan for the drama Wild stream with Montgomery Clift and Lee Remick.
1961 was followed by Philip Dunne film Song of the rebels with the Rock 'n ' Roll star Elvis Presley in the starring role. In the same year he created the jazz composition for Robert Rossens drama The Hustler around the pool billiards player Eddie Felson, the actor Paul Newman with a further embodiment of the figure in 1986 in the sequel The Color of Money, directed by Martin Scorsese in 1987 a Oscar earned Best Actor.
In addition, he wrote in the 1960s, the dramatic music for films by Buzz Kulik Password: Canary, Robert Rossens Lilith, for Delbert Mann's face without a name or Sydney Pollack's This Property Is Condemned. Afterwards, however, also created scores for comedies like Peter Tewksburys Doctor - You're kidding! and James Neilson who already contributes Rosie pajamas? or the thriller The fastest way to the afterlife by David Lowell Rich with Kirk Douglas. 1969 Hopkins returned with the music for his last movie schuss a tense action-drama from director Michael Ritchie with Robert Redford in the lead role to its proven roots back to the serious subject.
Yet emerged several compositions for television films and television series or episodes for television documentary series such as secrets of the sea of the director and diver Jacques Cousteau in the 1970s.
Hopkins nearly 50-year career was alternating between cinema, radio and theater. In addition to the film music created with modern classical compositions for the concert hall to the recordings in the field of jazz and space age pop during the 1950 and 1960s in the United States numerous instrumental albums, among other things, for the record company, Capitol Records, ABC - Paramount, and later also for Verve Records. In addition, Hopkins remains for his work as musical director for popular TV series such as The Odd Couple in the 1970s in memory. In 1979 he wrote his last song for the ABC Afterschool Specials.
Kenyon Hopkins died on 7 April 1983 at the age of 71 years at Princeton.