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Franz Waxman (né Wachsmann; December 24, 1906February 24, 1967) was a German-born composer and conductor of Jewish descent, known primarily for his work in the
film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
genre. His film scores include '' Bride of Frankenstein'', ''
Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...
'', ''
Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...
'', '' A Place in the Sun'', '' Stalag 17'', ''
Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "After-Dinner Story, It Had to Be Murder". Originally released ...
'', '' Peyton Place'', ''
The Nun's Story ''The Nun's Story'' is a 1956 novel by Kathryn Hulme. It was a Book of the Month selection and reached No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Premise The lead character of the book, Sister Luk ...
'', and '' Taras Bulba''. He received twelve Academy Award nominations, and won two Oscars in consecutive years (for ''Sunset Boulevard'' and ''A Place in the Sun''). He also received a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
for the former film.
Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in film scoring. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely regarde ...
said that the score for ''Taras Bulba'' was "the score of a lifetime." He also composed concert works, including the oratorio ''Joshua'' (1959), and ''The Song of Terezín'' (1964–65), a work for orchestra, chorus, and children's chorus based upon poetry written by children in the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II. Waxman also founded the Los Angeles Music Festival in 1947 with which he conducted a number of West Coast premieres by fellow film composers, and concert composers alike.Palmer, 96.


Biography


Early life (1906–1934)

Waxman was born Franz Wachsmann () in Königshütte to
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
parents in the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
's Prussian
Province of Silesia The Province of Silesia (; ; ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1742 and established as an official province in 1815, then became part of the German Empire in 1871. In 1919, as ...
(now Chorzów, Poland). At the age of three Waxman suffered a serious eye injury involving boiling water tipped from a stove, which left his vision permanently impaired. In 1923, at age 16, Waxman enrolled in the
Dresden Music Academy Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth largest by area (after Berlin, Hamburg, an ...
and studied composition and conducting. Waxman lived from the money he made playing popular music and managed to put himself through school. While working as a pianist with the Weintraub Syncopators, a dance band, Waxman met
Frederick Hollander Friedrich Hollaender (in exile also Frederick Hollander; 18 October 189618 January 1976) was a German film composer and author. Life and career He was born in London to a Jewish family, where his father, operetta composer Victor Hollaende ...
, who eventually introduced Waxman to the eminent conductor
Bruno Walter Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a Germany, German-born Conducting, conductor, pianist, and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French people, French cit ...
.Thomas, 35. Waxman worked as an orchestrator for the German film industry, including on Hollander's score for ''
The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' () is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Liebmann, with uncredite ...
'' (1930). One of his first dramatic scores was for the film '' Liliom'' (1934). That year Waxman suffered a severe beating by
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
sympathizers in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
that led him to leave Germany and move with his wife first to Paris, and soon after to Hollywood.


Film music and the Los Angeles Music Festival (1935–1949)

In Hollywood, Waxman met
James Whale James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. He is best remembered for several horror films: ''Fra ...
, who had been highly impressed by Waxman's score for ''Liliom''. The success of his score for Whale's '' Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935) led to the young composer's appointment as Head of Music at
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...
.Thomas, 36. Waxman, however, was more interested in composition than musical direction for film, and in 1936 he left Universal to become a composer at
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
. Waxman scored a number of pictures during the next few years, but the score for
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
's ''
Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...
'' (1940) made his name. Waxman was frequently called to work on scores of horror or suspense films, and ''Rebecca'' was the culmination of the genre for Waxman.Palmer, 102. ''Rebecca'' was Hitchcock's first Hollywood film as part of his contract with
David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (born David Selznick; May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca (1940 film), Rebecca'' (1 ...
, and thus it was the first time he was allowed a full symphonic score. Selznick financed the film at the same time as he was making ''
Gone With the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...
''. Waxman's score for ''Rebecca'' is eerie and ethereal, often setting the mood and as Jack Sullivan put it, becoming a "soundboard for the subconscious." In 1943, Waxman left MGM and moved to
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
, where he worked alongside such great film composers as Max Steiner and
Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (; May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austrian composer and conductor, who fled Europe in the mid-1930s and later adopted US nationality. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential comp ...
. A period of extended composition followed, including such films as '' Mr. Skeffington'' (1944) and ''
Objective, Burma! ''Objective, Burma!'' is a 1945 American war film that is loosely based on the six-month raid by Merrill's Marauders in the Burma Campaign during the World War II, Second World War. Directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn, the film was ma ...
'' (1945). A climactic scene in ''Objective, Burma!'' was scored fugally, and this would become one of Waxman's trademarks, returning in '' The Spirit of St. Louis'' (1957) and '' Taras Bulba'' (1962). In 1947, Waxman formed the Los Angeles Music Festival, for which he served as music director and conductor for the rest of his life. Waxman's goal with the LA Music Festival was to bring the thriving town to "European cultural standards", according to Tony Thomas. In addition to performing the work of great masters such as Stravinsky, he also collaborated with his colleagues, such as Miklós Rózsa, conducting his Violin Concerto.


Post-war film scores (1947–1959)

By 1947, Waxman had left Warner Bros., to become a freelance film composer, taking only the jobs he wanted rather than being appointed by the studio. Waxman scored the film '' Sorry, Wrong Number'' (1948), which climaxes with the use of a passacaglia, highlighting Waxman's highly inventive use of unusual musical forms in film. Waxman had used classical forms before: the climactic "Creation" cue from ''The Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935), as Christopher Palmer expresses it, "is in effect a fantasia on one note." His work on ''
Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...
'' (1950) led to an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
. The score is fast-paced and powerful, utilizing various techniques to highlight the insanity of Norma Desmond, including low pulsing notes (first heard in ''The Bride of Frankenstein'') and frequent trills. According to Mervyn Cooke,
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
's opera ''
Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...
'' was the inspiration for the wild trills heard during Desmond's insane final performance. Waxman received a second consecutive Oscar for '' A Place in the Sun'' (1951). However, while awards for film music highlighted the beginning of the 1950s, Waxman now began to write serious works for the concert hall. The Sinfonietta for Strings and Timpani came in 1955 and 1959 saw the completion of Waxman's oratorio ''Joshua''. Composed to commemorate the death of Waxman's wife, ''Joshua'' with its strong Hebrew influences and extensive use of form is a powerful example of Waxman's compositional powers by the end of the 1950s.


Later life (1960–1967)

Waxman's later life saw continuing growth of his reputation as a composer. Christopher Palmer writes that at the time of his death in 1967, "Waxman was at the zenith of his powers."Palmer, 97. Waxman's output in the 1960s was perhaps more subdued than that which came before it, however he did write ''Taras Bulba'' in 1962. Waxman worked on several television shows, including ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
'', in 1966. ''The Song of Terezín'' (1964–65) was based upon poetry by children trapped in the Nazi's Theresienstadt concentration camp. Perhaps Waxman's deep spiritual connection to the subject came from his own encounters with Nazism on a Berlin street in 1934, but whatever the reason for Waxman's deep commitment to the subject, ''The Song of Terezín'' stands as the exemplary work of the composer's life. The work is composed for mixed chorus, children's chorus, soprano soloist, and orchestra. He had a son, John Waxman; John had two children, Josh and Alyce Waxman; and Josh had three children, Andrew, Christopher, and Grace Waxman. Waxman died from cancer in February 1967, two months after his sixtieth birthday. His legacy contains over 150 film scores and an abundant collection of concert works.


Legacy

Some of Waxman's music has been featured on commercial recordings, both on LP and CD. Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic Orchestra played highlights from various Waxman scores for an
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
recording in the early 1970s that utilized Dolby surround sound. Twenty years later, Australian composer and conductor Richard Mills (b. 1949) recorded an anthology of film suites with the Queensland Symphony for the record label Varèse-Sarabande (VSD5242/5257/5480/5713) which were (as the Gerhardt above) produced by George Korngold, son of
Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (; May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austrian composer and conductor, who fled Europe in the mid-1930s and later adopted US nationality. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential comp ...
, a colleague of Waxman, as well as another pioneer of the "Hollywood sound". The music for ''Taras Bulba'' has been recorded by the ity of Prague Philharmonic/Nic Raine, on 2 cd Tadlow013-2 The
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
ranked Waxman's score for ''Sunset Boulevard'' No. 16 on their list of the greatest film scores. His scores for the following films were also nominated for the list: *'' Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935) *''
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series ...
'' (1941) *''
The Nun's Story ''The Nun's Story'' is a 1956 novel by Kathryn Hulme. It was a Book of the Month selection and reached No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Premise The lead character of the book, Sister Luk ...
'' (1959) *'' Peyton Place'' (1957) *'' The Philadelphia Story'' (1940) *'' A Place in the Sun'' (1951) *''
Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...
'' (1940) *'' Sayonara'' (1957) *'' The Spirit of St. Louis'' (1957) *'' Taras Bulba'' (1962)


Filmography

* ''
Burglars Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...
'' (1930) * ''
The Man in Search of His Murderer ''The Man in Search of His Murderer'' () is a 1931 Cinema of Germany, German comedy film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Heinz Rühmann, Lien Deyers and Hans Leibelt.Hardt p. 239 The film is partially lost; of the original 9 acts, only fi ...
'' (1931) * '' Caught in the Act'' (1931) * ''
Scampolo ''Scampolo'' is a 1958 German film directed by Alfred Weidenmann and starring Romy Schneider, Paul Hubschmid, and Georg Thomalla. Schneider plays the title role. Plot Scampolo is a young, poor girl who lives on the island of Ischia. She falls ...
'' (1932) * '' The First Right of the Child'' (1932) * '' The Empress and I'' (1933) * '' The Only Girl'' (1933) * ''
Greetings and Kisses, Veronika ''Greetings and Kisses, Veronika'' () is a 1933 German comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Franciska Gaal, Paul Hörbiger, and Otto Wallburg. It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios in Berlin. The film's art direction was by Kurt ...
'' (1933) * '' Liliom'' (1934) * '' Mauvaise Graine'' (1934) * '' The Crisis is Over'' (1934) * '' Dédé'' (1935) * '' Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935) * '' Flash Gordon'' (serial, stock music from ''Bride of Frankenstein'', 1936) *'' Fury'' (1936) *'' The Invisible Ray'' (1936) *'' The Devil-Doll'' (1936) *'' Captains Courageous'' (1937) * '' Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars'' (serial, stock music from ''Bride of Frankenstein'', 1938) *''
A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...
'' (1938) * '' The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1939) * '' The Young in Heart'' (1938, 2 Academy Award nominations) * '' On Borrowed Time'' (1939) * '' Lady of the Tropics'' (1939) * ''
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flas ...
'' (serial, stock music from ''Bride of Frankenstein'', 1940) * '' Strange Cargo'' (1940) *''
Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...
'' (1940, Academy Award nomination) *'' Boom Town'' (1940) *'' The Philadelphia Story'' (1940) *'' Suspicion'' (1941, Academy Award nomination) *''
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series ...
'' (1941, Academy Award nomination) *'' Woman of the Year'' (1942) *'' Her Cardboard Lover'' (1942) *'' Edge of Darkness'' (1943) *'' Destination Tokyo'' (1943) *''
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
'' (1943) *'' To Have and Have Not'' (1944, uncredited) *'' Mr. Skeffington'' (1944) *''
Objective, Burma! ''Objective, Burma!'' is a 1945 American war film that is loosely based on the six-month raid by Merrill's Marauders in the Burma Campaign during the World War II, Second World War. Directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn, the film was ma ...
'' (1945, Academy Award nomination) *'' Hotel Berlin'' (1945) *'' Humoresque'' (1946, Academy Award nomination) *'' Possessed'' (1947) *'' That Hagen Girl'' (1947) *'' Cry Wolf'' (1947) *'' The Paradine Case'' (1947) *'' Sorry, Wrong Number'' (1948) *'' Alias Nick Beal'' (1949) *'' Night Unto Night'' (1949) *'' Johnny Holiday'' (1949) *''
Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...
'' (1950) (Academy Award) *'' The Furies'' (1950) *'' Night and the City'' (1950) *'' Dark City'' (1950) *'' The Blue Veil'' (1951) *'' He Ran All the Way'' (1951) *'' Anne of the Indies'' (1951) *'' A Place in the Sun'' (1951) (Academy Award) *'' Red Mountain'' (1951) *'' Decision Before Dawn'' (1951) *'' Phone Call from a Stranger'' (1952) *'' Come Back, Little Sheba'' (1952) *'' My Cousin Rachel'' (1952) *''
Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...
'' (1953) *'' Stalag 17'' (1953) *'' Demetrius and the Gladiators'' (1954) * '' Elephant Walk'' (1954) *'' Prince Valiant'' (1954) *''
Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "After-Dinner Story, It Had to Be Murder". Originally released ...
'' (1954) *'' The Silver Chalice'' (1954) (Academy Award nomination) *'' Mister Roberts'' (1955) *'' Miracle in the Rain'' (1956) *'' Peyton Place'' (1957) *'' Sayonara'' (1957) *'' The Spirit of St. Louis'' (1957) *'' Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958) *''
The Nun's Story ''The Nun's Story'' is a 1956 novel by Kathryn Hulme. It was a Book of the Month selection and reached No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Premise The lead character of the book, Sister Luk ...
'' (1959) (Academy Award nomination) *'' Sunrise at Campobello'' (1960) *'' Cimarron'' (1960) *'' Return to Peyton Place'' (1961) *'' The Big Bankroll'' (1961) *''
My Geisha ''My Geisha'' is a 1962 American Comedy drama, comedy-drama film directed by Jack Cardiff, starring Shirley MacLaine, Yves Montand, Edward G. Robinson, and Bob Cummings and released by Paramount Pictures. Written by Norman Krasna, based on Krasna' ...
'' (1962) *'' Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man'' (1962) *'' Taras Bulba'' (1962, Academy Award nomination) *'' Lost Command'' (1966) *''The Raid'' (1966)
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
episodes 11.18 & 11.19


Selected concert works

*'' Carmen Fantasie'', (1946) for violin and orchestra *''Tristan and Isolde Fantasy'', for violin, piano and orchestra *''Four Scenes from Childhood'' (1948), for violin and piano (written for Jascha Heifetz on the occasion of the birth of his son Jay) *''Auld Lang Syne Variations'' (1947), for violin and chamber ensemble. Movements: "Eine kleine Nichtmusik," "Moonlight Concerto," "Chaconne a son gout," and "Hommage to Shostakofiev." *''The Song of Terezín'' (1964–65), based on poems by children of Theresienstadt concentration camp *''Joshua'' (1959), Oratorio


References


External links


Official website
*

at Syracuse University Library
Franz Waxman Remembered
by David Raksin (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Waxman, Franz 1906 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century German classical composers American film score composers Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Deaths from cancer in California German film score composers German male classical composers Golden Globe Award–winning musicians Jewish American classical composers Jewish classical composers Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States American male film score composers Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany People from Chorzów Musicians from the Province of Silesia 20th-century American Jews