Mischa Spoliansky (28 December 1898 – 28 June 1985) was a Russian-born composer who made his name writing

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

and

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

songs in the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

of the 1920s and early 1930s. He was forced to emigrate to London in 1933 when Hitler rose to power and stayed in Britain for the rest of his life, re-inventing himself as a composer of film scores.David Kershaw. "Spoliansky, Mischa", in ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

'' (2001)

Early life and education

Spoliansky was born into a Jewish, musical family in

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

, then part of the Belostok Oblast of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. His father was an opera singer and his sister would later become a pianist and his brother Alexander was a cellist. After the birth of Mischa the family moved to Warsaw, and later Kalisz. After the early death of his mother, the family moved to Vienna. Spoliansky's early musical education in piano, violin and cello began at the age of five and was continued in Dresden under Professor Mark Guensberg. He made his public debut aged 10. Shortly thereafter, his father died and Spoliansky moved to

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

(Prussia) where he had relatives. In 1914 however as a result of the war he had to flee to Berlin, where his brother worked as a cellist and his sister Lisa, a pianist, began studies with

Artur Schnabel Artur Schnabel (17 April 1882 – 15 August 1951) was an Austrian-born classical pianist, composer and Pedagogy, pedagogue. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura. Among the 20th ...

Berlin, cabaret and revue

Spoliansky worked in a coffeehouse as a pianist in order to continue his musical education at the Stern'sches Konservatorium. Spoliansky's first compositions were played by the UFA-Filmtheaterorchester in

Friedrichstraße Friedrichstraße, or Friedrichstrasse (see ß; ) (lit. ''Frederick Street''), is a major culture and shopping street in central Berlin, forming the core of the Friedrichstadt neighborhood and giving the name to Berlin Friedrichstraße stat ...

. In addition he worked as a composer and pianist in a

pit orchestra A pit orchestra is a type of orchestra that accompanies performers in Musical theatre, musicals, operas, ballets, and other shows involving music. The term was also used for orchestras accompanying silent movies when more than a piano was used. ...

(where

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

played in the second violins) and in a Russian émigré cabaret. There

Friedrich Hollaender 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 Hollaend ...

and

Werner Richard Heymann Werner Richard Heymann (14 February 1896 – 30 May 1961), also known as Werner R. Heymann, was a German-Jewish composer active in Germany and in Hollywood. Early life and education He was the younger of 4 boys born to a corn merchant. His olde ...

heard him and invited him to write and play for the literary cabaret in the basement of the

Großes Schauspielhaus The Großes Schauspielhaus (Great Theater) was a theater in Berlin, Germany, designed by architect Hans Poelzig for theater director Max Reinhardt. The structure was built as a market hall in 1867 and then served as a circus and event venue. Poel ...

, which

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...

had founded in 1919. Spoliansky set the texts of

Kurt Tucholsky Kurt Tucholsky (; 9 January 1890 – 21 December 1935) was a German journalist, satire, satirist, and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser (after the Kaspar Hauser, historical figure), Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wr ...

Klabund Alfred Henschke (4 November 1890 – 14 August 1928), better known by his pseudonym Klabund, was a German writer. Life Klabund, born Alfred Henschke in 1890 in Krosno Odrzańskie, Crossen, was the son of an apothecary. At the age of 16 he came ...

Joachim Ringelnatz Joachim Ringelnatz is the pen name of the German author and painter Hans Bötticher (7 August 1883 in Wurzen, Saxony – 17 November 1934 in Berlin). From 1894 to 1900 he lived with his family in the Gottschedstrasse 40 in Leipzig. Profile Hi ...

, and accompanied stars such as

Gussy Holl Auguste Marie Christine Holl (22 February 1888 – 16 July 1966) was a German actress and singer. Holl was briefly a silent film star during the early Weimar Republic, appearing in productions such as F. W. Murnau's ''Desire'' (1921). As of 2021 ...

, Paul O'Montis,

Rosa Valetti Rosa Valetti (born Rosa Alice Vallentin; 25 January 1876 – 10 December 1937) was a German actress, cabaret performer, and singer. Biography Rosa Valetti was born in Berlin, the daughter of industrialist Felix Vallentin and sister of acto ...

and

Trude Hesterberg Trude Hesterberg (2 May 1892 – 31 August 1967) was a German film actress. She appeared in 89 films between 1917 and 1964. Selected filmography * ''Ein Schwerenöter'' (1916) – Liddy * ''Die Eheschule'' (1917) * ''Die Reise ins Jenseits ...

. In 1920 under the pseudonym "Arno Billing" he composed the melody for the first homosexual anthem called '' Das lila Lied'', (''The Lavender Song'') which he dedicated to

Magnus Hirschfeld Magnus Hirschfeld (14 May 1868 – 14 May 1935) was a German physician, Sexology, sexologist and LGBTQ advocate, whose German citizenship was later revoked by the Nazi government.David A. Gerstner, ''Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer ...

, the sexologist who attracted the young

Christopher Isherwood Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood (26 August 1904 – 4 January 1986) was an Anglo-American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, autobiographer, and diarist. His best-known works include '' Goodbye to Berlin'' (1939), a semi-autobiographical ...

to Berlin a decade later. It was published with other texts such as "Sei meine Frau für vierundzwanzig Stunden". In 1922 he met the poet

Marcellus Schiffer Marcellus Schiffer was the name used by Otto Schiffer (20 June 1892 – 24 August 1932), a German cabaret writer, graphic designer, painter and librettist. Life Schiffer was born in Berlin. His father, Siegfried Schiffer (1849–1897), was a Je ...

and the

diseuse A monologist (), or interchangeably monologuist (), is a solo artist who recites or gives dramatic readings from a monologue, soliloquy, poetry, or work of literature, for the entertainment of an audience. The term can also refer to a person w ...

Margo Lion Margo Allison Lion (October 13, 1944 – January 24, 2020) was a producer for plays and musicals both on Broadway and off-Broadway, known for her role in producing the stage and screen hit ''Hairspray''. Combined, the works Lion produced won 20 ...

. He married the dancer Elsbeth (Eddy) Reinwald in the same year. In 1927 Spoliansky accompanied

Richard Tauber Richard Tauber (16 May 1891, Linz – 8 January 1948, London) was an Austrian lyric tenor and film actor. He performed the tenor role in numerous operas, including ''Don Giovanni'' by Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte. Early life Richard Tauber was b ...

in a recording of 12 songs from

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

's ''

Winterreise ''Winterreise'' (, ''Winter Journey'') is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert (Schubert Thematic Catalogue, D. 911, published as Opus number, Op. 89 in 1828), a setting of 24 Poetry, poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller. It is the ...

'', having recorded an album of 12 German folk-songs with the tenor in the previous year. On May 15, 1928, the musical

' opened at the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm, Berlin, with music by Spoliansky and lyrics by Marcellus Schiffer. Viktor Rotthaler has described it as "the first attempt at a German language musical. The music draws on influences from American jazz and Argentine tango now characteristic of the cabaret music of Berlin in the 1920s. Marlene Dietrich was in the cast. One year later Dietrich would be "discovered" in Spoliansky's revue ''Zwei Krawatten'' (text by Georg Kaiser) by

Josef von Sternberg Josef von Sternberg (; born Jonas Sternberg; May 29, 1894 – December 22, 1969) was an American filmmaker whose career successfully spanned the transition from the Silent film, silent to the Sound film, sound era, during which he worked with mos ...

, who was searching for the leading actress 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 ...

''. There followed in 1930 ''Wie werde ich reich und glücklich?'', in 1931 ''Alles Schwindel'', in 1932 ''Rufen Sie Herrn Plim'' and ''Das Haus dazwischen'', and in 1933 ''100 Meter Glück''.

Emigration to London and film work

When Hitler came to power in 1933, Spoliansky, like all Jewish artists in Germany, was no longer allowed to work in the now "Aryan" entertainment business. He was forced to

emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he began a second career as a film composer. He was taken under the wing of the expatriate film community, as well as British producers and directors, such as

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 ...

, who had made films in Berlin in what had been, until Hitler's rule, the international centre for film production. Spoliansky's naturalisation as a British national succeeded in large part thanks to '' Schlager'' "Heute Nacht oder nie" from the film '' Das Lied einer Nacht'' (1932), which made Spoliansky world-renowned. In 1935, he was hired by

Zoltan Korda Zoltan Korda (May 3, 1895 – October 13, 1961) was a Hungary, Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, film director, director and film producer, producer. He made his first film in Hungary in 1918 and worked with his brother Alexander Korda ...

to compose the music for ''

Sanders of the River ''Sanders of the River'' is a 1935 British film directed by the Hungarian-British director, Zoltán Korda, based on the stories of Edgar Wallace. It is set in Colonial Nigeria. The lead Nigerian characters were played by African Americans Paul Ro ...

'', which was being shot on location in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. This included songs that were meant to be "authentic" Nigerian music, performed by star

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

, and the local Nigerian cast members and extras, but they were composed in London by Spoliansky. Many years later, Korda was delighted to discover, in a remote river in the Congo, Spoliansky's theme song for the film being sung by Congolese fishermen as they paddled their boats upriver. Spoliansky had never been to Africa, but his work was so authentic that it became, in a sense, genuinely authentic. ''Sanders of the River'' began a collaboration with Robeson. Among his very best songs were the four that he wrote for Robeson featured in ''Sanders of the River'' in 1935 ("The Canoe Song", "Love Song", "Congo Lullabye" and "The Killing Song") and ''

King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' is an 1885 popular fiction, popular novel by the English Victorian literature, Victorian adventure writer and fable, fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. Published by Cassell and Company, it tells of an expedition through an ...

'' in 1937 ("Ho, Ho" and "Climbing Up!"). Another of his songs was performed by

Elisabeth Welch Elisabeth Margaret Welch (February 27, 1904July 15, 2003) was an American singer, actress, and entertainer, whose career spanned seven decades. Her best-known songs were " Stormy Weather", " Love for Sale" and "Far Away in Shanty Town". She was ...

in 1937 ("Red Hot Annabelle"). Other film successes included "Dedication" (the theme from '' Idol of Paris''), the music for '' The Happiest Days of Your Life'' and "The Melba Waltz (Dream Time)" from '' Melba''. He also continued writing for the theatre: the musical ''Who's Taking Liberty?'' ran for 59 performance at the

Whitehall Theatre Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...

in 1939. In 1943, Spoliansky gave a recital of his own film music in London.

Later career

In 1950, Hitchcock remembered Spoliansky, and hired him to write the song "Love Is Lyrical (Whisper Sweet Little Nothing to Me)", performed by

in the film ''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

''. In later years he composed scores for films such as '' Trouble in Store'' (1953), '' Saint Joan'' (1957), '' The Whole Truth'' (1958), '' North West Frontier'' (1959), '' The Battle of the Villa Fiorita'' (1965), '' The Best House in London'' (1969) and '' Hitler: The Last Ten Days'' (1973), on which he clearly had a personal perspective. Post-war revues in London include ''One, Two, Three'' (1947) and ''Four, Five, Six'' (1948), both at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...

and both starring Binnie Hale. In the 1950s and 1960s Spoliansky attempted to re-introduce the German public to the musical, first with ''Katharina Knie'' (1957) in Munich – based on a circus story and dealing with themes of vagrant life and settledness – and then with ''Wie lernt man Liebe'' (1967), also in Munich, at the Cuvilliés-Theater. These met with little success, probably due to anti-American sentiment in Germany at the time. Spoliansky returned to Berlin in 1977 to appear at a gala in the Renaissance Theatre, and made several return visits over the next few years. He was also a composer of concert works, such as his ''Symphony in Five Movements'', composed over a long period between 1941 and 1969. This work, along with his orchestral jazz piece ''Boogie'' (1958) and the overture to his last stage show ''My Husband and I'' (aka ''Wie lernt man Liebe'') were recorded by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Mann, in 2022. There are also some small piano pieces. In 1976, Spoliansky was interviewed for the American documentary '' Memories of Berlin: The Twilight of Weimar Culture''. He remained Dietrich's regular confident right up until his death in London in 1985 at the age of 87.Haas, Michael.
Forbidden Music: the Jewish Composers Banned by the Nazis
' (2013)

Legacy

Since his death, his works have occasionally been produced in theatres. For example, the 1932 cabaret opera ''Rufen Sie Herrn Plim'' (as ''Send for Mr Plin'') had a successful production at the

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in Theater, theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a ...

in 1999, transferring to Covent Garden the following year. In the 2004/2005 season ''Zwei Krawatten'' was produced in

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

, and ''Rufen Sie Herrn Plim'' in the Städtischen Bühnen Münster (2002/2003) and later in a theatre in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

. All Spoliansky archives are held in the

Akademie der Künste The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...

, Berlin.

Works

Theatre * Cabaret songs, including '' Das lila Lied'' (1920s) * ''Es liegt in der Luft'', revue (1928) * ''Zwei Krawatten'', revue (1929) * ''Wie werde ich reich und glücklich?'', revue (1930) * ''Alles Schwindel'', revue (1931) * ''Rufen Sie Herrn Plim'', revue (1932) * ''Das Haus dazwischen'', revue (1932) * ''100 Meter Glück'', revue (1933) * ''Who's Taking Liberty?'' musical (1939) * ''One, Two, Three'', revue (1947) * ''Four Five, Six'', revue (1948) * '' Katharina Knie'', musical (1957) * ''Wie lernt man Liebe'', musical (1957) Film scores * '' No More Love'' (1931) * '' Calais-Dover'' (1931) * '' The Song of Night'' (1932) * '' The Lucky Number'' (1932) * ''

One Night's Song ''One Night's Song'' (French: ''La chanson d'une nuit'') is a 1933 musical film directed by Pierre Colombier and Anatole Litvak and starring Jan Kiepura, Magda Schneider and Pierre Brasseur. It was a co-production between Germany and France. I ...

'' (1933) * '' Love at Second Sight'' (1934) * '' My Song for You'' (1934) * ''

'' (1935) * ''

The Ghost Goes West ''The Ghost Goes West'' is a 1935 British romantic comedy/fantasy film directed by René Clair and starring Robert Donat, Jean Parker, and Eugene Pallette. It was Clair's first English-language film. The story concerns an Old World ghost deali ...

'' (1935) * '' The Man Who Could Work Miracles'' (1936) * '' Forget Me Not'' (1936) * ''

'' (1937) * '' Paradise for Two'' (1937) * '' Jeannie'' (1941) * '' Mr. Emmanuel'' (1944) * ''

Don't Take It to Heart ''Don't Take It to Heart'' is a 1944 British comedy film directed by Jeffrey Dell and starring Richard Greene, Alfred Drayton, Patricia Medina, Moore Marriott and Richard Bird. It was shot at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith with set ...

'' (1944) * '' Idol of Paris'' (1948) * '' This Was a Woman'' (1948) * '' Under the Frozen Falls'' (1948) * '' Golden Arrow'' (1949) * '' The Happiest Days of Your Life'' (1950) * '' Into the Blue'' (1950) * ''

Happy Go Lovely ''Happy Go Lovely'' is a 1951 British musical comedy film in Technicolor, directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Vera-Ellen, David Niven, and Cesar Romero. The film was made and first released in the UK, and distributed in the US by ...

'' (1951) * '' Trouble in Store'' (1953) * '' Saint Joan'' (1957) * '' The Whole Truth'' (1958) * '' North West Frontier'' (1959) * '' The Battle of the Villa Fiorita'' (1965) * '' The Best House in London'' (1969) * '' Hitler: The Last Ten Days'' (1973) Concert * ''Charleston Caprice'', orchestra (1930) * ''Boogie'', orchestra (1958) * ''Symphony in Five Movements'' (1941-1969) * ''My Husband and I'' overture (1958) (from ''Wie lernt man Liebe'') * ''King Solomon's Mines'', suite (three movements, arr. Philip Lane)

References

External links

* * *
Smoke and Noise
' (2011), album of Spoliansky songs by Melinda Hughes * , recorded by

Max Raabe Max Raabe (born Matthias Otto, 12 December 1962) is a German jazz singer. He is best known as the founder and leader of the Palast Orchester. Career Raabe developed an interest in the sound of German dance and film music of the 1920s and 193 ...

and the

Palast Orchester The Palast Orchester (literal translation, Palace Orchestra) is a German orchestra, based in Berlin, constituted in the manner of dance bands of the 1920s and 1930s. Its repertoire specialises in cabaret and popular songs of the Weimar period in ...

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (17 February 1934 – 22 April 2023) was an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He was best known for writing and playing his stage and television characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He appeare ...

Weimar Cabaret
* , Chandos Records {{DEFAULTSORT:Spoliansky, Mischa 1898 births 1985 deaths Jewish composers Polish composers German composers German male composers English male composers Polish film score composers German film score composers English film score composers English male film score composers British male film score composers German people of Polish-Jewish descent English people of Polish-Jewish descent Musicians from Białystok 20th-century German composers 20th-century English composers Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany