Edward B. Powell
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Edward Benson Powell (December 5, 1909, in
Savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
, Carroll County, Illinois – February 28, 1984, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles) was an American arranger,
orchestrator Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...
and composer, who served as
Alfred Newman Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Acad ...
's musical lieutenant at
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
film studios for over three decades. His contributions to the scores of 400 films culminated in the canon of widescreen
Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...
musicals of the late 1950s, for which his arrangements, such as the extended "Carousel Waltz" (with
Gus Levene Gus Levene, born Gershun Levene (July 11, 1911 – February 9, 1979), was an American arranger, composer, orchestrator and guitarist. In the mid-1940s, he was one of the top network radio arrangers. Levene is best remembered for his work as an arra ...
), continue to be revived in concerts and proms (e.g.
John Wilson Orchestra The John Wilson Orchestra was formed by the British conductor John Wilson in 1994. It performs the original arrangements of MGM musicals and the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The orchestra performed annually in The Proms summer festival betw ...
), as well as live-to-classic pictures (
Carl Davis Carl Davis (October 28, 1936 – August 3, 2023) was an American-born British conductor and composer. He wrote music for more than 100 television programmes, notably the landmark ITV series '' The World at War'' (1973) and BBC's '' Pride and P ...
Chaplin tour). Powell was occasionally credited as Ed or without the middle initial, but his friends invariably called him Eddie. A shrewd contemporary, the fellow composer and renaissance man
Oscar Levant Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor (music), conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian, and actor. He had roles in the films ''Rhapsody in Bl ...
, wrote of him as being a noted film-music specialist on a par with the likes of
Max Steiner Maximilian Raoul Steiner (10 May 1888 – 28 December 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and became one of cinema of the United States, Hollywood's greatest musical composers. Steiner was a child prodi ...
,
Franz Waxman 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 genre. His film scores include ''Bride of Frankenstein'', ''Rebecca (194 ...
and
Hugo Friedhofer Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer (May 3, 1901 – May 17, 1981) was an American composer and cellist best known for his motion picture scores. Biography Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer was born in San Francisco, California, United States. His father, Paul, w ...
. Musicologist Ian Sapiro firmly places him in the ranks of the “geniuses” who were largely responsible for the recognizable studio system orchestral sound of the Golden Age. One of film composer
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
’ early professional engagements was playing piano on, and assisting Powell with the sweeping arrangements recorded for the
roadshow RoadShow () is the first "Multi-Media on-Board" (MMOB) service system on transit vehicles in Hong Kong. It was launched by The Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings Limited (renamed as Transport International Holdings Limited (TIH)) in December 2000. The ...
6-track magnetic soundtrack of ''
Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
''.


Broadway years

As a self-taught high school dance band arranger, he first came to the attention of jazzman
Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musical ...
. Starting professionally in the early thirties as part of the stable of Harms-Chappell orchestrators on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
, Powell quickly came into contact with lifelong colleagues, most of whom were eventually lured to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
. He garnered strong credits in popular reviews and musicals staged by
Earl Carroll Earl Carroll (September 16, 1893 – June 17, 1948) was an American theatrical producer, director, writer, songwriter and composer. Early life Carroll was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1893. He lived as an infant in the Nunnery Hill ( Fin ...
, and separately B.G. DeSylva and Henderson and Brown, as well as a Ballet Russe choreographed by
Leonide Massine Leonide or Léonide is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Leonide or Leonid of Georgia (1861–1921), Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia * Leonid Berman (1896–1976), Russian Neo-romantic painter and theater and opera designer * Léoni ...
. Like
George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
,
Conrad Salinger Conrad Salinger (August 30, 1901, Brookline, Massachusetts – June 17, 1962, Pacific Palisades, California) was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who studied classical composition at the Paris Conservatoire. He is credited wi ...
and Herbert W. Spencer, Powell was an avid student of the influential composer-theorist
Joseph Schillinger Joseph Moiseyevich Schillinger (; (other sources: ) – 23 March 1943) was a composer, music theorist, and music composition, composition teacher who originated the Schillinger System of Musical Composition. He was born in Kharkiv, Kharkov, in the ...
. In 1933 Powell orchestrated the Gershwin brothers’ Broadway show '' Let 'Em Eat Cake'', using the Schillinger
contrapuntal In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...
system, and was invited by the composer to handle the same chores for the premiere of ''
Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' ( ) is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy (play), ...
;'' however, had to decline when he moved out to Hollywood a year later.


Hollywood career

Joining as an uncredited orchestrator at
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
where Newman already was house composer, an early project was
Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...
’s '' Kid Millions'', where he shared song arranging duties with the young
Roger Edens Roger Edens (November 9, 1905 – July 13, 1970) was a Hollywood composer, arranger and associate producer, and is considered one of the major creative figures in Arthur Freed's musical film production unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the "gold ...
(in his days before joining
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 ...
’s Freed unit). He also ventured out with other composers and musical directors including
Max Steiner Maximilian Raoul Steiner (10 May 1888 – 28 December 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and became one of cinema of the United States, Hollywood's greatest musical composers. Steiner was a child prodi ...
('' The Garden of Allah'', 1936), got to work with
Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...
in
Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...
’s ''
Top Hat A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or ...
'' and received his first screen credit for
Eleanor Powell Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars durin ...
’s (no relation) ''
Broadway Melody of 1936 ''Broadway Melody of 1936'' is a musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935. In New York, the film opened at the Capitol Theatre, the site of many prestigious MGM premieres. In New York, the film opened at the Capitol Theatre, the sit ...
''. More highbrow, he was sole orchestrator for the experimental ballet film Spring Night choreographed and danced by
David Lichine David Lichine (; 25 October 1910 – 26 June 1972) was a Russian-American ballet dancer and choreographer. He had an international career as a performer, ballet master, and choreographer, staging works for many ballet companies and for several Hol ...
as Pan and conducted by Constantin Bakaleinikoff. In 1936 he recommended ex-Chappell colleague
David Raksin David Raksin (August 4, 1912 – August 9, 2004) was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. Raksin had more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit. Some sources called him the "Grandfather of ...
join Newman’s unit and together they shared duties as the arrangers of
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
’s beloved music in his first fully soundtracked (if not very talkie) film ''Modern Times''. After the Gershwins tried their luck in motion pictures, Powell became a good friend of the composer and was often a guest at their home. While working on ''
The Goldwyn Follies ''The Goldwyn Follies'' is a 1938 Technicolor film written by Ben Hecht, Sid Kuller, Sam Perrin and Arthur Phillips, with music by George Gershwin, Vernon Duke, and Ray Golden, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Sid Kuller. ''The Goldwyn Follies'' ...
'' of 1938, he got to introduce settings for the last songs composed by Gershwin - “
Love is Here to Stay "Love Is Here to Stay" is a popular song and jazz standard composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin for the movie ''The Goldwyn Follies'' (1938). History "Love Is Here to Stay" was first performed by Kenny Baker in ''The Goldw ...
” and “ Love Walked In” - plus
George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...
’s groundbreaking Technicolor ballets featuring
Vera Zorina Vera Zorina (January 2, 1917 – April 9, 2003), born Eva Brigitta Hartwig, was a German-Norwegian ballerina, theatre and film actress, and choreographer, chiefly remembered for her films choreographed by her husband George Balanchine. They ...
. At the close of the decade, he also collaborated with
Robert Russell Bennett Robert Russell Bennett (June 15, 1894 – August 18, 1981) was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershw ...
and
Conrad Salinger Conrad Salinger (August 30, 1901, Brookline, Massachusetts – June 17, 1962, Pacific Palisades, California) was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who studied classical composition at the Paris Conservatoire. He is credited wi ...
as the powerhouse trio of (unbilled) orchestrators for Newman’s original music to
George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''A Place in the Sun (1951 film), A Place in the Sun'' (1951) ...
' ''Gunga Din''. Throughout the 1940s Powell lobbied on behalf of fellow orchestrators for royalties and advised on ways to modernize copyright law, serving a short stint as President of American Society of Music Arrangers from 1946 to 47.


Musical arrangement technique

Powell was also a leading member of a close group of Hollywood orchestrators whom Levant identified as “the boys”—principally Friedhofer, Salinger, Spencer and Raksin—that met in each other's homes or lot bungalows to listen to latest overseas symphonic records, break down instrumentations chosen and analyze the effects various combinations produced on the texture and transformation of a theme, phrase or
leitmotif A leitmotif or () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is a partial angliciz ...
(the works of
Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major ad ...
,
Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...
and
Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...
being particular favorites). Powell continued his musical analyses as a student of
Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...
, who lived across the road from Gershwin when they both resided in West Los Angeles. Powell even kept a standing order with an L.A. record importer to supply him with “everything interesting” from which they could pick up the latest trends in contemporary music. One of many highly regarded close collaborations with Newman was for the Oscar-winning score heard in ''The Song of Bernadette'' (1943), particularly the
vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
scenes and sacred music. Based on interviews and analysis, Roland Jackson believes Powell's special credit for orchestral arrangements was due to his contributions going ‘beyond orchestration and involving reworking of the key themes, adding counterpoints or variants, and occasionally bringing in new material of his own.’ David Newman told Maurizio Caschetto that Powell helped his father, initially a conductor, learn how to confidently write music.


Major R&H film musicals

After the studio won filming rights to the Rodgers and Hammerstein oeuvre which was coming out of embargo after first staged productions, it fell to Newman, Powell and their growing team of orchestrators to expand the musical palette from its origins for smaller pit-bands. Although Powell was known for his full-blooded and colorful use of prominent brass and drums (Overture to ''The King and I''; “
Bali Ha'i "Bali Ha'i", also spelled "Bali Hai", is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' South Pacific''. The name refers to a mystical island, visible on the horizon but not reachable, and was originally inspired by the sight of Am ...
”; ''Flower Drum Song’s'' “Dream Ballet”) he could also arrange charts for more intimate songs such as “
If I Loved You "If I Loved You" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''Carousel''. Background In the show, the characters of Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan sing this song as they hesitantly declare their love for one another, yet are t ...
” or “ Younger Than Springtime”. Powell described their approach to
Fred Steiner Frederick Steiner (February 24, 1923June 23, 2011) was an American composer, conductor, orchestrator, film historian and arranger for television, radio and film. Steiner wrote the theme music for '' The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show'' and '' Perry M ...
in 1975:
a very intimate scene, Al red Newmanwould really write to the dialogue very carefully so the music breathed with it. ere was no movement in the orchestra under certain words – like you were accompanying at the piano in a small nightclub or something. He would try to play…that the background of the music was also part of the set…the costumes…and the whole atmosphere of the scene. became a part of the whole aural and visual scene.”Powell interview by Fred Steiner, transcript, pp.5-6 quoted in William H. Rosar, Editorial Essay, Journal of Film Music, Vol.2, Nos.2-4, Winter 2009, p.115.


Final credits

Later in his career he worked more frequently with other composers and music supervisors, including
Alex North Alex North (born Isadore Soifer; December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American composer best known for his many film scores, including ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (one of the first jazz-based film scores), '' Viva Zapata!'', ''Spartac ...
or Lionel and Emil, Newman's equally talented brothers. He orchestrated his friend and colleague
Hugo Friedhofer Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer (May 3, 1901 – May 17, 1981) was an American composer and cellist best known for his motion picture scores. Biography Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer was born in San Francisco, California, United States. His father, Paul, w ...
‘s martial theme for the 1959 Oscar-nominated score of the war drama
The Young Lions Young Lions may refer to: Music, film, and print * ''Young Lions'' (album), a 1990 album by Adrian Belew * ''Young Lions'' (TV series), a 2002 Australian police drama * ''Young Lions'' (book), a 2010 graphic novel by Blaise Larmee * ''The Young ...
, costarring
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''
and
Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered f ...
. In some of Powell's more bizarre assignments, he received screen credit along with
Lyn Murray Lyn Murray (born Lionel Breeze, August 13, 1909 – May 20, 1989) was a composer, conductor, and arranger of music for radio, film and television. Early years Born in London, Murray was the son of a violinist. Before entering a career in music ...
and Arthur Morton for '' Snow White and the Three Stooges''. And he and screenwriter
Clifford Odets Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize–winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withd ...
memorably lent their considerable talents to the
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
vehicle ''
Wild in the Country ''Wild in the Country'' is a 1961 American musical-drama film directed by Philip Dunne and starring Elvis Presley, Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, Millie Perkins, Rafer Johnson and John Ireland. Based on the 1958 novel ''The Lost Country'' by J ...
''. Eddie's final recorded orchestration credit was in 1968 for the
Dominic Frontiere Dominic Carmen Frontiere (June 17, 1931 – December 21, 2017) was an American composer, arranger, and jazz accordionist. He composed the theme and much of the music for the first season of the television series '' The Outer Limits'', as w ...
score to the
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...
’s
Malpaso Productions Malpaso Productions is Clint Eastwood's production company. It was established in 1967 as The Malpaso Company by Eastwood's financial adviser Irving Leonard (financial adviser), Irving Leonard for the film ''Hang 'Em High'' (1968), using profi ...
’ first film ''
Hang 'Em High ''Hang 'Em High'' is a 1968 American revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching; Inger Stevens as a widow who ...
''.


External links

Edward B. Powell at IMDb Edward Powell at IBDB Edward Powell entry, Discogs bio, Discography & Songs https://www.discogs.com/artist/2188370-Edward-Powell Powell, Edward (B.) entry by Warren M. Sherk at Grove Music Online https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2093444 Edward B. Powell entry, The Bios, Concerts subpage, at The Rodgers and Hammerstein (R&H) Organization.com * https://www.rnh.com/bio/2738/Edward-B.-Powell Finding Aid for the Edward B. Powell Collection of Motion Picture Music 1935–1977, Online Archive of California, UCLA Library Special Collection https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/ft409nb11d/


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Edward 1909 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American composers American film score composers American music arrangers American male film score composers 20th-century American male musicians