Gary Geld (born October 18, 1935,

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

known for his work creating

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

s and popular songs with his lyricist partner

Peter Udell Peter Udell (born 1929) is an American lyricist and writer, best known for his collaborations with composer Gary Geld. He started his career in popular music in the 1960s, writing lyrics for songs including " Sealed With A Kiss", "Ginny Come Late ...

. Raised in

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area.L ...

, Geld graduated from

Clifton High School Clifton High School may refer to: United Kingdom *Clifton High School, Bristol – Clifton, Bristol United States * Clifton High School (Clifton, New Jersey) – Clifton, New Jersey * Clifton High School (Clifton, Arizona) – Clifton, Arizona ...

, where he won a songwriting competition. A graduate of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, Geld composed the music to the popular songs " Sealed With A Kiss", "

Save Your Heart for Me "Save Your Heart for Me" is a song written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell. The song was originally written for and recorded by singer Brian Hyland in 1963. Although not released as a single in its own right, it was the B-side to Hyland's song "I'm ...

" and "

Hurting Each Other "Hurting Each Other" is a song popularized by the Carpenters in 1972. It was written in 1965 by Gary Geld and Peter Udell, and has been recorded many times by artists ranging from Ruby & the Romantics to Rosemary Clooney. Previous versions The ...

" with Udell as lyricist. Geld and Udell co-created the

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 ...

musicals ''

Purlie ''Purlie'' is a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell, lyrics by Udell and music by Gary Geld. It is based on Davis's 1961 play '' Purlie Victorious''. Plot ''Purlie'' is set in an era when Jim Crow laws still we ...

'' (1970, a nominee for the

Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The award goes to the ...

), '' Shenandoah'' (1975), and ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'' (1978). His music for ''Shenandoah'' was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Original Score The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical or play in that year. The score consists of music and/or lyrics. To be eligible, a score must be written ...

in 1975. Geld and Udell also contributed songs to the musical dance revue ''

American Dance Machine The American Dance Machine was a theatrical dance company created by Lee Theodore, which played on Broadway at the Century Theatre, opening Jun 14, 1978 and in total running 199 performances. It was duplicated with a second cast for the American D ...

'' (1978).

References

1935 births Living people Clifton High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Clifton, New Jersey Songwriters from New Jersey Musicians from Paterson, New Jersey 20th-century American composers American musical theatre composers American male musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists New York University alumni {{US-composer-20thC-stub