Ralph Erwin (1896–1943), originally Erwin Vogl, was the Austrian-born French composer of a number of

film scores 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 ...

Career

Erwin Vogl was born in

Bielitz Bielsko (german: Bielitz, cs, Bílsko) was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that to ...

, in the part of

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...

which was then part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with t ...

. He served in the Austrian Army during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

. After the war, Erwin established himself as a leading German songwriter. He had a great success with ''

I Kiss Your Hand, Madame ''I Kiss Your Hand, Madame'' (german: Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame) is a 1929 German drama film directed by Robert Land starring Harry Liedtke and Marlene Dietrich. It was released in the United States in 1932. It was produced by Super-Film. Ther ...

'' ("Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame"), which featured in the film of the same title of 1929. The song became the signature tune of

Richard Tauber Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor and film actor. Early life Richard Tauber was born in Linz, Austria, to Elisabeth Seifferth (née Denemy), a widow and an actress who played soubrette roles at the local thea ...

.Symonette & Kowalke p.221 It was prominently used in the 1933 film ''

Baby Face Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

'' and

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

also later sang an English version, in ''

The Emperor Waltz ''The Emperor Waltz'' (german: Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame) is a 1948 American musical film directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine.Bookbinder 1977, p. 179. Written by Wilder and Charles Brackett, the film is abou ...

'' (1948) Erwin was a

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

and, following the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

rise to power in 1933, he went into exile in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. There, he continued to work on

. Erwin was still in the country during

Nazi Occupation of France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

and was eventually arrested. He died in the Beaune-la-Rolande internment camp.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1929) * ''

Le Roi des resquilleurs ''Le Roi des resquilleurs'' is a French film directed by Pierre Colombier, released in 1930. It was distributed in the US as ''The King of the Gate Crashers''. Details * Title : ''Le Roi des resquilleurs'' * Rirector: Pierre Colombier * Writer: ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Little Escapade ''The Little Escapade'' (german: Der kleine Seitensprung) is a 1931 German comedy film directed by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Renate Müller, Hermann Thimig and Hans Brausewetter.Salwolkep .54 It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin ...

'' (1931) * '' When Love Is Over'' (1931) * '' Amourous Adventure'' (1932) * ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' (1932) * ''

Madame Makes Her Exit ''Madame Makes Her Exit'' (german: Madame hat Ausgang) is a 1932 German romantic comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Liane Haid, Hans Brausewetter, Hilde Hildebrand. It was shot at the Epinay Studios of Tobis Film in Paris. It pre ...

'' (1932) * '' The Beautiful Adventure'' (1932) * ''

You Don't Forget Such a Girl ''You Don't Forget Such a Girl'' (German: ''So ein Mädel vergißt man nicht'') is a 1932 Austrian-German romantic comedy film directed by Fritz Kortner and starring Willi Forst, Dolly Haas, and Oskar Sima. The film was shot at the Halensee Stud ...

'' (1932) * ''

'' (1933) * '' Employees Entrance'' (1933) * '' Dinner At Eight'' (1933) * '' A Weak Woman'' (1933) * ''

Let's Touch Wood ''Let's Touch Wood'' (French: ''Touchons du bois'') is a 1933 French comedy film directed by Maurice Champreux and starring Jeanne Cheirel, Armand Bernard and Lily Zévaco. It is based on the play ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' by Oscar W ...

'' (1933) * ''

Monsieur Sans-Gêne ''Monsieur Sans-Gêne'' is a 1935 French romantic comedy film directed by Karl Anton and starring Fernand Gravey, Josseline Gaël and Ginette Gaubert. The following year it was remade as an American comedy '' One Rainy Afternoon'', released b ...

'' (1935) * '' Storm Over Asia'' (1938)

References

Bibliography

* Symonette, Lys & Kowalke, Kim H. ''Speak Low (When You Speak Love): The Letters of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya''. University of California Press, 1997.

External links

* 1896 births 1943 deaths Austrian male composers Austrian composers French male composers People from Bielsko Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to France Austrian Jews who died in the Holocaust 20th-century French composers 20th-century French male musicians {{Austria-composer-stub