Erno Rapeé (or Rapee) [ b 4 June 1891 in Budapest, Hungary, d 26 June 1945 in New York] was one of the most prolific conductors of the American symphony in the first half of the 1900s. His most famous tenure was that of the head conductor of the Radio City Symphony Orchestra, whose home base was located at Radio City Music Hall and whose music was heard by millions over the air. June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: Paris of the East, Pearl of the Danubeor Queen of the Danube Location of Budapest in Hungary Country Hungary County Pest Mayor Gábor Demszky (SZDSZ) Area    - City 525,16 km²  - Land n/a km²  - Water n/a km² Population    - City (2006) 1,695,000  - Density 3570/km... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Radio City Music Hall at Christmas 2005 Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...

A virtuoso pianist, Rapeé is also recalled today for the popular few songs that he wrote in the late 1920's as Photoplay music that were premiered in New York at various theaters he worked at. When not conducting live orchestras, he supervised film scores for sound pictures, compiling a substantial list of films on which he worked as composer, arranger or musical director. Photoplay Music is the term given to music written specifically for the accompaniment of silent films. ...

Life

Rapeé was born in Budapest, Hungary on June 4, 1891. He studied as a pianist and later conductor at the Budapest Conservatory. Later, he was assistant conductor to Ernst von Schuch in Dresden. Ernst Edler von Schuch (born 23 November 1846 in Graz, died 10 May 1914 in Dresden) was a German conductor. ...

As a composer, his first piano concerto was played by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Vienna, and after a tour of America as a guest conductor, began performing at the Rialto Theater in New York, where he began composing for silent films.

Following his position at the Rialto and Rivoli theaters, he was hired by Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel as the musical director of the Capitol Theater's orchestra in New York. It was at the Capitol that Rapeé made his most famous classical arrangement of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody, No. 13. Samuel Lionel Roxy Rothafel was a showman of the 1920s silent film era and the impresario for many of the great movie palaces that he managed such as the Capitol, the Strand, and his eponymous Roxy Theater in New York City (opened 1927, demolished 1961). ... Franz Liszt (Hungarian: Liszt Ferenc) (Slovak: List Franz) (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a Hungarian ( with both parents from Slovakia ) virtuoso pianist and composer. ...

His next move was to Philadelphia, where he conducted an orchestra of sixty-eight at the Fox Theater. Percy Grainger was one of his guest artists during this engagement. Percy Aldridge Grainger (8 July 1882 – 20 February 1961) was an Australian-born pianist, composer, and champion of the saxophone. ...

After his tenure at the Fox, Rapeé went on to international success in Berlin with an orchestra of eighty-five at the UFA Theater. While there he was invited to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert. Later he appeared as conductor of the Budapest Philharmonic and other famous orchestras. The Berlin Philharmonic rehearsing in the Berliner Philharmonie. ...

In 1926, he returned to America after notable European successes and entered upon an engagement at the Roxy Theater in New York. Millions of listeners heard his symphonic concerts over the air on Sunday afternoon during The Roxy Hour radio broadcasts.

Finally, in 1932, Rapeé reached the apex of his career as the musical director and head conductor of Roxy's Radio City Music Hall Symphonic Orchestra. Rapeé held this position until his death from a heart attack on June 26, 1945. Radio City Music Hall at Christmas 2005 Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...

Compositions

During his years conducting for silent films on Broadway, Rapeé arranged and composed a bulk of his library. In 1923, Robbins-Engel Music began publishing the music of Rapeé and his associates under the banner of the "Capitol Photoplay Series". Under their "Gold Seal" series (carefully selected pieces chosen to be printed on high-quality paper), his song "When Love Comes Stealing" was published the same year. Five years later, this became the theme song of the Paul Leni film, The Man Who Laughs. The Man Who Laughs is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title LHomme qui Rit. ...

Collaberating with Dr. William Axt, Rapeé co-wrote an eminent collection of Photoplay music, which included such pieces as a series of three Agitatos, Appassionato No. 1, Debutante, Frozen North, Screening Preludes 1 and 2, and Tender Memories. Other pieces written solo included The Clown's Carnival and Pollywog's Frolic.

In 1928, Rapeé collaborated with composer Lew Pollack on "Charmaine" for the film, What Price Glory? and "Diane", for the Fox production, Seventh Heaven. Rapeé and Pollack's songs were covered by Mantovani, Frank Sinatra, Jim Reeves, and numerous other artists throughout the 20th Century and gave hits in the Sixties for Irish M-O-R group The Bachelors. Lew Pollack [b 16 June 1895 in New York, d 18 January 1946 in Hollywood] was a composer active during the 1920s and the 1930s. ... Charmaine is a popular song. ... What Price Glory is a film that has been made twice. ... For other uses, see Seventh Heaven (disambiguation) Seventh Heaven is a 1927 silent film that was one of the first films to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (then called Best Picture, Production). The film was written by H.H. Caldwell (titles), Benjamin Glazer, Katherine Hilliker (titles... Mantovani, born Annunzio Paolo Mantovani ( November 15, 1905 – March 29, 1980) was a popular conductor and entertainer in the easy listening style. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was a popular and highly acclaimed male vocalist and actor. ... Jim Reeves Jim Reeves is also the name of a competitive eater. ... The Bachelors is a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland. ...

Rapeeé also wrote two or more music books, which were first published in the 1920s, but the following are still in print:

Encyclopedia of Music for Pictures, Belwin, NY, 1925. Reprinted in 1974 by the Arno Press. ISBN 0-405-01634-4

Motion Picture Moods for Pianists and Organists, G. Schirmer, NY, 1924. Reprinted in 1974 by the Arno Press. ISBN 0-405-01635-2

External link

• Erno Rapee's entry on IMDb