Bronisław Kaper

Bronisław Kaper (February 5, 1902, Warsaw - April 26, 1983, Beverly Hills, California) was a Polish film composer who scored films and musical theater in Germany, France, and USA. The American immigration authorities misspelled his name as Bronislau Kaper. He was also variously credited as Bronsilaw Kaper, Bronislaw Kapper, Benjamin Kapper, and Edward Kane.

Kaper is now perhaps best remembered as the composer of the jazz standards "Invitation" (with words by Paul Francis Webster) and "Green Dolphin Street" the latter for the 1947 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film of the same name. He also scored the MGM film musical "Lili" (1953) and the TV series "The F.B.I." (1965-1974).

Biography

Bronisław Kaper began playing the piano at the age of six, and soon demonstrated considerable talent on this instrument. He studied composition and piano at the Warsaw Conservatory, and law at Warsaw University, in deference to his father's wishes.

Soon after completing his studies, Kaper went to Berlin - then a city with many theaters and cabarets, where many artists from Eastern Europe - mainly Russia, Poland and Hungary were trying their luck. In Berlin, in the late 1920s, Kaper met another young composer, the Austrian Walter Jurmann. The two decided to work as a team, first in Berlin and then, after the Nazis took power in Germany, in Paris. The emergence of sound film created a major market for their talents. In Paris, they composed music for films directed by persons who had fled Hitler.

In 1935, upon being offered a seven-year contract with MGM by Louis B. Mayer, Kaper and Jurmann emigrated to the United States, where they continued their work. One of their first American films was the Marx Brothers comedy "A Night at the Opera" (1935), for which they scored the song "Cosi-Cosa". Kaper went on to compose the music for nearly 150 Hollywood movies, and won an Oscar for the musical "Lili". His score for the Orson Welles film "The Stranger" (1946) is an interesting example of how much the soundtrack can contribute to a classic Hollywood film. He co-wrote the song "San Francisco" for the film "San Francisco" (1936), and the theme music and several scores for the Quinn Martin television series "The F.B.I."

In Los Angeles during the 1940s, Kaper was part of a significant community of German exiles, including Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Bertolt Brecht, Arnold Schoenberg, Lion Feuchtwanger, Max Reinhardt, and Berthold and Salka Viertel. [1]

Credits on Broadway

*"Polonaise" (1945) - musical - composer
*"Mostly Sondheim" (2002) - concert - featured songwriter

Recordings - Film Scores

Fewer recordings of Kaper's music were made and sold in his lifetime than was the case with other classic Hollywood composers. This has changed recently, as "Them!" has been released on compact disc in a re-recording by the Monstrous Movie Music label. Recent changes in the copyright status of older music has made it possible for more of his film soundtracks to be released on compact disc, primarily by another specialty label, Film Score Monthly ("Lili", "Home from the Hill", and others).

The Bronisław Kaper Awards

The Bronisław Kaper Awards For Young Artists are held annually by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the piano and strings instrumental categories, which alternate each year. Named in honor of Bronisław Kaper, who served for more than 15 years as a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association's Board of Directors, the Awards encourage the development of young and gifted musicians. Award winners receive monetary awards: first place receiving $2,500, second place receiving $2,000 and Most Promising Musician winning $500.

The 2007 Bronisław Kaper Awards competition has been for string players.

Footnotes

1. Salka Viertel, The Kindness of Strangers, (New York: Rinehart,1969), pages 250-251

References

* Elisabeth Buxbaum: "Veronika, der Lenz ist da. Walter Jurmann – Ein Musiker zwischen den Welten und Zeiten". Mit einem Werkverzeichnis von Alexander Sieghardt. Edition Steinbauer, Wien 2006, ISBN 3-902494-18-2
*Salka Viertel, "The Kindness of Strangers", (New York: Rinehart,1969), pages 250-251

External links

* [http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=11976 Bronisław Kaper] at the Internet Broadway Database
* [http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=88 Bronislaw Kaper] Filmography/Discography at Soundtrack Collector
*