Florian ZaBach

Infobox musical artist
Name = Florian ZaBach
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Born = birth date|1918|08|15
Chicago, Illinois
Died = death date and age|2006|02|25|1918|08|15
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Origin = United States
Genre = Popular music
Years_active = 1950 - 1970
Label = Decca, Mercury
Notable_instruments = violin

Florian ZaBach (c.August 15, 1918Birth year is per Social Security Death Index Interactive Search at [http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi] . Other cited references report different years, including 1921 and 1931. All agree on the month and date.] - February 25, 2006cite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = Web Encyclopaedia of Popular Music
url=http://www.musicweb-international.com/encyclopaedia/z/Z8.HTM
accessdate = 2007-09-10 ] cite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = Local 802 News - Obituaries - October 2006
url=http://www.local802afm.org/publication_entry.cfm?xEntry=83401118#zabach
accessdate = 2007-09-10 ] ) was an American musician and TV personality.

His recording of "The Hot Canary" sold a million copies and reached the top 15 on the Pop charts in 1951. "Believe It or Not" timed his violin performance of "The Flight of the Bumblebee" and wrote, "he plays 12.8 notes per second ... faster than any known violinist in history". He hosted a television show in 1954 that was aired in cities around the world.cite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = MacDonald & Associates Pop Music Catalogue
url=http://www.macfilms.com/Pop%20Music%201-100.htm
accessdate = 2007-09-10 ]

For his work on television, ZaBach has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6505 Hollywood Blvd.cite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = Hollywood Walk of Fame Directory
url=http://www.tibp.com/cgi-bin/foxweb.dll/wlx/dir/wlxdirecatn?client=WOFAME&category=TV
accessdate = 2007-09-11 ]

Biography

ZaBach was born in Chicago, the son and only child of Florian ZaBach Sr., who played clarinet with the Vienna Philharmonic, and Anna Morganfort-ZaBach. He studied music and learned to play the violin with his father and at the Chicago Cosmopolitan Conservatory of Music. At the age of 12 he debuted with the Chicago Symphony orchestra playing the Mendelssohn concerto. He went to the Prague Conservatory in Czechoslovakia to further his violin studies.

When he returned to the United States, he joined the music staff of Chicago's NBC and WGN radio stations. After 2½ years in the Army Medical Corps as a private and a corporal, he resumed his musical career in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel. Television's Arthur Godfrey discovered him there, and ZaBach appeared on Godfrey's show several times. He also appeared on most of the television shows emanating from New York at the time: Ed Sullivan, Milton Berle, Ken Murray, Red Skelton, Steve Allen, Jack Parr and 25 appearances on the Tonight Show. For over a year he performed five one-hour shows daily, seven days a week as master of ceremonies, orchestra conductor and violin soloist on the stage of Strand Theatre on Broadway.

ZaBach then moved to Hollywood, where he filmed the "Florian ZaBach" show, a weekly half-hour television series that was syndicated nationwide in more than 90 markets and in major cities throughout the world. He also appeared with major symphony orchestras as soloist and conductor on their pops concerts in the United States and in London, Vienna, Genoa, Venice, Australiacite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = Australian Showworld
url=http://www.showworld.com.au/stars_files/florian_zabach.html
accessdate = 2007-09-10 ] and Beijing, among other concert halls.

ZaBach recorded many albums for Mercury and Decca using his 1732 Guarnerius del Gesu violin, created in Cremona, Italy. including million-seller "The Hot Canary" on Decca in 1951 and a minor hit "When The White Lilacs Bloom Again' on Mercury in 1956.cite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = Music Web Encyclopaedia of Popular Music
url=http://www.musicweb-international.com/encyclopaedia/z/Z8.HTM
accessdate = 2007-09-10 ]

ZaBach spent the later years of his life living and working in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. His compositions and musical arrangements were donated to the Florian ZaBach Collection in the Library of Congress in August 2005. He died at Scranton, Pennsylvania on February 25, 2006.cite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = Lackawanna County (PA) News and Events
url=http://www.lackawannacounty.org/ViewEventDetails.aspx?EventID=520
accessdate = 2007-09-10 ]

Discography

A partial listing of his recordings follows.

Vinyl LPs

*"Golden Strings"cite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = Records By Mail
url=http://www.recordsbymail.com/static/artistSearch.php/artistFirst/FLORIAN/artistLast/ZABACH
accessdate = 2007-09-10 ]
*"Hi-Fi Fiddle"cite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = GEMM
url=http://www.gemm.com/search/artist/ZABACH-c-FLORIAN/ZABACH-c-FLORIAN/
accessdate = 2007-09-10 ]
*"The Hot Canary " (1951)cite web
last = ZaBach
first = Florian
title = Artist Direct
url=http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/card/0,,512856,00.html
accessdate = 2007-09-10 ]
*"Hour of Love"
*"It's Easy to Dance With"
*"String Along With ZaBach"
*"Till the End of Time"
*"With the Nashville Country Strings"

Vinyl 45s

*"April in Portugal"
*"Dream of Romance"
*"Fiddler's Boogie"
*"Jalousie"
*"Oceans of Love"
*"Petticoats of Portugal"
*"Pussy Footin'"
*"Rainbow Trail"
*"Red Canary"
*"Red Wing"
*"Running off the Rails"
*"Tea for Two"
*"Waltzing Cat"
*"When the White Lilacs Bloom Again" (1956)
*"Whistler and His Dog"

Vinyl 78s

*"Fiddler's Boogie"

References and notes

External links

*imdb name|id=1813914|name=Florian Zabach
* [http://www.overnighters.com.au/ob051207_12.pdf Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 7, 2005 Melbourne Australia]
* [http://musicyouwont.blogspot.com/2006/02/wake-up-music-for-sunday-february-26.html Music You (Possibly) Won't Hear Anyplace Else]
* [http://www.local802afm.org/publication_entry.cfm?xEntry=83401118#zabach Local 802 News - Obituaries - October 2006]

Persondata
NAME = ZaBach, Florian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Zabach, Florian
SHORT DESCRIPTION = American musician and TV personality
DATE OF BIRTH = c.August 15, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH = Chicago, Illinois, USA
DATE OF DEATH = February 25, 2006
PLACE OF DEATH = Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA