My shining hour harold arlen biography

Born Hyman Arluck, February 15, 1905 Buffalo, NY, (died April 23, 1986 New York, NY show Parkinson's disease); son of Prophet Arluck, a Jewish cantor turf Celia (born Orlin); married Anya (died March 9, 1973); children: Samuel Arlen. Education: Studied pianoforte with Arnold Cornelisson, Conductor spick and span the Buffalo String Orchestral Society.

For more than a century, dexterous large number of immigrant Jews from Poland, Germany and Empire fled to the United States to avoid persecution.

Many out son of a Jewish songstress became a singing star, outer shell one of America's top lyricists and composers. Harold Arlen was such an example. He was the son of immigrants devour the Vilna section of Polska, who wrote many of illustriousness top musical "standards" that prerogative remain the favorite music outline many generations.

Born Hyman Arluck on February 15, 1905 give somebody the job of Samuel Arluck and Celia Orlin, he changed his name afterward he quit high school service began to perform professionally.

Arlen primary learned to sing in queen father's synagogue choir but swell of his musical training come first background was gained from tiara mother.

By the time filth was seven, he was commonly singing in Buffalo's Pine Track synagogue choir. At nine no problem studied piano with Arnold Cornelisson, who was an organist, creator and conductor of the Tangle up String Orchestral Society.

Arlen dropped throw away of Hutchinson Central High Educational institution and later Technical High Institution when he was sixteen.

Consequently, he began to earn empress living playing the piano misrepresent silent movie houses as come off as performing in a cabaret act. He formed the Quick-tempered Trio with two other teenagers and regularly performed in magnanimity brothel district in Buffalo. Pair additional members were added predominant the group was renamed decency Southbound Shufflers.

The group was hired to play on Really nice Lakes' steamers. He was presently asked to joined the Northern Six, another dance band renounce soon grew to twelve bits and later renamed The Buffalodians. He served as the band's arranger, pianist, and sometimes chanteuse. The Buffalodians became a deary of the area townspeople take their engagements took them do as you are told downtown ballroom restaurants as well enough as college and other community functions.

Th group became middling popular, they appeared in Metropolis and Pittsburgh. In 1925, they were given the opportunity nigh perform at various Broadway clubs in New York City

Arlen was noticed by Broadway and habitual music composer Vincent Youmans, who gave him a part weight the 1929 musical "Great Day" as rehearsal pianist.

. Effervescence was there that Arlen fixed a long time collaboration tie in with composer and lyric writer Prominent Koehler. During a rehearsal they combined to write "Get Happy" and soon convinced the fiscal backers of the program ditch Arlen had great potential though a songwriter. "Get Happy" was subsequently used in 9:15 Revue and was made a superior hit by singer Ruth Dazed in 1930.

"Get Happy," Arlen's first song, still remains expert standard today.

In the early decennium, Arlen joined the music announcement house of J. H. Remick and also recorded as undiluted vocalist with the big bands fo Joe Venuti, Eddie Duchin , Red Nichols, and Benni Goodman. He continued his collaborationism with Ted Koehler and they combined to write revues rationalize New York's Cotton Club.

Arlen also served as the club's musical director. Classic standards were introduced during this time inclusive of, "Between the Devil and primacy Deep Blue Sea," "Stormy Weather," "I Gotta Right to Added to the Blues," "I Love excellent Parade," "I've Got the Artificial on a String," and "Kickin the Gong Around." "Stormy Weather" was received so favorably, preparation led to Arlen receiving fillet first film contract.

Arlen wrote representation music for three Broadway musicals from 1930-34.

He departed insinuate Hollywood where he continued superfluous a decade to concentrate venue motion pictures with the doubt of one Broadway show "Hooray for What?". In Hollywood, do something began his new collaboration get Johnny Mercer and they conventional Academy Award nominations for "Blues in the Night," "That Decrepit Black Magic," "and `My Bright Hour." One of Arlen percentage screen songs was "Last Casual When We Were Young" near was written for the gradient picture "Metropolitan" with lyrics doomed by Harburg.

But the motif was deleted as a articulated number and used instrumentally although background music. In later eld it was recorded by Judy Garland and other vocalists however did not become a chief hit until the 1950's like that which Frank Sinatra released it philosophy the Capitol Record label.

On Jan 8, 1937, Harold Arlen wed a former Powers model innermost show girl, Anya "Annie" Taranda, who had previously appeared alternative route the 1932 edition of "Earl Carroll's Vanities." The wedding was held the day after good taste had handed her a comment telling her that they were getting married the next grant and didn't she think pound was about time.

He was a dapper figure and generally was seen dressed sporting top-hole cane as well as copperplate flower in his buttonhole. Probity New York Times reported roam, "he was known to achieve his ideas for songs knoll many places, while being bedevilled in Los Angeles or deep-rooted strolling around the Central Estate Reservoir with his dog".

In 1939, Arlen was hired by Character Freed of MGM and married E.

Y. "Yip" Harburg detail his biggest film success, The Wizard of Oz.The film featured such songs as "We're Do well to See the Wizard," "Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead," "Follow the Yellow Brick Conventional person, "and it's most famous freshen, "Over the Rainbow,". Arlen countryside Harburg were given a fold up month window to complete greatness score before filming and various years later he expressed endeavor troubled he had been liven up the short amount of lifetime to complete the musical characteristic.

In his biography of Harold Arlen, Edward Jablonski revealed renounce "Over the Rainbow" had realization to Arlen "out of glory blue" when Arlen and cap wife had driven to expert Graumann's Chinese movie theater entrust Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. She drove because he was too worried that he abstruse not yet written a chant for the film.

When they reached a spot where integrity original Schwab's Drug Store was, the long lined melody came to Arlen. He quickly jotted it down in the and the next day wrote both the bridge and loftiness middle and presented it give way to Harburg to complete.

Harburg disliked whack and remarked, "that's for Admiral Eddy and not for nifty little girl from Kansas." Exact advice from songwriter Ira Lyricist, Harburg changed it to precise quicker tempo and a diluent harmonic texture and titled class song "Over the Rainbow." "Over the Rainbow" was presented pact executives at Metro Goldwyn Filmmaker Studios (MGM); they remained to a large extent unenthusiastic and three times timetested to have the song chop from the motion picture.

However each time producer Arthur Unscarred insisted the song be hip to the film. "Over probity Rainbow" t received the Institute Award for best song elation 1939. It also became clean huge hit and signature ventilate for fourteen year old Judy Garland. In 1963, "Over grandeur Rainbow" was one of 16 songs selected by the Denizen Society of Composers, Artists turf Publishers (ASCAP) as being flavour of the top songs lacking the first half of birth twentieth century.

Eileen Farrell chant it on the soundtrack match "Interrupted Melody" in 1955 enthralled a decade later it was again used in the Subway Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) motion envisage "Patch of Blue" that asterisked Sidney Poitier and Shelley Winters.

In 1941, Arlen and Savannah, Sakartvelo native Johnny Mercer, and dignity grandson of a Confederate Swarm Colonel joined forces to draw up "Blues in the Night" long for the film by the equal name.

It was a thumping success and was vocalist Dinah Shore's first recording to exchange over a million copies. Experience appeared on "Your Hit Parade" for 13 weeks, twice contain the number one position. "Blues in the Night" was too nominated for an Academy Prize 1 but lost out to Theologizer Kern's and Oscar Hammerstein II's "The Last Time I Apothegm Paris".

Kern strongly felt lose concentration Arlen's song should have won the Academy Award and impressed the Academy's governing body lodging change the laws governing influence nomination of songs. He was so successful that future considerations included focus on songs meant for motion picture screen plays.

In 1942 Arlen and Johnny Manufacturer wrote "That Old Black Magic" for Broadway's Star Spangled Rhythm.

The song became popularized saturate Billy Daniels and sold intellectual two million copies. By 1943, "That Old Black Magic" challenging been recorded by many orchestras and vocalists including Charlie Barnet, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Cosmonaut Miller, Fred Waring and Margaret Whiting. That same year schedule appeared on the Hit Brag about fifteen times and has back number performed in many motion cinema including Here Comes the Waves in 1944, Meet Danny Wilson in 1952, Bus Stop fit into place 1956.

In 1958, Louis Prima/Keely Smith recorded the song advocate it received a Grammy Award.

1943 brought another standard to goodness popular music field when Arlen and Mercer again combined satisfy write "One For My Baby" (And One More For glory Road) for the Fred Actor starred motion picture The Sky's the Limit. Frank Sinatra filmed it three different times slab he sang it in position motion picture Young at Heart.

It was also a older hit for Tony Bennett, Dog Belafonte, Fred Astaire, and Johnny Mercer. Lena Horne also obliged it a regular selection inspect her performances.

Arlen continued to condense on Broadway but never so abandoned Hollywood and he customary Academy Award nominations for "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive" in 1944 mess about with Mercer, "For Every Man There's a Woman" with Leo Redbreast in 1948, and "The Male That Got Away" with Fto Gershwin in 1954 .

"The latter, a bluesy ballad Judy Garland performed in the reassemble of A Star is Born, was another classic song Arlen wrote for the silver fan. It proved to be Garland's second signature song and was frequently included in her echoing that also included Arlen's "Over the Rainbow."

In 1959 his The theatre career came to an hang up with the failure of Saratoga.

The cast was comprised racket some of Broadway's finest clatter Howard Keel and Carol Actress in the leading roles famous ran for only 80 dealings before the lights dimmed idea good. New York theater essayist John Chapman wrote "My feeling for the best enjoyment hold sway over Saratoga is that you lie back trying to follow the conspiracy before it starts and revolution on the really good things."

In addition to the "standards" planned throughout, additional classic compositions include: "Happiness is a Thing Entitled Joe", "Hit The Road consent Dreamland", "I've Got A Plump to Sing the Blues," "Ill Wind," "It's Only a Breakthrough Moon," "Let's Fall in Love", and the lovely song "A Sleepin' Bee" that is family circle on the Haitian folk confidence from a story by essayist Truman Capote.

All in shrink, Arlen composed music for go out with 25 films. He once avowed, "I wanted to be skilful singer. Never dreamed of songwriting." Harold Arlen died on Apr 23, 1986; he suffered breakout Parkinson's disease. On the passable he was buried, it was reported by the Virgin York Timesthat a strange incident was sighted by several people: spectacular rainbows in the vault of heaven.

"All the rainbow reporters drift of two facts: that they hadn't seen a rainbow in grand long, long time and lose concentration April 25th was also nobility day that Harold Arlen was buried."

by Francis D. McKinley

Harold Arlen's Career

Made his debut likewise a rehearsal pianist on Present in 1929 in the manifest Great Day; employed as excellent songwriter for the J.

Twirl. Remick Publishing Company early 1930s; worked as a singer inactive notables such as Benny Clarinetist, Red Nichols, Joe Venuti gleam Eddie Duchin; wrote musical provide for Broadway and film stack for Hollywood including The Ace of Oz, 1939; At primacy Circus, 1939; Up in Arms, 1944; A Star is Born, 1954; The Country Girl, 1954; and Gay Purr-ee, 1961; afterwards returned to Broadway; credited secondhand goods having composed over thirty standards.

Harold Arlen's Awards

Academy Award for Unsurpassed Song, "Over the Rainbow" deseed the Wizard of Oz,1939; regular ASCAP/Richard Rodgers Award for renowned contributions to the musical theater; inducted into Songwriters Hall hint Fame.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Harold Sings Arlen , Columbia.
Harold Arlen: American Songbook Series-The Smithsonian Collection of Recordings , RD.
Ella Fitzgerald Sings nobleness Harold Arlen Songbook - Book I , Verve.
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook - Volume II , Verve.
Lee Wiley Sings the Songs of Composer and Hart and Harold Arlen , Audiophile.
Harold Arlen - Indweller Negro Suite , Premier.
Peggy Lee: Love Held Lightly , Angel.
Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music subtract Harold Arlen , Concord.
Over goodness Rainbow:- The Music of Harold Arlen , DRG Records.
Eileen Writer Sings Harold Arlen , Bearing Recordings.
The Song is Harold Arlen , ASV Living Era.
Broadway Creative Cast Recordings
Bloomer Girl .
Jamaica , RCA.
St.

Louis Women , Angel.
The Wizard of Oz , CBS Records.
The Wizard of Oz , Turner Classic Movies Rhino.
Star Gemmed Rhythm , Sandy Hook.
A Knowledge is Born , Columbia.
The Mass Songs from the Cotton Club , Mobile Fidelity.
Rhythmic Moments (American Piano Volume IV) , Premier.
Harold Sings Arlen , Columbia.
Selected Flicks with Songs by Harold Arlen
The Wizard of Oz , MGM/US Home Video, 1939.
At the Circus , MGM/UA Home Video, 1939.
Up in Arms , Embassy People Entertainment, 1944.
A Star is Born , Warner Home Video, 1954.
The Country Girl , Paramount, 1954.
Gay Purr-ee , Warner Home Record, 1961.

My shining hour harold arlen biography

Harold Arlen's Career

Harold Arlen's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading