Erich Wolfgang Korngold (German: [ˈeːʁɪç ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈkɔʁnɡɔlt]; May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austrian composer and conductor who moved to the United States in the mid-1930s and later became a U.S. citizen. A very talented child, he became one of the most important and influential composers in Hollywood history. He was known for writing classical music and music for Hollywood films, and he was the first composer of international fame to create music for Hollywood movies.

At age 11, his ballet Der Schneemann (The Snowman) became very popular in Vienna. His Second Piano Sonata, written when he was 13, was performed across Europe by pianist Artur Schnabel. His one-act operas Violanta and Der Ring des Polykrates were first performed in Munich in 1916, with conductor Bruno Walter. At 23, his opera Die tote Stadt (The Dead City) was first performed in Hamburg and Cologne. In 1921, he conducted the Hamburg Opera. During the 1920s, he rearranged and rewrote several operettas by Johann Strauss II. By 1931, he was a professor of music at the Vienna State Academy.

At the request of movie director Max Reinhardt and because of the rise of the Nazi regime, Korngold moved to Hollywood in 1934 to write music for films. His first film was Reinhardt’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935). He later wrote music for films such as Captain Blood (1935), which helped launch the career of actor Errol Flynn. His music for Anthony Adverse (1936) won an Oscar. Two years later, he won another Oscar for The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

Korngold wrote music for 16 Hollywood films and received two more Oscar nominations. Along with Max Steiner and Alfred Newman, he helped create American film music. When he died in 1957, his late-Romantic style of classical music was no longer as popular. However, interest in his music grew again in the 1970s after the release of the RCA Red Seal album The Sea Hawk: The Classic Film Scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1972). This album, produced by his son George Korngold, became very popular and sparked renewed interest in his film music and concert music. His concert music often included themes from his film scores, such as the Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35, which uses themes from four of his movie scores and is now part of the standard music repertoire.

Early years as prodigy

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was born into a Jewish family in Brünn, Austria-Hungary, which is now known as Brno, Czech Republic. He was the second son of Julius Korngold (1860–1945), a well-known music critic. His older brother, Hans Robert Korngold (1892–1965), also became a musician. As a young child in Vienna, Erich showed extraordinary talent. At age five, he could play four-hand piano pieces with his father. He could also play any melody he heard on the piano and perform complex chords. By age seven, he was writing his own music.

In 1906, Korngold performed a cantata called Gold for Gustav Mahler. Mahler praised him as a "musical genius" and encouraged him to study with composer Alexander von Zemlinsky. Richard Strauss also admired Korngold’s talent. Both Mahler and Strauss told Korngold’s father that it was unnecessary for his son to attend a music conservatory, as his abilities were far beyond what he could learn there.

At age 11, Korngold composed his ballet Der Schneemann (The Snowman), which became famous when it was performed at the Vienna Court Opera in 1910. It included a special performance for Emperor Franz Josef. He continued to compose successfully during his teenage years. At age 12, he wrote a piano trio. His Piano Sonata No. 2 in E major was performed across Europe by Artur Schnabel. During these early years, he also created live-recording player piano music rolls for systems like Hupfeld DEA, Phonola, and Aeolian Duo-Art. These recordings still exist today and can be heard.

At age 14, Korngold wrote his first orchestral score, the Schauspiel-Ouvertüre. The following year, he composed his Sinfonietta. In 1914, he completed his first two operas, Der Ring des Polykrates and Violanta. In 1916, he wrote songs, chamber music, and incidental music, including for the play Much Ado About Nothing, which was performed in Vienna for about 80 shows.

Composing career in Europe

Korngold was active in the theatre across Europe during his 20s. After his opera Die tote Stadt became successful and was performed in many opera houses, he developed an interest in the music of Johann Strauss II. He found and revived several lost musical scores. He arranged and performed these works with new ideas. A Night in Venice and Cagliostro in Vienna were both created by Korngold; these works first caught the attention of Max Reinhardt.

At this time, Korngold had reached the peak of his fame as a composer of opera and concert music. Composers like Richard Strauss and Giacomo Puccini praised his work. Many famous conductors, soloists, and singers included his music in their performances. He began working with Reinhardt on several productions, including a collection of lesser-known Strauss pieces they arranged, called Waltzes From Vienna. This work was later renamed The Great Waltz and became the basis for a 1934 British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and a similar film in the United States, starring Luise Rainer. Korngold conducted performances of the work in Los Angeles in 1949 and 1953.

In 1923, Korngold completed a Concerto for Piano Left Hand for pianist Paul Wittgenstein. He finished his fourth opera, Das Wunder der Heliane, four years later. While teaching opera and composition at the Vienna Staatsakademie, he also arranged and conducted operettas by Johann Strauss II and others. Korngold was honored with the title professor honoris causa by the president of Austria.

Composer for Hollywood films

After Max Reinhardt successfully produced Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream for the stage, using music by Felix Mendelssohn, he invited Korngold to Hollywood in 1934 to adapt Mendelssohn's score for a planned film version. Korngold also expanded and conducted the music for the film.

The film, released in 1935, was the first Warner Brothers film based on a 400-year-old literary work. The studio assigned nearly every major actor under contract to appear in the film, and filming took over six months. Warner Brothers allowed Korngold to focus more on the music than in any previous film. He recorded parts of the score ahead of time, helping actors perform to the rhythm and tempo of the music. The carefully planned score made the film and Korngold's music stand out in the film industry.

Korngold returned to Austria to complete Die Kathrin. He later returned to Hollywood to score the film Give Us This Night, which included lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film introduced mezzo-soprano Gladys Swarthout and tenor Jan Kiepura, who had previously performed in Korngold's operas in Europe.

In 1935, Warner Brothers asked Korngold to write an original score for Captain Blood. He first refused, thinking a pirate story was not his area of interest. However, after watching the film, which featured Errol Flynn in a heroic role alongside Olivia de Havilland, who had her first role in A Midsummer Night's Dream, he agreed.

Korngold had the experience, talent for melody, and ability to create music that matched the emotions, humor, and excitement of a story. Jack L. Warner, the studio head, said Korngold was exactly the kind of composer he had hoped to find.

After accepting the job, Korngold had to write over an hour of music in only three weeks. He used parts of symphonic poems by Franz Liszt and some music written by orchestrator Milan Roder. Korngold insisted he be credited only for adapting music, even though he composed most of the score.

Captain Blood became a hit and earned an Oscar nomination for its score. It marked a major step in Korngold's career, as he became the first internationally known composer to sign a contract with a film studio. The film also helped launch the careers of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, who later starred together in several other films. Korngold composed scores for six more films starring Flynn. The film also inspired a new wave of romantic adventure movies, similar to those from the silent film era.

After scoring Anthony Adverse, another Warner Brothers film starring Fredric March and Olivia de Havilland, Korngold's career in Hollywood grew quickly. He became confident that dramatic music worked well for certain types of films. The film, set in 18th-century Italy, France, and the Alps, was produced with great care by Warner Brothers, which pleased Korngold.

Korngold won his first Academy Award for the Anthony Adverse score. The film's first half hour included continuous music, which was a major advancement in film scoring. Korngold thought of his film scores as "operas without singing."

In 1938, Korngold was conducting opera in Austria when Warner Brothers asked him to return to Hollywood to compose the score for The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. The film, based on a fictional English story, is considered one of the best of its kind. Its exciting scenes were driven by Korngold's music. Music historian Laurence E. MacDonald said the film's success came from its cast, Technicolor photography, and fast-paced direction by Michael Curtiz, but "most of all, there is Korngold's glorious music." Film historian Rudy Behlmer described Korngold's work on this and other films as:

Before Korngold began working on Robin Hood, Austria was invaded by Germany and taken over by the Nazis. His home in Vienna was taken from him by the Nazis. Because all Jews in Austria were in danger, Korngold stayed in America until the end of World War II. He later said, "We thought of ourselves as Viennese; Hitler made us Jewish."

Korngold said the chance to compose the Robin Hood score saved his life. It also earned him his second Academy Award for Best Original Score and helped establish the symphonic style used in action films during Hollywood's Golden Age. Modern films like Star Wars and Indiana Jones also used original symphonic scores. Composer John Williams said Korngold inspired him to score the Star Wars series.

Korngold was interested in scoring Juarez, a film about historical figures from Mexico and Austria. The story involved Mexican politician Benito Juarez and Archduke Maximilian von Habsburg and his wife, Carlotta. Korngold was moved by the true story of how Louis Napoleon, seeing the United States involved in the Civil War, tried to control Mexico in 1864 by appointing Maximilian as emperor.

At the time, all music was strictly Viennese. European influence was so strong in Mexico that local composers avoided their own style and copied that of Johann Strauss.

After the United States demanded that France stop its involvement in Mexico, Maximilian was left without support and was executed by the Juarez government. The film focused on Maximilian and Carlotta, helped by Korngold's emotional music for them.

Korngold studied the music popular in Mexico at the time and realized it was not Mexican but "unmistakenly Viennese." He composed 3,000 bars of music for the score, sometimes using rhythms from Frédéric Chopin and Franz Schubert. The second theme of the first movement of his Violin Concerto was based on his work for the film. Maximilian and Carlotta loved the Mexican song "La Paloma," and Korngold used it in the score.

Korngold was nominated for his score of The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. The music was operatic, with rich background music, a bold march theme for Essex (Errol Flynn), and one of Korngold's most noble melodies for "Elizabeth, The Queen" (Bette Davis). An hour of the film's one-and-a-half-hour runtime was supported by the score, which included dramatic and romantic themes.

Korngold chose not to use music from the 16th century, explaining:

The score focuses on the regal Main Title, the triumphant entry march of Essex into London, the Queen's theme, and the repetition of that theme in the End Titles.

The Sea Hawk was Kor

Composing techniques and style

Korngold's music is known for its beautiful melodies, rich musical layers, and skillful use of orchestration. His work has a strong connection to theater and makes performances exciting, but it lacks complex musical interactions. His honest emotions, bold style, and creative energy brought new life to a tradition that was fading, leading to increased interest in his music in recent years.

Korngold treated film scoring like writing an opera. He believed that creating unique musical themes for characters, places, and ideas in films helped audiences remember them. This method was used by other film composers, such as Max Steiner, during that time. For example, in the film Captain Blood, different musical themes were used to represent stages of the main character's life as a pirate. These themes changed depending on the emotions in each scene, with different brass instruments playing during important moments, like preparing for a voyage or a solemn event. A complete version of a theme was used during a major battle scene.

The music from Captain Blood influenced Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, who asked his composer to use the film as a model for the sound he wanted for his series. According to Karlin and Wright in On the Track, Korngold composed music in the evenings while watching film scenes projected for him. He repeated scenes as he improvised music, then wrote down his ideas later.

During his time scoring films, Korngold also created non-film works, such as Passover Psalm, Opus 30, for choir and orchestra (1941); Prayer, Opus 32, for choir and orchestra (1942); and Tomorrow When You Have Gone, Opus 33, for choir and orchestra (1942). In 1946, he composed an opera called Die stumme Serenade, which he recorded privately in hopes of producing a full version. On the private recording, he can be heard humming while playing the piano.

During the day, Korngold worked with orchestrators, like Hugo Friedhofer, to create detailed plans for the music. He once said that Tosca was the best film score ever written. When the orchestra was recording, Korngold conducted the music.

Korngold biographer Brendan G. Carrol describes Korngold's style and methods.

Personal life

In 1924, Korngold married Luzi von Sonnenthal (1900–1962), the granddaughter of actor Adolf von Sonnenthal. Luzi was an actress, writer, singer, and pianist. Korngold fell in love with her when he was 19. They had two children: Ernest Werner and Georg Wolfgang. Luzi wrote a biography about her husband, which was published in 1967.

In 1943, Korngold became a citizen of the United States. The year 1945 was an important moment in his life. His father, who had never been fully comfortable in Los Angeles and had never agreed with Erich’s choice to focus only on film music, died after a long illness.

At the same time, World War II in Europe was ending. By this point in his career, Korngold had become more disappointed with Hollywood and the types of movies he was working on. He wanted to return to writing music for concerts and plays.

Death

Korngold lived at 9936 Toluca Lake Avenue, Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, which was near Warner Brothers Studio, where he worked. In October 1956, he had a serious stroke. Although he recovered somewhat, he faced many physical and emotional challenges before passing away at the age of 60 on November 29, 1957. He was survived by his wife, Luzi (Luise), two sons, George Korngold and Ernst Korngold; his mother, Josephine Korngold; a brother, Hans Robert Korngold; and three grandchildren. He was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Legacy

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a skilled film composer known for his beautiful melodies. His music, inspired by the style of Richard Strauss, is enjoyable to listen to, even when the films themselves are not widely remembered. Movies such as Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk, and Elizabeth and Essex showcase Korngold’s grand musical style. His unique Viennese emotional tone helped actor Errol Flynn appear convincing as an English hero in these films.

Despite his success, Korngold received little attention from critics for many years. In 1972, RCA Victor released a record album titled The Sea Hawk: The Classic Film Scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, featuring music from the National Philharmonic Orchestra. This was followed by recordings of Korngold’s operas and concert works, leading to performances of his Symphony in F-sharp major and concertos. The success of this album inspired the creation of the Classic Film Scores series, which included thirteen additional discs, such as a second collection of Korngold’s music. These recordings are credited with helping to revive the use of symphonic music in films, including the Star Wars series, which includes musical references to Korngold’s style.

The opera Die tote Stadt was performed at the Vienna Volksoper in 1967 and at the New York City Opera in 1975.

The American Film Institute ranked Korngold’s score for The Adventures of Robin Hood as number 11 on its list of the greatest film scores. His scores for these films were also nominated for the list:
– The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
– The Sea Hawk (1940)
– Kings Row (1942)
– Deception (1946)

In the 1990s, two detailed biographies of Korngold were published: Erich Wolfgang Korngold by Jessica Duchen and Erich Korngold: The Last Prodigy by Brendan G. Carroll. Carroll is President of the International Korngold Society. He released early recordings of Korngold conducting the Warner Bros. studio orchestra, possibly from KFWB radio broadcasts.

In 2019, the Bard Music Festival at Bard College in New York honored Korngold with performances, lectures, and the publication of Korngold and His World, edited by Daniel Goldmark and Kevin C. Karnes. Bard College also sponsored the first U.S. production of Das Wunder der Heliane, more than ninety years after its original performance.

In 2008, Gary Noland composed a string trio called Korngoldaroonie as a tribute to Korngold.

Selected recordings

In 1973, Warner Brothers released special vinyl records containing parts of the original movie soundtracks composed by Korngold. These records also included a rare recording of Korngold playing the main theme from Kings Row on the piano.

A recording titled Korngold: The Sea Hawk / The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex / Captain Blood / The Prince and the Pauper was conducted by André Previn and released by Deutsche Grammophon.

A radio broadcast from 1938, featuring Korngold conducting the studio orchestra in parts of The Adventures of Robin Hood, was released on vinyl. The broadcast was narrated by actor Basil Rathbone.

The National Symphony Orchestra released a recording of the score for King’s Row.

There have also been many new digital recordings of Korngold’s film scores, as well as some of his concert works:

In 2013, the Violin Concerto and Symphony were recorded. The Violin Concerto had its first performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the Proms series.

In 1975, RCA Victor recorded the complete opera Die tote Stadt in stereo. The recording was conducted by Erich Leinsdorf in Germany.

In 1980, CBS Masterworks recorded the opera Violanta. Marek Janowski conducted the performance. This recording was re-released by Sony Classical in 2009.

In 1993, Decca released a recording of Das Wunder der Heliane.

Korngold’s two remaining operas, Der Ring des Polykrates and Die Kathrin, were recorded in 1996 and 1998 by the German record label CPO.

American conductor-pianist Alexander Frey has recorded Korngold’s complete original piano works.

In 2001, ArtHaus Musik released a documentary titled Erich Wolfgang Korngold – The Adventures of a Wunderkind (also Between Two Worlds) on DVD. The film was directed by Barrie Gavin and is part of the Composers of Our Time series.

In 2006, Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra recorded the Violin Concerto. James Ehnes was the violinist. The recording was part of a Grammy Award-winning album that included concertos by Walton and Barber.

In 2008, double bass soloist Joel Quarrington recorded a transcription of the “Garden Scene” from Korngold’s incidental music to Much Ado About Nothing, Op. 11. The recording was on a CD titled Garden Scene. Quarrington won a Juno Award for this album.

In 2009, Naxos released the Violin Concerto along with the Overture to a Drama, Op. 4, and the concert suite from Much Ado About Nothing. The performance was by the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria and violinist Philippe Quint.

In 2013, the Adamas Quartett recorded String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26. The recording was released by Gramola and received awards such as Diapason découverte and Pasticcio Prize.

In 2022, Naxos released Korngold’s complete incidental music. This includes music written for a 1920 Vienna production of *

Selected list of works

• Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor with concluding passacaglia (composed 1908; first performed 1908/09)
• Piano Trio in D major, Op. 1 (composed and first performed 1910)
• Piano Sonata No. 2 in E major, Op. 2, in four movements (composed 1910; first performed 1911)
• Schauspiel-Ouvertüre (Overture to a Play), Op. 4 (composed and first performed 1911)
• Sinfonietta, Op. 5 (composed 1912, orchestrated and first performed 1913)
• Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 6 (composed 1912; first performed 1916)
• Der Ring des Polykrates, Op. 7 (opera) (1916)
• Violanta, Op. 8 (opera) (1916)
• Einfache Lieder, Op. 9 (1911–16)
• String Sextet in D major, Op. 10 (1914–16; first performed 1917)
• Much Ado About Nothing, Op. 11 (Incidental music to the play by Shakespeare, composed 1918–1919, first performed 1920)
• Die tote Stadt, Op. 12 (opera) (1920)
• Sursum Corda, Op. 13 (symphonic overture) (composed 1919, first performed 1920)
• Quintet for two violins, viola, cello and piano in E major, Op. 15 (composed 1920–21; first performed 1923)
• String Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op. 16 (composed 1923; first performed 1924)
• Piano Concerto in C♯ for the left hand alone, Op. 17 (composed 1923, first performed 1924)
• Das Wunder der Heliane, Op. 20 (opera) (1927)
• Suite for 2 violins, cello and piano left hand, Op. 23 (composed 1930; first performed 1930)
• Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 25 (composed 1931; first performed 1932)
• String Quartet No. 2 in E♭ major, Op. 26 (composed 1933; first performed 1934)
• Die Kathrin, Op. 28 (opera) (1939)
• Tomorrow, Op. 33 (tone poem for mezzo-soprano, women's choir and orchestra, for the movie The Constant Nymph) (first performed in concert 1944)
• String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 34 (composed 1945; first performed 1949)
• Violin Concerto, Op. 35 (composed 1945, first performed 1947)
• Die stumme Serenade, Op. 36 (musical comedy) (1954)
• Cello Concerto in C major, Op. 37 (composed 1950, expanded from a work written for the 1946 film Deception)
• Symphonic Serenade in B♭ major for string orchestra, Op. 39 (composed 1947–48, first performed 1950)
• Symphony in F♯ major, Op. 40 (composed