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{{Short description|American composer and arranger}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Walter Scharf
| name = Walter Scharf
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| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1910|08|01}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1910|08|01}}
| birth_place = [[Manhattan, New York City]]
| birth_place = [[Manhattan, New York City]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|02|24|1910|08|01}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|02|24|1910|08|01}}
| death_place = [[Brentwood, Los Angeles|Brentwood, Los Angeles, California]]
| death_place = [[Brentwood, Los Angeles|Brentwood, Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| genre =
| genre = Film, TV, stage and radio
| occupation = [[Film composer]]
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Film composer]]|conductor|arranger|musician}}
| instrument =
| instrument = Piano
| years_active = <!-- YYYY–YYYY (or –present) -->
| years_active = <!-- YYYY–YYYY (or –present) -->
| label =
| label = [[Jubilee Records]]
| associated_acts = {{hlist|[[George Gershwin]]|[[Helen Morgan (singer)|Helen Morgan]]|[[Rudy Vallee]]|[[Alice Faye]]|Phil Harris}}
| associated_acts =
}}
}}
⚫
'''Walter Scharf''' (August 1, 1910 – February 24, 2003) was an American musician, best known as a film, television and concert composer and arranger/conductor.

⚫
'''Walter Scharf''' (August 1, 1910 – February 24, 2003) was an American [[Film score|film composer]].


==Biography==
==Biography==
===Broadway theatre===
Born in [[Manhattan]], he was the son of [[Yiddish]] theatre comic [[Bessie Zwerling]]. While in his 20s, he was one of the orchestrators for [[George Gershwin]]'s [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Girl Crazy]]'', became singer [[Helen Morgan]]'s accompanist, and later worked as pianist and arranger for singer [[Rudy Vallee]].
Born in [[Manhattan]], he was the son of [[Yiddish]] theatre comic [[Bessie Zwerling]]. While in his 20s, he was one of the orchestrators for [[George Gershwin]]'s [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Girl Crazy]]'', became singer [[Helen Morgan (singer)|Helen Morgan]]'s accompanist, and later worked as pianist and arranger for singer [[Rudy Vallee]].


===Film===
He began working in [[Hollywood]] in 1933, arranging for [[Al Jolson]] at [[Warner Bros.]], [[Alice Faye]] at [[20th Century Fox|20th Century-Fox]] and [[Bing Crosby]] at [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]. He orchestrated the original version of [[Irving Berlin]]'s ''[[White Christmas (song)|White Christmas]]'' for the film ''[[Holiday Inn (film)|Holiday Inn]]'' (1942), and from 1942 to 1946 he served as head of music for [[Republic Pictures]].
He began working in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] in 1933, arranging for [[Al Jolson]] at [[Warner Bros.]], [[Alice Faye]] at [[20th Century Fox|20th Century-Fox]] and [[Bing Crosby]] at [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]. He orchestrated the original version of [[Irving Berlin]]'s ''[[White Christmas (song)|White Christmas]]'' for the film ''[[Holiday Inn (film)|Holiday Inn]]'' (1942), and from 1942 to 1946 he served as head of music for [[Republic Pictures]].


From 1948 to 1954, Scharf was arranger-conductor for the [[Phil Harris]]-Alice Faye radio show.
From 1948 to 1954, Scharf was arranger-conductor for the [[Phil Harris]]-Alice Faye radio show.
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Scharf implemented a similar style for the [[Jerry Lewis]] [[Jekyll and Hyde]]-inspired comedy ''[[The Nutty Professor (1963 film)|The Nutty Professor]]'' in (1963), working on more than a dozen Lewis comedies overall. He worked on three [[Elvis Presley]] pictures including ''[[Loving You (1957 film)|Loving You]]'' (1957) and ''[[King Creole]]'' (1958), and with lyricist [[Don Black (lyricist)|Don Black]], he wrote the hit [[Michael Jackson]] single from the [[Ben (1972 film)|film]] ''[[Ben (song)|Ben]]'' (1972), which won him a [[Golden Globe]]; and scored the popular ''[[Walking Tall (1973 film)|Walking Tall]]'' (1973) and its two sequels. In 1973, he and Don Black wrote the music and lyrics for the London musical [[Maybe That's Your Problem]] (book by [[Lionel Chetwynd]]).
Scharf implemented a similar style for the [[Jerry Lewis]] [[Jekyll and Hyde]]-inspired comedy ''[[The Nutty Professor (1963 film)|The Nutty Professor]]'' in (1963), working on more than a dozen Lewis comedies overall. He worked on three [[Elvis Presley]] pictures including ''[[Loving You (1957 film)|Loving You]]'' (1957) and ''[[King Creole]]'' (1958), and with lyricist [[Don Black (lyricist)|Don Black]], he wrote the hit [[Michael Jackson]] single from the [[Ben (1972 film)|film]] ''[[Ben (song)|Ben]]'' (1972), which won him a [[Golden Globe]]; and scored the popular ''[[Walking Tall (1973 film)|Walking Tall]]'' (1973) and its two sequels. In 1973, he and Don Black wrote the music and lyrics for the London musical [[Maybe That's Your Problem]] (book by [[Lionel Chetwynd]]).


===Television===
Scharf composed music for dozens of television dramas including ''[[Ben Casey]]'', ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'', ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'', and the 1979 miniseries ''[[From Here to Eternity (miniseries)|From Here to Eternity]]'' and ''[[Blind Ambition (miniseries)|Blind Ambition]]'', although he became best known for his music for the [[National Geographic Society]] and ''The Undersea World of [[Jacques Cousteau]]'' documentaries, which he scored between 1965 and 1975. He received two [[Emmy]]s for the Cousteau series, in 1970 and 1974, and composed an original symphonic work, ''The Legend of the Living Sea'', for a Cousteau museum exhibit aboard the [[RMS Queen Mary]] in 1971.
Scharf composed music for dozens of television dramas including ''[[Ben Casey]]'', ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'', ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'', and the 1979 miniseries ''[[From Here to Eternity (miniseries)|From Here to Eternity]]'' and ''[[Blind Ambition (miniseries)|Blind Ambition]]'', although he became best known for his music for the [[National Geographic Society]] and ''The Undersea World of [[Jacques Cousteau]]'' documentaries, which he scored between 1965 and 1975. He received two [[Emmy]]s for the Cousteau series, in 1970 and 1974, and composed an original symphonic work, ''The Legend of the Living Sea'', for a Cousteau museum exhibit aboard the {{RMS|Queen Mary}} in 1971.


===Concert writing===
Scharf's initial work for the concert hall was ''The Palestine Suite'', written in 1945 and performed at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] under [[Leopold Stokowski]]. After retiring from films and TV in the 1980s, he returned to concert writing, notably with ''The Tree Still Stands: A Symphonic Portrait of the Stages of a Hebraic Man'', commissioned by the [[Stephen S. Wise Temple]] and first performed in 1989,<ref name="Wager">Greg Wager, [http://articles.latimes.com/1989-06-06/entertainment/ca-1813_1_new-works-film-composers-commissioned "Film Composer Scharf, 78, Looks for New Challenge"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', June 6, 1989.</ref> and the 1993 ''Israeli Suite''. He also wrote an unproduced opera based on [[Norman Corwin]]'s ''[[The Plot to Overthrow Christmas]]''.
Scharf's initial work for the concert hall was ''The Palestine Suite'', written in 1945 and performed at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] under [[Leopold Stokowski]]. After retiring from films and TV in the 1980s, he returned to concert writing, notably with ''The Tree Still Stands: A Symphonic Portrait of the Stages of a Hebraic Man'', commissioned by the [[Stephen S. Wise Temple]] and first performed in 1989,<ref name="Wager">Greg Wager, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-06-ca-1813-story.html "Film Composer Scharf, 78, Looks for New Challenge"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', June 6, 1989.</ref> and the 1993 ''Israeli Suite''. He also wrote an unproduced opera based on [[Norman Corwin]]'s ''[[The Plot to Overthrow Christmas]]''.


Scharf died of heart failure at his home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, at the age of 92.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/28/local/me-scharf28 |title=Walter Scharf, 92; Movie and TV Composer, Arranger, Conductor |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 28, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/01/arts/walter-scharf-92-film-score-composer.html?mcubz=1 |title=Walter Scharf, 92, Film Score Composer |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 1, 2003}}</ref>
Scharf died of heart failure at his home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, at the age of 92.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-feb-28-me-scharf28-story.html |title=Walter Scharf, 92; Movie and TV Composer, Arranger, Conductor |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 28, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/01/arts/walter-scharf-92-film-score-composer.html?mcubz=1 |title=Walter Scharf, 92, Film Score Composer |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 1, 2003}}</ref>


==Awards and honors==
==Awards and honors==
Scharf was a ten-time Oscar nominee, working on more than 100 films, receiving nominations for his musical direction on such pictures as Danny Kaye's [[Hans Christian Andersen]] (1952), Barbra Streisand's [[Funny Girl (film)|Funny Girl]] (1968) and [[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory]] (1971).

Scharf received the Golden Score Award from the [[American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers]] in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asmac.org/asmac-golden-scores/ |title=ASMAC Golden Scores |website=[[American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers]] |access-date=September 3, 2017}}</ref>
Scharf received the Golden Score Award from the [[American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers]] in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asmac.org/asmac-golden-scores/ |title=ASMAC Golden Scores |website=[[American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers]] |access-date=September 3, 2017}}</ref>


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* ''[[Lake Placid Serenade]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Lake Placid Serenade]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Earl Carroll Vanities]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Earl Carroll Vanities]]'' (1945)
* ''[[The Cheaters (1945 film)|The Cheaters]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Mexicana (film)|Mexicana]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Mexicana (film)|Mexicana]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Dakota (1945 film)|Dakota]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Dakota (1945 film)|Dakota]]'' (1945)
* ''[[I've Always Loved You]]'' (1946)
* ''[[Casbah (film)|Casbah]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Casbah (film)|Casbah]]'' (1948)
* ''[[The Saxon Charm]]'' (1948)
* ''[[The Saxon Charm]]'' (1948)
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*''[[The Bellboy]]'' (1960)
*''[[The Bellboy]]'' (1960)
*''[[Cinderfella]]'' (1960)
*''[[Cinderfella]]'' (1960)
*''[[Pocketful of miracles]]'' (1961)
*''[[The Ladies Man]]'' (1961)
*''[[The Ladies Man]]'' (1961)
*''[[The Errand Boy]]'' (1961)
*''[[The Errand Boy]]'' (1961)
*''[[Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy]]'' (1962)
*''[[It's Only Money]]'' (1962)
*''[[It's Only Money]]'' (1962)
*''[[My Six Loves]]'' (1963)
*''[[My Six Loves]]'' (1963)
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* ''[[Where Love Has Gone (film)|Where Love Has Gone]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Where Love Has Gone (film)|Where Love Has Gone]]'' (1964)
*''[[Funny Girl (film)|Funny Girl]]'' (1968)
*''[[Funny Girl (film)|Funny Girl]]'' (1968)
*''[[Pendulum (film)|Pendulum]]'' (1969)
*''[[Pendulum (1969 film)|Pendulum]]'' (1969)
*''[[If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium]]'' (1969)
*''[[If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium]]'' (1969)
*''[[The Cheyenne Social Club]]'' (1970)
*''[[The Cheyenne Social Club]]'' (1970)
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==External links==
==External links==
*{{Allmusic |class=artist |id=walter-scharf-mn0000232119}}
*{{AllMusic |class=artist |id=walter-scharf-mn0000232119}}
*{{Discogs artist|254220-Walter-Scharf}}
*{{Discogs artist|254220-Walter-Scharf}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0770127}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0770127}}
*{{Find a Grave|90744335}}
*{{Find a Grave|90744335}}


{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Walter Scharf
|list1 =
{{EmmyAward MusicCompositionLimitedSeriesMovieSpecial}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song}}
}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American film score composers]]
[[Category:American film score composers]]
[[Category:American male composers]]
[[Category:American male film score composers]]
[[Category:American television composers]]
[[Category:American television composers]]
[[Category:Animated film score composers]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:Jewish American composers]]
[[Category:Golden Globe Award–winning musicians]]
[[Category:Jewish classical musicians]]
[[Category:Jewish American classical musicians]]
[[Category:Jewish American film score composers]]
[[Category:Jewish American television composers]]
[[Category:Jubilee Records artists]]
[[Category:Jubilee Records artists]]
[[Category:Male film score composers]]
[[Category:American male television composers]]
[[Category:Musicians from New York City]]
[[Category:Composers from New York City]]

Latest revision as of 18:36, 2 November 2024

Walter Scharf
Born(1910-08-01)August 1, 1910
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
DiedFebruary 24, 2003(2003-02-24) (aged 92)
Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresFilm, TV, stage and radio
Occupations
InstrumentPiano
LabelsJubilee Records

Walter Scharf (August 1, 1910 – February 24, 2003) was an American musician, best known as a film, television and concert composer and arranger/conductor.

Biography

[edit]

Broadway theatre

[edit]

Born in Manhattan, he was the son of Yiddish theatre comic Bessie Zwerling. While in his 20s, he was one of the orchestrators for George Gershwin's Broadway musical Girl Crazy, became singer Helen Morgan's accompanist, and later worked as pianist and arranger for singer Rudy Vallee.

Film

[edit]

He began working in Hollywood in 1933, arranging for Al Jolson at Warner Bros., Alice Faye at 20th Century-Fox and Bing Crosby at Paramount. He orchestrated the original version of Irving Berlin's White Christmas for the film Holiday Inn (1942), and from 1942 to 1946 he served as head of music for Republic Pictures.

From 1948 to 1954, Scharf was arranger-conductor for the Phil Harris-Alice Faye radio show.

A ten-time Oscar nominee, Scharf worked on more than 100 films, receiving nominations for his musical direction on such pictures as Danny Kaye's Hans Christian Andersen (1952), Barbra Streisand's Funny Girl (1968) and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971).

In the early 1960s, he was approached by Harold Lloyd to provide new scores for his silent film compilations. Lloyd regarded Scharf's ability to mix comedy themes with big, dramatic orchestral touches as ideal for his brand of 'thrill' comedy.

Scharf implemented a similar style for the Jerry Lewis Jekyll and Hyde-inspired comedy The Nutty Professor in (1963), working on more than a dozen Lewis comedies overall. He worked on three Elvis Presley pictures including Loving You (1957) and King Creole (1958), and with lyricist Don Black, he wrote the hit Michael Jackson single from the film Ben (1972), which won him a Golden Globe; and scored the popular Walking Tall (1973) and its two sequels. In 1973, he and Don Black wrote the music and lyrics for the London musical Maybe That's Your Problem (book by Lionel Chetwynd).

Television

[edit]

Scharf composed music for dozens of television dramas including Ben Casey, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, and the 1979 miniseries From Here to Eternity and Blind Ambition, although he became best known for his music for the National Geographic Society and The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau documentaries, which he scored between 1965 and 1975. He received two Emmys for the Cousteau series, in 1970 and 1974, and composed an original symphonic work, The Legend of the Living Sea, for a Cousteau museum exhibit aboard the RMS Queen Mary in 1971.

Concert writing

[edit]

Scharf's initial work for the concert hall was The Palestine Suite, written in 1945 and performed at the Hollywood Bowl under Leopold Stokowski. After retiring from films and TV in the 1980s, he returned to concert writing, notably with The Tree Still Stands: A Symphonic Portrait of the Stages of a Hebraic Man, commissioned by the Stephen S. Wise Temple and first performed in 1989,[1] and the 1993 Israeli Suite. He also wrote an unproduced opera based on Norman Corwin's The Plot to Overthrow Christmas.

Scharf died of heart failure at his home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, at the age of 92.[2][3]

Awards and honors

[edit]

Scharf was a ten-time Oscar nominee, working on more than 100 films, receiving nominations for his musical direction on such pictures as Danny Kaye's Hans Christian Andersen (1952), Barbra Streisand's Funny Girl (1968) and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971).

Scharf received the Golden Score Award from the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers in 1997.[4]

Selected filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Greg Wager, "Film Composer Scharf, 78, Looks for New Challenge", Los Angeles Times, June 6, 1989.
  2. ^ "Walter Scharf, 92; Movie and TV Composer, Arranger, Conductor". Los Angeles Times. February 28, 2003.
  3. ^ "Walter Scharf, 92, Film Score Composer". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 1, 2003.
  4. ^ "ASMAC Golden Scores". American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
[edit]
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