Born: April 29, 1953, Konin, Poland
Born: February 5, 1902, Warsaw, Russian partition of Poland (presently Poland)
Died: April 26, 1983, Beverly Hills, California, U.S.,
Comment. Kaper is now perhaps best remembered as the composer of the jazz standards "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Invitation" which were originally the respective title tracks for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's films Green Dolphin Street (1947) and Invitation (1952). He also scored the MGM film musical Lili(1953), the MGM's 1965 remake of Mutiny on the Bounty. and the TV series The F.B.I. (1965–1974).
Early days. Bronisław Kaper was born to a family of assimilated Polish Jews. He began playing the piano at the age of six, and soon demonstrated considerable talent on this instrument. In 1919 he graduated from the Stanislaw Staszic high school in Warsaw. He studied composition and piano at the Warsaw Conservatory and later graduated from one of Berlin’s musical schools. He also studied law at Warsaw University, in deference to his father's wishes.
Career. 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 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. With Walter Jurmann he co-wrote the theme song for the 1936 film San Francisco, and the theme music and several scores for the Quinn Martin television series The F.B.I. In 1959, Kaper composed most of the music for MGM's production on Green Mansions with Audrey Hepburn and Anthony Perkins, after MGM had asked Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos to write the score. One of Kaper's last projects under his MGM contract was also his most ambitious: scoring the massive 1962 remake of Mutiny on the Bounty, involving epic sea themes and native Polynesian music. Kaper's interest in melding exotic indigenous music with traditional cues continued in Lord Jim, which introduced the unique sound of gamelan orchestras to Western audiences for the first time in the mid-1960s. In Los Angeles during the 1940s, Kaper was part of a significant community of exiles, including Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Bertolt Brecht, Arnold Schoenberg, Lion Feuchtwanger, Max Reinhardt, Hans Eisler, and Berthold and Salka Viertel. Kaper contributed to amking Polish film noticed in the USA. He was co-author of the musical Polonaise based on Chopin’s music with Jan Kiepura and his wife Martha Eggerth playing leading roles.
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, The Swan and others).
Legacy. 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. 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.
Awards. Oscar for the music for the musical Lili.(1954). Three nominations for Oscar (in 1941 and 1962); Golden Laurel for Top Song in Mutiny on the Bounty.
Selected filmography. Her Majesty the Barmaid (1931); Melody of Love (1932); A Shot at Dawn (1932); A Life of Her Own (1950); The Glass Slipper (1955); The Swan (1956).
Sources:
This article uses, mostly modified material from the Wikipedia article "Bronislaw Kaper." :
Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
Additional sources:
Wikipedia in Polish.
IMDb:Kaper's bio (seach under "Bronislau Kaper").
Published on January 31, 2-15
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