Even though Erich Korngold (1897–1957)
was born in Europe, he can be considered a great American composer who impacted
the history of the film industry in Hollywood. Korngold was a child prodigy,
composing from a very young age and known among the world’s leading composers.
After a successful career in Austria, film director Max Reinhardt brought the
young man to Hollywood to help with the music for the film version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935). Warner
Brothers was so impressed by his work that they hired him to write the score
for Captain Blood (1935) followed by Anthony Adverse (1936) for which he won
his first Oscar. Korngold was a key composer who helped turn film music into
the art form we know it as today. Besides film music, he also is known for his
work with opera, symphonies, chamber works, concertos, and more. Listen here to
his lovely Oscar-winning score to Robin
Hood (1938).
