Arne Hülphers

Arne Gunnar Walter Hülphers (born April 4, 1904 in Trollhättan ; † July 24, 1978 ) was a Swedish jazz musician , pianist and conductor .

Hülphers studied at the Royal Music Academy in Stockholm from 1924 and graduated as music director in 1928. As early as the mid-1920s, he played in various Stockholm dance and jazz bands. Among others at Franc Vernon and de Pauw. In January 1934, Hülphers von Håkan von Eichwald took over his orchestra and had his breakthrough as a swing artist known throughout Europe with the motto “With Swedish Swing all Ballrooms ring”. Gösta Törner, trumpet belonged to the Hülphers chapel; Erik Eriksson, saxophone; Miff Görling and Julius Jacobsen, both trombones and often also active as arrangers . Hülpher's first wife, Greta Matilda Wassberg , appeared as the band's singer. They both married on December 17, 1934 and had one child. The marriage ended in divorce in 1955. As early as 1934, Hülphers had made his first Swedish recordings with Zarah Leander , and in the 1930s under his own name for the Sonora label .

During his very successful European tours, the band Arne Hülphers presented mostly American swing successes. She played with Coleman Hawkins (1935) , among others .

After his first appearance in Berlin's “Europahaus” in 1936, Hülpers also came to Germany regularly and toured there until 1942 with great success. He also performed in Bremen . With his arrangement of “When the lights shine again”, which Hülpers performed in the famous Delphi dance palace in Berlin, the Kapellmeister had a great success with the German swing audience in 1942. The Reichsmusikkammer did not like it when he and his colleagues like Heinz Wehner and Kurt Widmann sometimes played dance events that were too “hot”, that is to say, among other things, performed very jazzy American numbers. As far as is known, the Nazi regime did not take any direct measures against Hülphers until the dance halls closed due to the increasingly threatening war situation. Especially for German conditions, however, arrangements were usually played that approached the foxtrot so as not to attract unnecessary attention. With the Austrian singer Doddy Delissen , Hülphers recorded the successful song “Ich bin, wie ich bin” in Berlin.

In 1940 and 1944, Arne Hülphers was also active in the Swedish film industry as a composer, arranger and conductor.

After the Second World War , Hülphers accompanied his wife Greta Wassberg on various tours. From 1948 to 1949 he was employed as a conductor in Gothenburg . In 1950 the musical collaboration with Zarah Leander began, which was from now on uninterrupted. In the same year Fred Bertelmann was hired by Hülphers for concerts in Sweden. In January 1956, Hülphers married Leander. For her it was the third marriage.

A highlight in the very successful musical collaboration between Arne Hülphers and Zarah Leander was their birthday concert in 1967, at which the singer was only accompanied by her husband on the piano.

Arne Hülphers died of heart failure in 1978 and was buried in the Församling Häradshammar on the Vikbolandet peninsula, Östergötland .

Successful titles, arrangements, compositions

• Cocktail för två (Cocktail for two) (1934), music: Arthur Johnston / Sam Coslow; Text: Per Silja; Arne Hülphers with the Fenix ​​Orchestra and Zarah Leander (vocals); Recording: Odeon
• Kärleken är ny varje dag (Love is new every day) (1934), music: Cesare Andrea Bixio / Dardanell; Text: Dix Dennie (pseudonym of Gösta Stenberg); Arne Hülphers with the Fenix ​​Orchestra and Zarah Leander (vocals); Recording: Odeon
• En enda liten chans (A single small chance) (1935), music: Irving Berlin ; Text: Karl Lennart; Arne Hülphers with the Fenix ​​Orchestra and Zarah Leander (vocals); Recording: Odeon
• I am as I am (1939), Arne Hülphers with orchestra and Doddy Delissen (vocals)
• When the Lights Shine Again (1942), music: Edmund Kötscher ; Text: Charles Alson; from the film "People Without Gravity"; Arne Hülphers with orchestra and Otto Gerd Fischer (vocals); Recording: Grammophon 47563 / Polydor
• Just go to one other (1942), Arne Hülphers with orchestra and Greta Wassberg (vocals); Recording: Grammophon 47632 / Polydor
• The Sheik of Araby , music: Ted Snyder / Smith; Arne Hülphers with orchestra
• Luck and glass, it breaks easily , Arne Hülphers with orchestra and Greta Wassberg (vocals); Recording gramophone red 47577

Filmography

• Kyss hen! (1940, directed by Tage Holmberg, Thor Modéen) - Arne Hülphers plays a Kapellmeister, but is not listed in the list of actors.
• Lillebror och jag (1940, director: Weyler Hildebrand) - The original music composed by Gösta Wallenius is a. a. recorded by Arne Hülpher's band.
• Fattiga riddare (1944, directed by Tage Holmberg) - original music composed by Arne Hülphers and Olle Johnsson and played by Arne Hülphers Kapelle.
• Snurren direkt (1952, directed by Rune Redig) - Arne Hülphers plays an orchestra conductor.

Web links

• Arne Hülphers in the Internet Movie Database (English)