Hans May (composer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hans May (born July 11, 1886 in Vienna , Austria-Hungary ; died January 1, 1959 in Beaulieu-sur-Mer , southern France, (actually Johannes Mayer )) was an Austrian - German - British composer . He was known for his numerous compositions for films and especially for his hits A song goes around the world and Today is the most beautiful day of my life .

Life

He received training from the pianist Anton Door at an early age . He is said to have given piano concerts at the age of 12, and at the age of 14 he published his first composition under the artist name Hans May. After leaving school, he studied composition with Richard Heuberger at the Academy for Music and Performing Arts Vienna . He then worked as a pianist in vaudeville , as a composer of songs and revues as well as operas - and operetta - conductor , u. a. in the Ronacher , where his operetta Der Teufelswalzer came out in 1912 , in the Carltheater Vienna, but also in Cairo and Constantinople. During the First World War he was with the Tyrolean Kaiserjäger . In 1919 he went to Berlin and in 1923 was co-founder and musical director of the cabaret “Die Gondel” with Paul Leni , where he also appeared actively as an actor .

His first work in the film sector was in 1925, when he was hired to provide musical accompaniment for the film A Midsummer Night's Dream (director: Hans Neumann ). He then composed film scores for numerous German silent films , including films by directors Georg Wilhelm Pabst and Richard Oswald . He was one of the first German composers to use elements of jazz for the cinema. The sound film was added later: From 1929 May wrote the music for the director Richard Eichberg's films.

Hans May achieved his greatest success with his song A song goes around the world from the 1933 film of the same name , sung by the then famous tenor Joseph Schmidt . After the seizure of power of the Nazis on 31 January 1933 Hans May fled on April 1, 1933, first to France, but could not hold there still in Amsterdam or Vienna distance. In February 1934 May emigrated to London, where he shot the English version ( My Song Goes Round the World ) of the successful film together with director Richard Oswald, who had also fled . He continued to compose operettas, for example Die tanzende Stadt premiered in Zurich in 1934 .

In contrast to many other emigrated German artists, Hans May also managed to gain a foothold in Great Britain. On January 7, 1947, he became a British citizen and landed a success in 1948 with the musical Carissima . He was responsible for the music of many melodramas, comedies and period films, and by the mid-1950s more than 30 film scores had been created. Hans May returned to Germany one last time for the Austrian film The Emperor and the Laundry Girl (1957, director: Ernst Neubach ). At the end of 1958, for health reasons, he went to Beaulieu-sur-mer for a cure, where he died on January 1, 1959 in the Hotel La Réserve.

Works

Filmography (selection)

Song and dance hits

Audio documents

  • Outside at the Heuriger: Wiener Lied / by Hans May.

Engelbert Milde in Dresden (Mildes Künstlerspiele). Polyphon Record No. 30 090/23 486 (die number 667 ar)

  • Today I would like to go to sleep once / by Hans May.

Engelbert Milde in Dresden (Mildes Künstlerpiele) Polyphon Record No. 30 090/23 485 (Matrix number 666 ar)

  • Yes, I already know what the bad girls want: One-step / by Hans May.

Polyphonic orchestra with vocals. Polyphon-Record 31188 / 2-27 860 (matrix number 892 ax) c. 1920

  • Lord God on the blooming Neckar beach / Hans May.

R. Zank, tenor with piano accompaniment. Vox 03017 (die number 61 A) Format: 30 cm

  • Cocot from Kurfürstendamm: from "Until 5 am" / Hans May.

Odeon Orchestra with Refraingesang Odeon 311.884 (Matrizennummer xBe 2859) - 1921

  • More and more and more ... (I want nothing more than a kiss from you): Shimmy blues / Hans May. Artists' band Dajos Béla. Odeon AA 50 164 (die number xxBo 8299) Format: 30 cm
  • Natasha. Russian way / Hans May.

Dajos Béla artist chapel. Odeon AA 79 882 (die number xxBo 7733) Format: 30 cm

  • Natascha / Hans May. Text: E. Neubach.

Edith-Lorand-Orchester Beka-Record B.3360 (die number Z 32 310) - February 13, 1924

  • Goodbye, Marie: Wanderlied / Hans May.

Bohème orchestra, with refrain singing. Beka B.5163 (mx. 32 493) - September 13, 1924

  • You should be mine with Rhine wine / Hans May.

Concert singer Rudolf Zank, with orchestra accompaniment. Odeon A 41 375 / O-1487 (die number BE 4930) - 01.1926

  • If your sweetheart breaks loyalty: Shimmy-Fox / Hans May and Ernst Neubach

Orchestra with refra singing. Derby brown O-620 (mx. 620 A)

  • An de Panke, an de Wuhle, an de Spree / Text: Hans Brennert, Music: Hans May.

Claire Waldoff with piano accompaniment. Homocord B.2230 (die number M 18 662)

  • In the walnut tree to the left of the Molkenmarkt / text: Hans Brennert, music: Hans May.

Claire Waldoff with instrumental accompaniment. Odeon O-28 214 (die number Be 14 463-1)

Harry Steier with ensemble and orchestra accompaniment. Odeon O-2207 (die number Be 5972) - 1927

  • The German girls are the most beautiful: Marschlied / Hans May - Fritz Rotter.

Homocord orchestra with refraing singing: Luigi Bernauer Homocord Electro 4-2903 (matrix number TM 20 841-1)

  • I prefer Adolphe Menjou to you: Lied and Slow-Fox / Hans May, text by Hans Lefèbre and Richard Rilló. Irene Ambrus, soprano with orchestra. Homocord 4-2987 (die number TM 20 992)
  • The fragrance that accompanies a beautiful woman: Foxtrot / Hans May. Text: Roxy.

Dajos Béla dance orchestra with singing. Odeon O-2830 (die number Be 8062) - 1929

  • My favorite must be a trumpeter: Foxtrot / music by Hans May, text by Alexander Fleßburg.

Alfred Beres with orchestra, refraing singing: Walter Jurmann Ultraphon A 495 (matrix number 10 957) - May 1930

  • I don't have a car: Slow-Fox / Hans May, text: Robert Gilbert.

Dajos Béla dance orchestra. With singing: Alfred Strauss. Odeon O-11 175 (die number Be 8746) - November 1929

  • Another layer of brandy! : Lied and Foxtrot / Hans May and Austin Egen - Fr. Rotter

Dance orchestra with refraing singing: Max Kuttner Tri-Ergon TE 5249 (matrix number 01630) - 1930

  • Eilali, eilali, eilala - Slow-Fox / Hans May

Mitja Nikisch with his dance orchestra. With singing Parlophone B.12 013 (matrix number 36 388)

  • Pay attention: Slow-Fox / Music: Hans May - Text: Perr Willi and Fr. Schwarz.

Homocord orchestra with refrain singing. Homocord 4-2410 (die number M 19 442)

  • Sunday (Sunday I meet my sweetheart). Lied / Hans May - Text: Arthur Rebner.

Max Mensing with orchestra. Beka B.6943 (die number 38 282)

  • What do you think of Veronika / Hans May - text by Fritz Rotter.

Austin Egen, baritone in German with Jim Cowler, piano. Electrola EG 938 / 8-42 131 (die number BL 4278-I) - June 1928

Narrow cut plates

  • You don't know what spring means: Slow-Fox / music by Hans May, text by Rob. Gilbert.

Vocalion band with refrain vocals. Conductor: Theo Mackeben. Orchestrola 2156 (die number 1350) Format: 20 cm

  • Play me the tango of love: Tango / music by Hans May - text by Fritz Rotter.

Vocalion band. Conductor: Theo Mackeben. Refrain singer: Johannes Maximilian. Orchestrola 2216 (die number 1391/8534) Format: 20 cm

  • The fragrance that accompanies a beautiful woman: Slow-Fox / Hans May.

Dance orchestra with refraing singing. Derby DO 5554 (mx. 5554 B) Format: 20 cm

  • The fragrance that accompanies a beautiful woman: Slow-fox / Hans May.

Dance orchestra with refraing singing. Derby G-5554/5554 B (die number 14 RR-II) Format: 20 cm

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Thomas Krebs:  Hans May in the Lexicon of Persecuted Musicians of the Nazi Era (LexM), as of July 31, 2017
  2. ↑ Hans May . In: Habakuk Traber, Elmar Weingarten (Ed.): Displaced music. Berlin composer in exile . Argon, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-87024-118-7 , p. 299-300 .
personal data
SURNAME May, Hans
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mayer, Johannes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION composer
DATE OF BIRTH July 11, 1886
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH January 1, 1959
Place of death Beaulieu-sur-Mer