Paul J. Smith

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Paul Joseph Smith (born October 30, 1906 in Calumet , Michigan , † January 25, 1985 in Glendale , California ; mostly Paul J. Smith or Paul Smith ) was an American composer and conductor . He is best known for his film scores , which he created for cartoons , documentaries and feature films for the Walt Disney Studios .

life and work

Paul Joseph Smith was born on October 30, 1906 in Calumet, Michigan, USA, but grew up in Idaho , where he also attended the College of Idaho. He studied at the Bush Conservatory of Music in Chicago , the University of California in Los Angeles and the Juilliard School of Music in New York City . In 1934 he began working for Walt Disney , initially as an arranger , but soon also as a composer. The first cartoons to which he contributed musical accompaniment were Micky in Traumland ( Thru the Mirror , 1936) and Donald, the Caballero ( Don Donald , 1937). Together with Frank Churchill and Larry Morey , he then created the soundtrack for Disney's first full-length cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , 1937), for which the trio received an Oscar nomination. It was also the first film in film history to have its soundtrack released on record . His greatest success, however, was the score for Disney's next cartoon classic Pinocchio ( Pinocchio , 1940), for which he received an Oscar along with Leigh Harline and Ned Washington . In 1940 he was also seen in Fantasia ( Fantasia ) as a violinist. In addition, Smith was not only active as a conductor of the Disney Studios, but also occasionally gave concerts in the Burbank Starlight Bowl and the Hollywood Bowl .

In the 1940s and 50s, Smith worked primarily on the studio's animated short films. He has looked after around 70 during his almost three decades at Disney. In addition, together with other composers from the studio, he also wrote the music for such feature-length films as Three Caballeros in Samba Fever ( Saludos Amigos , 1942), Drei Caballeros ( The Three Caballeros , 1944), Uncle Remus' Wonderland ( Song of the South , 1947) and Cinderella ( Cinderella , 1950). A characteristic of all these productions was that they were created in collaboration. That changed for Paul Smith in the early 1950s when Disney entrusted him with more independent music for feature films and, above all, documentaries. Smith not only wrote the score for the lavish Jules Verne film adaptation 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ( 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea , 1954), but also developed into a specialist in the background music for the "True Life Adventures", almost all of which he as a composer , Arranger and conductor. The dramatic and comical soundtracks contributed to the success of such documentaries as The Living Desert ( The Living Desert , 1953) or The Vanishing Prairie ( The Vanishing Prairie , 1954) at. The cartoon-like " Mickey Mousing " used was sometimes criticized as vulgar, but it turned out to be a style -defining element for the documentary film music . Above all, the trick in these films of cutting individual sequences to the beat of classical or popular pieces of music was often copied. The original soundtracks of Smith were also - unusual for documentaries - also published on LPs and some issues were popular songs, such as " Jing-A-Ling " from In the Valley of Bieber ( Beaver Valley ) or "Prairie Home and Pioneer's Prayer “From wonder of the prairie . To the later soundtrack of Smith were all love Pollyanna ( Pollyanna , 1960) and The Three of Thomasina ( The Three Lives of Thomasina , 1964).

The composer, however, had already left the Disney studios in 1962 and soon retired. In total, Paul Smith was involved in around 90 Walt Disney productions in various musical functions. He died on January 25, 1985, aged 78, of complications from Alzheimer's disease at Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California. In 1994, the Disney studios posthumously named him " Disney Legend " ("Disney Legend").

Awards

In addition, Smith received seven other nominations for the music for the films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , 1937), Three Caballeros in Samba Fever ( Saludos Amigos , 1942), Victory Through Air Power (1943), Three Caballeros ( The Three Caballeros , 1944), Uncle Remus' Wonderland ( Song of the South , 1946), Cinderella ( Cinderella , 1950) and Perri's Adventures ( Perri , 1957).

Filmography (selection)

Most of the film scores listed were created in collaboration with other composers:

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Smith, Paul J.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smith, Paul Joseph; Smith, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer and conductor
DATE OF BIRTH October 30, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Calumet , Michigan , USA
DATE OF DEATH January 25, 1985
Place of death Glendale , California , USA