Ralph Ferraro

Ralph Ferraro (born July 3, 1929 in Waterbury (Connecticut) , † April 3, 2012 in Los Angeles ) was an American drummer , orchestra conductor , composer and arranger , who was best known for his film scores and arrangements.

Live and act

Ferraro earned a Masters Degree in Music from the Manhattan School of Music . After completing his military service in the US Navy, he moved to Rome, where he worked as a jazz drummer and studio musician for Italian cinema and television productions. a. for Nino Rota with the music of the Fellini films La Dolce Vita , 8 1/2 and Julia und die Geister , for Ennio Morricone ( Battle of Algiers , 1966), also for Riz Ortolani ( Mondo Cane ) and Armando Trovaioli . He also worked as an arranger and was commissioned to record the soundtrack album for the film The Chapman Report (director: George Cukor , 1962). In the following years he worked as an arranger for the composer Piero Piccioni , in Il momento della verita (1965) and Minnesota Clay ( Sergio Corbucci , 1964). In Italy he had the first opportunity to orchestrate film music, the soundtrack to the Barbara Steele film La Sorella di Satana (directed by Michael Reeves , 1966). He also wrote the music for Anna Gobbi's feature film Lo scandalo (1965).

In 1967 he returned to the United States to work in Hollywood as a film composer; he first wrote music for the feature film The King's Pirate and for seven episodes of the television series The People of Shiloh Ranch . As an orchestrator he worked for several years with Leonard Rosenman , a. a. for the Woody Guthrie biopic This Land is My Land , which Rosenman received an Oscar for. He also worked for Randy Edelman and orchestrated films such as Mein Vetter Winnie (1992), Gettysburg (1993), The Mask (1994) , Dragonheart (1996), Shang-High Noon (2000) and Shanghai Knights (2003). He also worked as an arranger for the Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big Band ( More Jazz in the Movies , 1968) and for singers such as Andy Williams , Rod McKuen and Donny Osmond , and occasionally as a session musician, such as for Helen Merrill ( Why Don't You Do Right? ) . Ferraro also taught at the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles; he last lived in Santa Monica Canyon.

personal data
SURNAME	Ferraro, Ralph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American musician, arranger and film composer
DATE OF BIRTH	July 3, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH	Waterbury (Connecticut)
DATE OF DEATH	April 3, 2012
Place of death	los Angeles