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.
Filmography (selection)
- 1965: Lo scandalo
- 1967: The King's Pirate
- 1968: Her appearance, Al Mundy (an episode)
- 1974: Flesh Gordon
Web links
- Ralph Ferraro at Discogs (English)
- Ralph Ferraro in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
personal data | |
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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 |