The Light Music Hall of Fame
These pages were last edited on April 26, 2017
Introduction: What is Light
Music?
Composers and Arrangers of Light Music
For more information about a particular composer and recommend
works, click on his name if it is underlined...Those names which are
not yet underlined are being researched, and information will be
posted as soon as the process is complete.
First we honor composer/arrangers who made major contributions to the
field of Light Music and who are favorites of the authors of this Web
Site:
Robert Farnon
| Leroy Anderson |
David Rose | Henry
Mancini | Nelson
Riddle
Here are other composer/arrangers who have written particular
distinctive pieces which became classics of the "Light Music" genre,
listed in roughly chronological order of birth:
John Phillip
Sousa | Eric Coates
| Benjamin Frankel
| Ken Warner | Sydney
Torch | Wallingford
Riegger
Ray Martin |
"Skip" Martin |
Felix
Arndt | Paul Weston
| Robert Maxwell |
Bernie Wayne |
Milton Delugg
Louis Busch (Joe "Fingers"
Carr) | Albert
Harris | Frank DeVol
| Andre Popp
Ernest Tomlinson |
Bob Thompson |
Richard
Hayman
Following are "arranger/stylists", who were known for their strong
individual styles applied to every piece. In realizing the
arrangements for recordings they sometimes almost "re-composed" a
piece. They were admired craftsmen, even though they were celebrated
more for their distinctive arranging, performing, or producing
styles, than for writing original compositions
Please note: we do not choose to honor here every pop music arranger
working in the field, only those who in our opinion made a
distinctively unique contribution to the art of arranging light
music...
Percy Faith |
Andre
Kostelanetz | George
Melachrino | Les
Baxter | Les Paul |
Chet Atkins
Les & Larry
Elgart | Ray
Conniff | Hugo
Winterhalter | Bert
Kaempfert
Here are some composer/arrangers of what used to be called "Mood
Music" or "Cue Music", now called "Production Music." Usually it is
sold as part of a Music Scoring Service or Production Music Library.
"Library tracks" are licensed on a non-exclusive basis, for use as
background cues, Main Titles, or End Credits Themes for radio, TV,
and films. In the "Classic" days of film, radio and TV it was
commissioned by European music publishers who had developed a
recorded music division; or -- in the U.S. -- it was more often the
result of a composer or music packager who wanted to re-cycle music
composed for a different production.
Sometimes the original cue was "laundered" by having a few notes
changed and the structure switched around, and then the whole thing
re-recorded by a foreign orchestra, so it could be given a new title
for the purpose of collecting performance royalties.
Often this music has multiple uses down through the years, or becomes
associated with different programs in different countries. The tunes
can be familiar and memorable, even if the composers' names are
unknown. We honor those unsung heroes -- composers whose "Mood
Music"was particularly memorable, and fits the style of Light Music
as well. They are listed here in roughly chronological order of
birth:
Charles
Williams | Roger
Roger | Ronald
Hanmer | Alexander
Laszlo | Herschel
Burke Gilbert
Joseph Mullendore |
Raoul Kraushaar |
Dave Kahn | Melvyn
Lenard Gordon | Leon
Klatzkin
Mahlon Merrick |
Bernard "Bernie" Green |
Stanley J.
Wilson
Next are feature film composers whose melodic themes also became well
known in the Light Music genre, sometimes in their original form and
sometimes in arrangements by others:
Max Steiner |
Dmitri Tiompkin |
Erich Wolfgang Korngold |
Victor Young |
Alfred Newman |
Miklos Rozsa
George Duning |
Alex North |
David Raksin |
Elmer Bernstein |
John T.
Williams
Certain Broadway Musical Theatre composers have written tunes so
memorable, they became classics, when arranged in a Light Music
style:
Jerome Kern |
Richard Rodgers |
Jule Styne |
Cy Coleman |
Leonard Bernstein
And finally, some more modern songwriters who wrote songs (including
theme songs for TV and motion pictures) that crossed over into pop
music as well, and become known to fans of Light Music through
various media and recorded arrangements:
Jerry Livingston | Jay Livingston | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Fain |
Johnny Mercer | Rod McKeun
In the following list, we also give Honorable Mention to
composers, arrangers, and conductors, who --
although they did not make our own "Hall of Fame list" for various
reasons having to do with
time-frame, style, or subjective matters of taste -- have been
suggested by various correspondents:
Alfredo Antonini | Burt Bacharach | Edward German | Frederic
Curzon | Alphonse D'Artega
Ron Goodwin | Morton Gould | Philip Green | Albert Ketèlbey |
George Melachrino
Annunzio Mantovani | Billy Mayerl | Stu Phillips |
Franck Pourcel | Charles Strouse
Frederick Loewe | Irving Berlin | Axel Stordahl | Haydn
Wood | Ray Martin
Also check out:
Classic U.S. TV Series --
Theme List
Old-Time U.S.
Radio Series -- Theme List
What is A.S.C.A.P.?
The History of
Production Music
Film & TV Studio -- Signature Logo
List
The Music and Media Technology
TimeLine
Light Music and Theme Composer
TimeLine
Music-related Links, Books, and Other
Resources
For a Glossary of Music and Media Terms,
click here
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