Violinist and conductor Victor Young was a prolific composer and
arranger, who worked on more than 300 film scores over a period of
twenty years. He came from an impoverished, but musical background and
was trained on the violin at the Warsaw Imperial Conservatory, later
studying piano in Paris under the French master Isidor Philipp. A
prodigious talent, Young made his professional debut as a teenager with
the Warsaw Philharmonic. However, World War I intervened, and he spent
several months interned in a prison facility in Russia. Somehow, he was
able to escape. By 1920, he had found his way to the United States and
resumed work as a violinist with the Central Park Casino Orchestra in
Chicago. He also diversified as an arranger and conductor for radio and
the theatre. His first connection with the film industry came about,
when he secured a position as assistant director with the Balaban and
Katz cinema chain, writing and arranging as many as five (silent) film
scores a week.
During the late
1920's, Young was back as musical director for 'Harvest of Stars' on radio, and as a talent scout for Edison Records. He briefly arranged for bandleader Ted Fio Rito
before fronting his own orchestra in 1935, backed by a recording deal
with Decca. He worked with many of the great vocalists of the period,
including Judy Garland,
Lee Wiley and
The Boswell Sisters. His high
profile brought him to the attention of Paramount, where he was signed
to a one-year contract in 1936. He worked for the studio again between
1940 and 1949, but, by that time, his reputation had become so
formidable that he came to be regarded as the pre-eminent film
composer, and assigned the lion's share of A-grade features. His music
subtly and seamlessly integrated into dramas like
Piraten im Karibischen Meer (1942),
Wem die Stunde schlägt (1943),
So Evil My Love (1948),
John Ford's
Der Sieger (1952) and the
western classic Mein großer Freund Shane (1953).
Young also wrote countless evergreen songs, many for top-flight
singers, like Bing Crosby. His first big hit
was "Sweet Sue" (popularly recorded by
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra),
followed by the melodic jazz standard "Stella by Starlight" (which
served as the theme for
Der unheimliche Gast (1944)) and the
ballad "When I Fall in Love" (a huge hit for
Nat 'King' Cole, who featured the song
in the movie Istanbul (1957)). For
Broadway, Young wrote both music and lyrics for "Seventh Heaven", in
1955. Nominated for a staggering 22 Academy Awards, Young had his only
win (for
In 80 Tagen um die Welt (1956)),
rather sadly, after his sudden death from a stroke at the age of 56. It
has been suggested, that his film compositions, while polished, lacked
the élan or authoritative stamp of a
Max Steiner or a
Bernard Herrmann. Nonetheless,
the sheer volume and enduring popularity of Young's music ensure his
immortality among the ranks of the great songwriters and film composers
of the 20th century.
