Hugo Riesenfeld
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hugo Riesenfeld (January 26, 1879 – September 10, 1939) was an Austrian-American composer. As a film director, he began to write his own orchestral compositions for silent films in 1917, and co-created modern production techniques where film scoring serves an integral part of the action. Riesenfeld composed about 100 film scores in his career. His most successful compositions were for Cecil B. DeMille's Joan the Woman (1917), The Ten Commandments (1923) and The King of Kings (1927); D. W. Griffith's Abraham Lincoln (1930); and the original scores to F. W. Murnau's Sunrise (1927) and Tabu (1931). Born in Vienna, Riesenfeld's musical career began at the age of seven with a violin study at the Conservatory of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in his city of birth, where he graduated at the age of 17 in piano, violin and composition degrees. He briefly played in the Vienna Philharmonic. By the end of the 19th century, he was playing with Arnold Schönberg, Arthur Bodanzky, and Edward Falck in a local string quartet. In 1907, Riesenfeld emigrated to New York City. He did his first work in film when he conducted the accompaniment for Jesse L. Lasky's production of Carmen (1915). On 15 April 1923, with inventor Lee de Forest, Riesenfeld co-presented a show at the Rivoli Theater in New York City of 18 short films made in the Phonofilm sound-on-film process. Riesenfeld died in 1939 in Los Angeles after a severe illness. His daughter Janet starred in some Mexican movies as a dancer and actress under the pseudonym Raquel Rojas and Janet Alcorzia and later became a screenwriter.
Known for
SoundBirthday
January 26, 1879Deathday
September 10, 1939Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
41Place of birth
Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]Also known as
Dr. Hugo RiesenfeldCrew credits
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Original Music ComposerTabu
Original Music ComposerTell Your Children
Original Music ComposerThe Mandarin Mystery
Original Music ComposerGunsmoke Ranch
Original Music ComposerTempest
Original Music ComposerThe Devil on Horseback
Original Music ComposerAbraham Lincoln
MusicThe Awakening
MusicConrad in Quest of His Youth
Original Music ComposerBeggar on Horseback
MusicThis Is Heaven
MusicThe Rescue
MusicHumoresque
Original Music ComposerBella Donna
MusicThe Making of 'The Last Laugh'
MusicThe Rough Riders
MusicThe Cat and the Canary
Original Music ComposerThe President Vanishes
Original Music ComposerLucky Boy
MusicThe Woman Disputed
Original Music Composer