Nicholas Brodszky
Nicholas "Slug" Brodszky (Russian: Николай Бродский; April 20, 1905 – December 24, 1958) was a composer of popular songs for the theatre and for films. Brodszky was born in Odessa, today Ukraine (occupied by the Russian Empire 1772–1917), into a Jewish family, who moved to Budapest during the civil war in Russia. He spent many years studying and working in Rome, Vienna, Berlin and Budapest. In the 1920s he contributed songs to Viennese operettas. His first film was made in Vienna in 1930 and featured Richard Tauber and Gitta Alpar. He wrote the music for C B Cochran and A P Herbert's coronation revue Home and Beauty at the Adelphi Theatre in 1937. After a decade in the film industry in Germany and Austria, always keeping one step ahead of the rising Nazi party, he emigrated to the UK at the end of the 1930s. There he had some success providing music for the Terence Rattigan scripted film French Without Tears (1939), and The Way to the Stars (1949), both directed by Anthony Asquith. He also wrote the score for the Yiddish language film Der Purimspieler (1939). He emigrated once again to the United States at the end of the 1940s. In Hollywood he composed for many musical films including The Toast of New Orleans (1950); Rich, Young and Pretty (1951); Because You're Mine (1952); Small Town Girl (1953); The Student Prince (1954); Love Me or Leave Me (1955); and Serenade (1956). Among the hit songs he wrote with lyricist Sammy Cahn were "Be My Love" (his most popular song, from The Toast of New Orleans), "I'll Never Stop Loving You," "Because You're Mine," "Serenade," and "My Destiny." He wrote three songs for The Student Prince: "Summertime in Heidelberg," "Beloved," and "I'll Walk with God" (with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster) to supplement the Sigmund Romberg musical score for the 1954 filmed version. Recordings of "Be My Love" and "Because You're Mine" made by the famous 1950s tenor and movie star Mario Lanza were million-seller hits (gold records) on the RCA Victor Red Seal label. Five of Nicholas Brodszky's musical compositions were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Original Song:
Brodszky was a tunesmith who always needed the help of arrangers and assistants to turn his ideas into finished compositions. These assistants included Roy Douglas, Philip Green, Clive Richardson, Mischa Spoliansky, Albert Sendrey, Sidney Torch and Charles Williams, but they were rarely credited. Lionel Salter termed Brodszky a 'near-illiterate.' He died in Hollywood, California in 1958, aged 53. |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | 79702 | 10-in. | 9/27/1934 | Nada tão belo como teu amor | Maria Branca | Female vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | MBS-092768 | 10-in. | before 4/24/1951 | Sé mi amor | Fernando Fernández ; Orquesta Luis Arcaraz | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Gramophone | 0D800 | 10-in. | 2/19/1932 | Was kann so schön sein wie deine Liebe | Marek Weber Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | composer | |
Gramophone | 0D803 | 10-in. | 12/19/1932 | Kannst du gut küssen? | Marek Weber Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | composer | |
Gramophone | 0B1256 | 10-in. | 7/2/1931 | O cara mia | Jack Hylton Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Gramophone | 0D1769 | 10-in. | 10/16/1933 | Ich hab' dieses Lied für dich erdacht | Orchester Ludwig Rüth | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | composer | |
Gramophone | BD9274 | 10-in. | 11/14/1930 | O cara mia | Marek Weber Orchestra ; Leo Moll | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Odeon | CE8062 | 10-in. | approximately 1936 | Sing something in the morning | Gitta Alpar | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Odeon | CE8063 | 10-in. | approximately 1936 | No more | Gitta Alpar | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Odeon | WBe9868 | 10-in. | 1932 | Was kann so schöm sein wie deine Liebe? | Gitta Alpar | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Odeon | WBe9870 | 10-in. | 1932 | Dort, wo die Wälder grün | Gitta Alpar | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Parlophon | W133335 | 10-in. | December 1931 | Du bist das Abenteder | Gitta Alpar | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
Parlophon | W133476 | 10-in. | February or March 1932 | Your love is all I care for | Gitta Alpar | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Parlophon | W133477 | 10-in. | 3/17/1932 | Mädel, so bist du | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Parlophon | W133478 | 10-in. | February or March 1932 | Hungarian song | Gitta Alpar | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Parlophon | W133479 | 10-in. | 3/17/1932 | Für dich sing' ich meine schönsten Lieder | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Columbia (U.K.) | WB5442 | 10-in. | 6/23/1933 | Piccola Madonna | Giovanni Assante | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CB6219 | 10-in. | 8/29/1934 | Oggi son tanta innamorato | Lotte Menas ; Orchestra Ferruzzi | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CB6220 | 10-in. | 8/29/1934 | Bella signora, pardon | Lotte Menas ; Orchestra Ferruzzi | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CB6221 | 10-in. | 8/29/1934 | Tanta scienza | Lotte Menas ; Orchestra Ferruzzi | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CB14220 | 10-in. | 7/9/1955 | Soltanto tu | Carlo Buti | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Brodszky, Nicholas," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103925.
Brodszky, Nicholas. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103925.
"Brodszky, Nicholas." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Nicholas Brodzsky
Discogs: Nicholas Brodszky
Grove: Nicholas Brodszky
IMDb: Nicholas Brodszky
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Brodszky, Nicholas - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82153092
Wikidata: Nicholas Brodzsky - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1991393
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/12496228
MusicBrainz: Nicholas Brodzsky - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3d361dba-4b1f-41b6-a56d-b5a116278d20
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