Frances Ziffer (June 5, 1917 – November 7, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, and pianist. She attended the
Peabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...
and studied with
Carl Friedberg
Carl Rudolf Hermann Friedberg (September 18, 1872 in Bingen am Rhein, Bingen, German Empire, Germany – September 9, 1955 in Meran, Italy) was a German pianist and teacher of Jewish origin.
Biography
He was son of Eduard Friedberg (?–1937) a ...
and
David Saperton David Saperton (1889–1970) was an American pianist known especially for being the first pianist to play the entire original compositions as well as the complete transcriptions of his father-in-law, Leopold Godowsky. He also recorded a number of G ...
. She was a music director for theater groups and wrote lyrics or composed music for at least six musicals, as well as for numerous songs.
Ziffer married Joseph Burgio but published her works under the name "Ziffer," sometimes collaborating with Hortense Belson.
Her compositions include:
Musicals
* A Streetcar Named Desire (play by
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...
; music by Frances Ziffer)
*Dakota (book by Tom Hill; music and lyrics by Hortense Belson, Hardy Wieder, Frances Ziffer)
*Dames at Sea
* Little Brown Jug (book by Tom Hill; lyrics by Hortense Belson; music by Frances Ziffer)
* Surprise Package (book by Tom Hill; music and lyrics by Hortense Belson, Hardy Wieder and Frances Ziffer)
* Three on a Bed: A Musical Satire (words by Hortense Belson and Thomas Hill; music by Frances Ziffer)
Songs
* "Faith Alone" (with Martin Kalmanoff and Hardy Wieder)
* "He Don't Wanna Love Me" (with Martin Kalmanoff and Hardy Wieder)
* "I Didn't Hear From You" (words by Eugene Cohen; music by Frances Ziffer)
* "If and When it Happens" (words by Eugene Cohen; music by Frances Ziffer)
* "I'll Know Better Next Time"
*"I'm Only Waiting" (words by Hardy Wieder; music by Frances Ziffer)
* "In My Wildest Dreams"
* "Just Passing By"
* "Love is Always New" (words by Hardy Wieder; music by Frances Ziffer)
* "No Ifs, Ands or Buts"
* "One Foot to Sea" (with Martin Kalmanoff and Hardy Wieder)
* "Pretty, Pretty Please" (words by Eugene Cohen; music by Frances Ziffer)
* "Reward, Reward"
* "Running Through My Mind"
* "Say When" (with Martin Kalmanoff and Hardy Wieder)
* "The Pleasure's All Mine"
* "There's Only One You"
* "Which Way is the Way to Your Heart"
References
American women composers
1917 births
1996 deaths
20th-century American women musicians
Peabody Institute alumni
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