John Stepan Zamecnik (May 14, 1872 in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

– June 13, 1953 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

) was an American composer and conductor. He is best known for the "

photoplay music Photoplay music is incidental music, soundtrack music, and themes written specifically for the accompaniment of silent films. Early years Early films (c. 1890-1910) merely relied on classical and popular repertory, mixed usually with improvisati ...

" he composed for use during silent films by pianists, organists, and orchestras. Zamecnik used many pseudonyms, including Dorothy Lee, Lionel Baxter, R.L. (Robert) Creighton, Arturo de Castro, "Josh and Ted", J. (Jane) Hathaway, Kathryn Hawthorne, Roberta Hudson, Ioane Kawelo, J. Edgar Lowell, Jules Reynard, F. (Frederick) Van Norman, Hal Vinton and Grant Wellesley.

Early life

John Zamecnik was born in Cleveland to Czech immigrants Josef Zámečník (1832-1915) and Kateřina Hrubecká (1838-1908). Josef was born in Budičovice and Kateřina was born in the nearby Skály. The couple married in Heřmaň in 1862. Josef's brother Jan later married Kateřina's sister Konstancie in the same place in 1869. Both couples immigrated to

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

bringing Josef's daughters and perhaps other relatives. Jan's grandson was the geneticist

Paul Zamecnik Paul Charles Zamecnik (November 22, 1912 – October 27, 2009) was an American scientist who played a central role in the early history of molecular biology. He was a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a senior scientist at Mass ...

Career

Zamecnik studied at the Prague Conservatory of Music under

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...

in the mid-1890s, completing his classes there in 1897. In 1899 Zamecnik finally returned to the United States. While living in Cleveland, where he worked as a violinist and composer, he also played in the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Sy ...

as a violinist under Victor Herbert. In 1907, Zamecnik became music director of the newly constructed Hippodrome Theater in Cleveland,

. When the Hippodrome commenced with the screening of silent films, Zamecnik began to compose music scores for them. They were published by Samuel Fox, whose company was the first to publish original film scores in the United States."Sam Fox, 89, Dies; Music Publisher"; ''New York Times''; Dec. 1, 1971. Fox published the Zamecnik-composed ''Sam Fox Moving Picture Music'' volumes, consisting of incidental music and leitmotifs such as " Mysterious Burglar Music", intended for when a burglar is on screen. Jack Shaindlin, music director of Movietone News in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, adapted the first theme of Zamecnik's popular circus march ''World Events (1935)'' for the Main and End Title theme of Movietone Newsreels.

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

's ''American Scene Magazine'' television series in the 1950s used this version to open a skit that parodied current events. In 2011

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

secured the original manuscript score of the cues composed by Zamecnik for '' Wings'' from the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. A new recording was produced for the 24 January 2012 launch of the'' Wings'' DVD and Blu-ray.

Later life and legacy

Zamecnik died in 1953. His scores are held in the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

's Cinematic Arts Library.

Compositions

Works for orchestra

* 1919 My Cairo Love, Egytische serenade * 1921 Somewhere In Naples * Babylonian Nights * China Doll Parade, for orchestra and organ * I Gathered a Rose I gathered a Rose * Treacherous Knave * Wings

Works for band

* 1928 Scarlet Mask, overture * 1930 Olympia, overture * 1935 World Events, March * 1936 1776, overture * 1939 Fortuna, overture * Indian Dawn, serenade * Neapolitan Nights * Southern Miniatures, suite

Vocal music

* 1915 California - words:

Adele Humphrey Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...

Film

* 1923 The Covered Wagon * 1926 Old Ironsides - "Sons of the Sea" * 1927 Wings * 1927 The Rough Riders - "The Trumpet Calls" * 1928 Abie's Irish Rose * 1928 The Wedding March * 1929 Betrayal * 1929

Redskin Redskin is a slang term for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada. The term ''redskin'' underwent pejoration through the 19th to early 20th centuries and in contemporary dictionaries of American English it is labe ...

* 1930

Bear Shooters ''Bear Shooters'' is a 1930 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 98th (tenth talking) '' Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Spud wants to go camping and shoot many bears with Jackie, Chubby, and Farin ...

* 1930 When the Wind Blows * 1931 Strictly Dishonorable * 1931 Pardon Us - Gaol Birds - Jailbirds * 1932 Wild Girl - Salomy Jane * 1932 Chandu the Magician * 1932 My Pal, the King * 1932

Igloo An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow. Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only b ...

* 1932 Impatient Maiden * 1932 Looking on the Bright Side * 1933 The Worst Woman in Paris? * 1933 The Power and the Glory - "Power and Glory" * 1933 Paddy the Next Best Thing * 1933 Deluge * 1933 Shanghai Madness * 1933 The Man Who Dared * 1933 The Warrior's Husband * 1933

Zoo in Budapest ''Zoo in Budapest'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code romance/melodrama film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Loretta Young, Gene Raymond, O.P. Heggie, and Paul Fix. Gene Raymond, playing Zani, a young, mischievous man who has grown up only ar ...

* 1933 Dangerously Yours * 1933 Face in the Sky * 1933 Cavalcade * 1934 Dos más uno dos - "Two and One Two" * 1934 Baby Take a Bow * 1934

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

- "Call It Murder" * 1935

The Fighting Marines ''The Fighting Marines'' is a 1935 movie serial. It was the last serial produced by Mascot Pictures before the studio was bought out and merged with others to become Republic Pictures. This new company went on to become the most famous of the ...

* 1935

The Adventures of Rex and Rinty ''The Adventures of Rex and Rinty'' (1935) is a Mascot film serial directed by Ford Beebe and B. Reeves Eason and starring the equine actor Rex ("The King of Wild Horses") and canine actor Rin Tin Tin, Jr. Cast * Rex the king of wild horses as ...

* 1935

Our Little Girl ''Our Little Girl'' is a 1935 American drama, in which Shirley Temple and Joel McCrea play the leading roles. The film was the final work of the veteran director, John S. Robertson. The protagonist, Molly Middleton (Temple), is the daughter of a ...

* 1935

Charlie Chan in Egypt ''Charlie Chan in Egypt'' is the eighth of 16 20th Century Fox Charlie Chan films starring Warner Oland in the title role. It was released in 1935. Plot Charlie Chan is brought in when an archaeologist disappears while excavating ancient art t ...

* 1937

SOS Coast Guard ''S O S Coast Guard'' is a 1937 Republic film serial. It was the seventh of the sixty-six serials made by Republic. The plot concerns the mad scientist Boroff (Bela Lugosi) attempting to sell a superweapon to the highest bidder, opposed by Coast ...

* 1937 Come On, Cowboys! * 1937

Riders of the Whistling Skull ''Riders of the Whistling Skull'' is a 1937 " Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie of the weird western genre starring Bob Livingston, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, and ventriloquist Max Terhune with his dummy Elmer. It was directed by Mack V. Wright, p ...

- "The Golden Trail" * 1938 The Terror of Tiny Town

Orchestra

* 1916 ''Nola'', Felix Arndt (1889–1918)

References

External links

Mont Alto: Composer Profile: J.S. Zamecnik (1872-1953)

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160701075354/http://vitals.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ca/death/search.cgi?surname=Zamecnik&given=John+Stepan vitals.rootsweb.ancestry.com* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zamecnik, John Stepan 1872 births 1953 deaths American film score composers American male film score composers American male conductors (music) Prague Conservatory alumni Musicians from Cleveland 20th-century American composers 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American conductors (music) Classical musicians from Ohio 20th-century American male musicians American people of Czech descent

Early life

Career

Later life and legacy

Compositions

Works for orchestra

Works for band

Vocal music

Film

Orchestra

Further reading

References

External links