Michael Jary (born 'Maximilian Michael Andreas Jarczyk'; 24 September 1906 in Laurahütte,
Siemianowitz (today Siemianowice Śląskie) – 12 July 1988 in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
) was a German composer.
Early years
Jary's father worked at the Königshütte (
Chorzów
Chorzów ( ; ; german: link=no, Königshütte ; szl, Chorzōw) is a city in the Silesia region of southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central cities of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population ...
today) iron works and his mother was a tailor. He planned to become a missionary and went to school at the monastery of the
Steyl Missionaries near
Neisse (Nysa today), where he discovered his love of music. At the age of 18 he moved to the conservatory at
Beuthen (Bytom today). He conducted the church choir and started to write his first
chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
works that were transmitted on the
radio Gliwice. The city theatre of Neisse and
Plauen
Plauen (; Czech language, Czech: ''Plavno'') is, with around 65,000 inhabitants, the fifth-largest city of Saxony, Germany after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the larges ...
gave him a position as a second concert master.
In 1929 Jary was accepted at the
Staatliche Akademische Musikhochschule at
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, meanwhile he made money playing as a pianist at cafés or movies. In 1931 he received the
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
-prize of Berlin.
During the Nazi years
When Jary delivered his graduation concert on 8 February 1933, he was bullied by members of the
Kampfbund für deutsche Kultur
The ''Kampfbund'' ("Battle-league") was a league of nationalist fighting societies and the German National Socialist party in Bavaria, Germany, in the 1920s. It included Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party (NSDAP) and its '' Sturmabteilung'' (SA), the Oberl ...
.
Paul Graener
Paul Graener (11 January 1872 – 13 November 1944) was a German composer and conductor. He composed numerous operas and orchestral works in the Romanticism style.
Biography
Graener was born in Berlin and orphaned as a young child. A boy ...
, the new director of the ''Stern’sches Konservatorium'' denigrated his concert as "the cultural bolshevistic musical stammering of a Polish Jew".
Jarczyk had to go underground for some time and used the pseudonyms "Jackie Leeds" for arrangements and "Max Jantzen" for chansons. Recognizing that his name was a hindrance to his career, he changed it to Michael Jary.
Symphonic music was his strength. But after he composed his first musical score for a movie, ''Die große und die kleine Welt'', he quickly became a cult favourite among professional musicians. The possibilities of multiple track recording caught his interest.
Swing-arrangements and
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
were part of his repertoire in spite of governmental diktats. Among other projects he composed a cyclus of musical
zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the Sun path, apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. ...
interpretations. He became an expert in jazz and swing during the thirties.
In 1938 he had his first popular music hit, ''Roter Mohn''. As the director of the Szymanowski-Gedächtniskonzertes in Berlin he was invited by
Ernest Ansermet
Ernest Alexandre Ansermet (; 11 November 1883 – 20 February 1969)"Ansermet, Ernest" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 435. was a Swiss conductor.
Biography
Ansermet ...
to
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
. However, the Nazi authorities denied him an exit visa. Forced to stay in Germany, he wrote, often with the lyricist
Bruno Balz
Bruno Balz (6 October 1902, in Berlin – 14 March 1988, in Bad Wiessee) was a German songwriter and schlager writer.
From the time he wrote the music for the first German sound film until his retirement in the 1960s, Balz was responsible for th ...
, songs for movies that became
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
, including: ''
Ich weiß, es wird einmal ein Wunder geschehen'' and ''Davon geht die Welt nicht unter''.
After WWII
![Gedenktafel Michael Jary](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Gedenktafel_Michael_Jary.jpg)
Shortly before the end of World War II Jary had founded his own ensemble. Just 19 days after the capitulation his group became the basis for the new ''
Radio Berlin
Radio is the technology of signaling and telecommunication, communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device ...
Tanzorchester'' (RBT) in East Berlin. He engaged among others
Ilse Werner
Ilse Werner (; born Ilse Charlotte Still, 11 July 1921 – 8 August 2005) was a Dutch-German actress, singer, and musical whistler.
Life
She was born in Batavia (present-day Jakarta, Indonesia) to a Dutch father, merchant and plantation owner, ...
and
Bully Buhlan
Bully Buhlan (3 February 1924 – 7 November 1982) was a German musician and actor.Barnett p.180
Filmography
References
Bibliography
* Barnett, David. ''A History of the Berliner Ensemble''. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
External links
* ...
.
[Axel Jockwer, Unterhaltungsmusik im 3. Reich. Diss. Konstanz 2004 http://w3.ub.uni-konstanz.de/v13/volltexte/2005/1474//pdf/Jockwer.pdf]
In 1948 he created his own
production company
A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and ...
, ''Michael Jary-Produktion'', and maintained an office during the fifties in New York. He would have liked to have written musical scores for revue films as he had done in 1943 for the movie ''Karneval der Liebe''. In 1949 he moved to Hamburg, and Jary was very successful as
film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
followed film score including ''„Leise rauscht es am Missouri“'', ''„Das machen nur die Beine von Dolores“'', ''„Mäki-Boogie“'', ''„Heut' liegt was in der Luft“'' and others. These songs were interpreted by artists such as
Zarah Leander
Zarah Leander (; 15 March 1907 – 23 June 1981) was a Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned Universum Film AG (UFA). Although no exact record ...
,
Rosita Serrano,
Evelyn Künneke
Evelyn Künneke (15 December 1921 – 28 April 2001) was a German singer and stage, television and film actress. She was the daughter of the famous composer Eduard Künneke.
Selected filmography
* '' Goodbye, Franziska'' (1941)
* ''Third from ...
,
Gerhard Wendland Gerhard is a name of Germanic origin and may refer to:
Given name
* Gerhard (bishop of Passau) (fl. 932–946), German prelate
* Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (1292–1340), German prince, regent of Denmark
* Gerhard Barkhorn (1919 ...
,
Heinz Rühmann
Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (; 7 March 1902 – 3 October 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a Ge ...
, and
Hans Albers
Hans Philipp August Albers (22 September 1891 – 24 July 1960) was a German actor and singer. He was the biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1960 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century.
Early life
...
.
By the end of the fifties, „Mäki“, as he was called by his friends, restricted his output and shunned cheap movies. For the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
in 1960 he composed ''„Wir wollen niemals auseinandergehn“'' for
Heidi Brühl
Heidi Rosemarie Brühl (; 30 January 1942 – 8 June 1991) was a German singer and actress who came to prominence as a young teenager and had a prolific career in film and television. She was also a successful recording artist, and is known for ...
. It wasn't selected to represent Germany, but it went to the top of the German charts, and today it is one of the greatest successes of the history of the German
Schlager.
After this personal victory Jary returned to his roots. He composed the musical ''Nicole'', that was first shown in
Nürnberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ci ...
in 1963 and would be celebrated later in Eastern Europe. He settled in his final domicile in Switzerland above the
Lake of Lugano
__NOTOC__
Lake Lugano ( it, Lago di Lugano or , from la, Ceresius lacus; lmo, Lagh de Lugan) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situat ...
. He suffered from three heart attacks in 1973.
Michael Jary died on 12 July 1988 in Munich, the site of his grave is in the
Friedhof Ohlsdorf
Ohlsdorf Cemetery (german: Ohlsdorfer Friedhof or (former) ) in the Ohlsdorf quarter of the city of Hamburg, Germany, is the biggest rural cemetery in the world and the fourth-largest cemetery in the world. Most of the people buried at the cemete ...
in Hamburg.
Selected filmography
* ''
Game on Board
''Game on Board'' (german: Spiel an Bord) is a 1936 German comedy crime film directed by Herbert Selpin and starring Viktor de Kowa, Susi Lanner and Alfred Abel.Bock & Bergfelder p. 443
The film's sets were designed by the art director Erich ...
'' (1936)
* ''
Adventure in Warsaw
''Adventure in Warsaw'' (german: Abenteuer in Warschau) is a 1938 German-Polish comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Georg Alexander, Paul Klinger and Jadwiga Kenda. The film was the second of two German-Polish co-productions following ...
'' (1937)
* ''
A Diplomatic Wife
''A Diplomatic Wife'' ( pl, Dyplomatyczna żona) is a 1937 German-Polish comedy film directed by Carl Boese and Mieczysław Krawicz and starring Jadwiga Kenda, Aleksander Żabczyński and Lena Żelichowska. It is the Polish language version of ' ...
'' (1937)
* ''
All Lies'' (1938)
* ''
Bachelor's Paradise
''Bachelors' Paradise'' (german: Paradies der Junggesellen) is a 1939 German comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Heinz Rühmann, Josef Sieber, and Hans Brausewetter. It was based on a novel by Johannes Boldt. It was shot at the B ...
'' (1939)
* ''
Men Are That Way
''Men Are That Way'' (german: Männer müssen so sein) is a 1939 German drama film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Hertha Feiler, Hans Söhnker and Hans Olden. The film's sets were designed by the art director Willi Herrmann. It w ...
'' (1939)
* ''
The Leghorn Hat
''The Leghorn Hat'' (german: Der Florentiner Hut) is a 1939 German period comedy film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Heinz Rühmann, Herti Kirchner and Christl Mardayn. It is based on the 1851 play '' The Italian Straw Hat'' writ ...
'' (1939)
* ''
Counterfeiters
The Counterfeiters or Counterfeiters may refer to:
* ''The Counterfeiters'' (novel), a 1925 novel by André Gide
* ''Counterfeiters'' (1940 film), a German film
* ''The Counterfeiters'' (1948 film)
* ''The Counterfeiters'' (2007 film), a 2007 ...
'' (1940)
* ''
Goodbye, Franziska'' (1941)
* ''
The Great Love'' (1942)
* ''
The Big Game'' (1942)
* ''
Melody of a Great City
''Melody of a Great City'' (German: ''Großstadtmelodie'') is a 1943 musical drama film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Hilde Krahl, Werner Hinz and Karl John. A young woman moves to Berlin to work as a press photographer.
Cast
...
'' (1943)
* ''
Beloved Darling
''Beloved Darling'' (German: ''Geliebter Schatz'') is a 1943 German comedy film directed by Paul Martin and starring Johannes Riemann, Dorit Kreysler and Sonja Ziemann. Klaus p.149-50 It was shot partly at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The fi ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Gabriele Dambrone'' (1943)
* ''
A Man With Principles?'' (1943)
* ''
Mask in Blue'' (1943)
* ''
Melusine
Mélusine () or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down (much like a lamia or a mermaid). She is also s ...
'' (1944)
* ''
A Man Like Maximilian
''A Man Like Maximilian'' (german: Ein Mann wie Maximilian) is a 1945 German comedy film directed by Hans Deppe and starring Wolf Albach-Retty, Karin Hardt and Lizzi Waldmüller.Bock & Bergfelder p. 79 It was one of the last films released during ...
'' (1945)
* ''
And If We Should Meet Again
''And If We Should Meet Again'' (german: Und finden dereinst wir uns wieder) is a 1947 German drama film directed by Hans Müller and starring Paul Dahlke, Käthe Haack and Willi Rose.Rentschler p. 345 It was part of the post-war group of Rubbl ...
'' (1947)
* ''
Street Acquaintances'' (1948)
* ''
Dangerous Guests
''Dangerous Guests'' (german: Gefährliche Gäste) is a 1949 West German comedy film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Wolf Albach-Retty, Vera Molnar (actress), Vera Molnar and Paul Kemp (actor), Paul Kemp.Bock & Bergfelder p. 240
It was ...
'' (1949)
* ''
Third from the Right
''Third from the Right'' (german: Die Dritte von rechts) is a 1950 West German musical crime film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Vera Molnar, Robert Lindner and Peter van Eyck. It was made by the Hamburg-based company Real Film at t ...
'' (1950)
* ''
The Man in Search of Himself
''The Man in Search of Himself'' (german: Der Mann, der sich selber sucht) is a 1950 West German comedy crime film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Vera Molnar, Wolf Albach-Retty and Petra Trautmann.
The film's sets were designed by t ...
'' (1950)
* ''
The Allure of Danger
''The Allure of Danger'' (german: Lockende Gefahr) is a 1950 West German drama film directed by Eugen York and starring Angelika Hauff, Walter Richter and Berta Drews.Youngkin p.348 It was screened at the 1950 Venice Film Festival.
It was shot ...
'' (1950)
* ''
Abundance of Life
''Abundance of Life'' (german: Des Lebens Überfluss) is a 1950 West German romantic comedy film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Erika Müller, Ingeborg Körner, and Gunnar Möller. It was one of the last of the Rubble films made ...
'' (1950)
* ''
Gabriela Gabriela may refer to:
* Gabriela (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian feminine given name
* ''Gabriela'' (1942 film), a Czech film
* ''Gabriela'' (1950 film), a German film
* ''Gabriela'' (1983 film), a Brazilian film
* ''Gabriela' ...
'' (1950)
* ''
You Have to be Beautiful'' (1951)
* ''
Maya of the Seven Veils
''Maya of the Seven Veils'' or ''The Veiled Lady'' (german: Die verschleierte Maja) is a 1951 West German musical film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Maria Litto, Willy Fritsch and Rudolf Platte.Bock & Bergfelder p. 225
It was shot ...
'' (1951)
* ''
Toxi
''Toxi'' is a 1952 West German drama film directed by Robert A. Stemmle and starring Elfie Fiegert, Paul Bildt and Johanna Hofer. The film's release came as the first wave of children born to black Allied servicemen and white German mothers en ...
'' (1952)
* ''
The Chaste Libertine
''The Chaste Libertine'' (german: Der keusche Lebemann) is a 1952 West German comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Georg Thomalla, Joe Stöckel and Grethe Weiser.Holmstrom p.209 It was based on a popular stage farce of the same tit ...
'' (1952)
* ''
Queen of the Arena'' (1952)
* ''
The Colourful Dream
''The Colourful Dream'' (german: Der bunte Traum) is a 1952 West German musical comedy film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Vera Molnar, Josef Meinrad and Ursula Grabley. It was made at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin with some locati ...
'' (1952)
* ''
The Thief of Bagdad'' (1952)
* ''
Under the Thousand Lanterns
''Under the Thousand Lanterns'' (german: Unter den tausend Laternen) is a 1952 French-West German crime film directed by Erich Engel and starring Michel Auclair, Gisela Trowe, and Hanna Rucker. It was entered into the 1952 Cannes Film Festival. ...
'' (1952)
* ''
Mikosch Comes In'' (1952)
* ''
Hit Parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined either by sales or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; ''Billboard'' magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936 ...
'' (1953)
* ''
Secretly Still and Quiet
''Secretly Still and Quiet'' (german: Heimlich, still und leise) is a 1953 West German musical comedy film directed by Hans Deppe and starring Gretl Schörg, Hans Nielsen, and Theo Lingen. It was made at the Munich Studios of Bavaria Film. The f ...
'' (1953)
* ''
Not Afraid of Big Animals
''Not Afraid of Big Animals'' (german: Keine Angst vor großen Tieren) is a 1953 West German comedy film directed by Ulrich Erfurth and starring Heinz Rühmann, Ingeborg Körner and Gustav Knuth.Bock & Bergfelder p. 340 It is a circus film and a ...
'' (1953)
* ''
The Flower of Hawaii'' (1953)
* ''
Columbus Discovers Kraehwinkel
''Columbus Discovers Kraehwinkel'' (german: Columbus entdeckt Krähwinkel) is a 1954 West German comedy film directed by Ulrich Erfurth and Alexander Paal and starring Eva Kerbler, Rudolf Platte and two sons of Charlie Chaplin, Charles Chaplin J ...
'' (1954)
* ''
The Big Star Parade
''The Big Star Parade'' (German: ''Die große Starparade'') is a 1954 West German musical comedy film directed by Paul Martin and starring Adrian Hoven, Renate Holm and Gunther Philipp.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Hans Jü ...
'' (1954)
* ''
The Telephone Operator'' (1954)
* ''
Bandits of the Autobahn
''Bandits of the Autobahn'' (german: Banditen der Autobahn) is a 1955 West German crime film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Eva Ingeborg Scholz, Hans Christian Blech and Paul Hörbiger.Generic Histories of German Cinema: Genre and I ...
'' (1955)
* ''
How Do I Become a Film Star?
''How Do I Become a Film Star?'' (German: ''Wie werde ich Filmstar?'') is a 1955 West German musical comedy film directed by Theo Lingen and starring Nadja Tiller, Harald Juhnke and Bibi Johns.Bock & Bergfelder p.290
It was shot at the Wandsbek St ...
'' (1955)
* ''
Secrets of the City
''Secrets of the City'' (German: ''Die Stadt ist voller Geheimnisse'') is a 1955 West German drama film directed by Fritz Kortner and starring Annemarie Düringer, Erich Schellow and Walther Süssenguth.Bock & Bergfelder p.519
It was shot at th ...
'' (1955)
* ''
Three Days Confined to Barracks
''Three Days Confined to Barracks'' (German: ''Drei Tage Mittelarrest'') is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Max Adalbert, Ida Wüst, and Gretl Theimer. The film is a farce set around a military barracks. It was a maj ...
'' (1955)
* ''
The Stolen Trousers
''The Stolen Trousers'' (german: Die gestohlene Hose) is a 1956 West German comedy film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Susanne Cramer, Ruth Stephan and Peter Weck. Emerging comedy star Heinz Erhardt appeared in a supporting role.Boc ...
'' (1956)
* ''
The Zurich Engagement
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1957)
* ''
The Legs of Dolores'' (1957)
* ''
At the Green Cockatoo by Night
''At the Green Cockatoo by Night'' (german: Nachts im grünen Kakadu) is a 1957 West German musical film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Marika Rökk, Dieter Borsche and Renate Ewert.
It was made by Real Film at the Wandsbek Studios in Ham ...
'' (1957)
* ''
The Heart of St. Pauli'' (1957)
* ''
My Husband, the Economic Miracle
''My Husband, the Economic Miracle'' (german: Mein Mann, das Wirtschaftswunder) is a 1961 West German comedy film directed by Ulrich Erfurth and starring Marika Rökk, Fritz Tillmann and Cornelia Froboess.Wiesen p.272 The film portrays the econo ...
'' (1961)
References
The beginning of this article is based on the corresponding article of the
German Wikipedia from 31 March 2008
External links
*
*http://www.michaeljary.de
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jary, Michael
1906 births
1988 deaths
German film score composers
Male film score composers
German male composers
People from Siemianowice Śląskie
People from the Province of Silesia
Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
20th-century German composers
Burials at the Ohlsdorf Cemetery
20th-century German male musicians