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Relief from Mackeben's tombstone Theo Mackeben, born 5 January 1897 in Preußisch Stargard, Westpreußen, died 10 January 1953 in Berlin, was a German pianist, conductor and composer, particularly of film music.Lamb A. Theo Mackeben. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music, 2nd Edition, Volume 15''. Macmillan, London and New York, 2001.


Life and career

From 1916 to 1920 Mackeben studied violin and piano at the
Hochschule für Musik Köln ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...
, as well as taking lessons from Jules de Westheim. He then became active as a café and radio pianist during the 1920s, at the Café Größenwahn and the Hotel Esplanade in Berlin. In 1928 at the
Theater am Schiffbauerdamm The ''Theater am Schiffbauerdamm'' () is a theatre building at the ''Schiffbauerdamm'' riverside in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, opened on 19 November 1892. Since 1954, it has been home to the Berliner Ensemble theatre company, founded ...
he conducted the first performance of '' Dreigroschenoper''. Mackeben arranged the music from Millöckers operetta ''Gräfin Dubarry'', for a 1931 production entitled ''
Die Dubarry Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicond ...
'' including an original song ''Ich schenk mein Herz nur dir allein''. In the 1930s he composed music for stage plays and over 50 films, including some directed by
Max Ophüls Maximillian Oppenheimer (; 6 May 1902 – 26 March 1957), known as Max Ophüls (; ), was a German-French film director who worked in Germany (1931–1933), France (1933–1940 and 1950–1957), and the United States (1947–1950). He made near ...
,
Gustaf Gründgens Gustaf Gründgens (; 22 December 1899 – 7 October 1963), born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg ...
and Willy Forst. After the war he wrote a piano concerto and a Sinfonische Ballade for cello and orchestra, while also being conductor at the Metropol-Theater.


Recordings

As conductor, Mackeben's recordings from the late 1920s through the 1930s include extracts from ''Dreigroschenoper'' and ''Die Dubarry'', Scassola's ''Laendische Suite'', Mendelssohn's 'Spring Song', and fantasies from Smetana's ''Bartered Bride'', Zeller's ''Der Vogelhändler'', Verdi's ''La traviata'', Weill's ''Mahagonny'' and Suppé's ''Die schöne Galathee'', on labels such as
Telefunken Telefunken was a German radio and television apparatus company, founded in Berlin in 1903, as a joint venture of Siemens & Halske and the ''Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (AEG) ('General electricity company'). The name "Telefunken" app ...
and Berlin. A selection of Mackeben's music was recorded by the
WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (German: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln) is a German radio orchestra based in Cologne, where the orchestra mainly performs at two concert halls: the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz and the Kölner Philharmonie. Histor ...
conducted by Emmerich Smola and published in 1995 by Capriccio.The Original Motion Picture Scores – Theo Mackeben. WDR CD 10 705.


Works


Operettas

* 1931: ''
Die Dubarry Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicond ...
'' *1932: ''Die Journalisten'' *1934: ''Lady Fanny and The Servant Problem'' *1934: ''Liebe auf Reisen'' *1938: ''Anita und der Teufel'' * 1943: ''Der goldene Käfig'' * 1950: ''Die Versuchung der Antonia''


Film scores

* ''
Chasing Fortune ''Chasing Fortune'' (german: Die Jagd nach dem Glück) is a 1930 German drama film directed by Rochus Gliese and starring Catherine Hessling, Alexander Murski and Amy Wells. The film's art direction was by Gliese himself along with . It was init ...
'' (1930) * ''
I Go Out and You Stay Here ''I Go Out and You Stay Here'' (german: Ich geh' aus und Du bleibst da) is a 1931 German comedy film directed by Hans Behrendt and starring Camilla Horn, Berthe Ostyn, and Hermine Sterler. A separate French-language film was also produced. The ...
'' (1931) * ''
A Tremendously Rich Man ''A Tremendously Rich Man'' (German: ''Ein steinreicher Mann'') is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Steve Sekely and starring Curt Bois, Dolly Haas and Adele Sandrock. It premiered on 13 February 1932. The film was a co-production between ...
'' (1932) * ''
Five from the Jazz Band ''Five from the Jazz Band'' (german: Fünf von der Jazzband) is a 1932 German musical comedy film directed by Erich Engel and starring Jenny Jugo, Rolf von Goth, and Fritz Klippel. It is based on a 1927 play of the same name by Felix Jackson, and ...
'' (1932) * ''
How Shall I Tell My Husband? ''How Shall I Tell My Husband?'' (german: Wie sag' ich's meinem Mann?) is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Renate Müller, Georg Alexander, and Ida Wüst. It was shot at the Babelsberg and Tempelhof Studios in ...
'' (1932) * ''
Thea Roland ''Thea Roland'' or ''The Adventure of Thea Roland'' (German: ''Das Abenteuer der Thea Roland'') is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Lil Dagover, Hans Rehmann and Margarete Kupfer. The film marked the directorial de ...
'' (1932) * ''
Liebelei ' is a 1933 German period drama film directed by Max Ophüls and starring Magda Schneider, Wolfgang Liebeneiner, and Luise Ullrich. Production The film, based on a play of the same name ('' Liebelei'') by Arthur Schnitzler, describes an ill-f ...
'' (1933) * ''
Love, Death and the Devil ''Love, Death and the Devil'' (german: Liebe, Tod und Teufel) is a 1934 German drama film directed by Heinz Hilpert and Reinhart Steinbicker and starring Käthe von Nagy, Albin Skoda and Brigitte Horney. It is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's st ...
'' (1934) * ''
The Grand Duke's Finances ''The Grand Duke's Finances'' (german: Die Finanzen des Großherzogs) is a 1924 silent German comedy film directed by F. W. Murnau. Plot The Grand Duke of Abacco is heir to a small and heavily indebted Mediterranean island. The Grand Duke is ...
'' (1934) * ''
Make Me Happy ''Make Me Happy'' (german: Mach' mich glücklich) is a 1935 German musical comedy film directed by Arthur Robison and starring Julia Serda, Albert Lieven and Richard Romanowsky.Kreimeier p. 234 It was made by Germany's largest film company UFA. A ...
'' (1935) * ''
The Devil in the Bottle ''The Devil in the Bottle'' (French: ''Le diable en bouteille'') is a 1935 French-German drama film directed by Heinz Hilpert, Reinhart Steinbicker and Raoul Ploquin. It stars Käthe von Nagy, Pierre Blanchar and Gina Manès.Goble p.736 It was ...
'' (1935) * ''
Pygmalion Pygmalion or Pigmalion may refer to: Mythology * Pygmalion (mythology), a sculptor who fell in love with his statue Stage * ''Pigmalion'' (opera), a 1745 opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau * ''Pygmalion'' (Rousseau), a 1762 melodrama by Jean-Jacques ...
'' (1935) * ''
Girls in White ''Girls in White'' (german: Mädchen in Weiß) is a 1936 German musical comedy film directed by Victor Janson and starring Maria Cebotari, Iván Petrovich and Hilde von Stolz. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were design ...
'' (1936) * ''
Under Blazing Heavens ''Under Blazing Skies'' or ''Under Blazing Heavens'' (German: ''Unter heißem Himmel'') is a 1936 German adventure film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Hans Albers, Lotte Lang and Aribert Wäscher.Kreimeier p.237 It was shot at the Babel ...
'' (1936) * ''
Dance on the Volcano ''Dance on the Volcano'' (German: ''Tanz auf dem Vulkan'') is a 1938 German historical musical comedy film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Gustaf Gründgens, Sybille Schmitz and Ralph Arthur Roberts. It was shot at the Johannisthal Stu ...
'' (1938) * ''Heimat'' (1938) * ''
The Life and Loves of Tschaikovsky ''The Life and Loves of Tschaikovsky'' or ''It Was a Lovely Night at the Ball'' (german: Es war eine rauschende Ballnacht) is a 1939 German historical drama film directed by Carl Froelich and starring Zarah Leander, Aribert Wäscher and Hans Stü ...
'' (1939) * ''
Bel Ami ''Bel-Ami'' (, "Dear Friend") is the second novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, published in 1885; an English translation titled ''Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel'' first appeared in 1903. The story chronicles journalist ...
'' (1939) * ''
Das Herz der Königin ''Das Herz der Königin'' (''The Heart of the Queen'') is a 1940 German historical film, making selective use of the life story of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her execution by Queen Elizabeth I for anti-English and pro-Scottish propaganda, in the c ...
'' (1940) * ''
Ohm Krüger ''Ohm Krüger'' (English: ''Uncle Krüger'') is a 1941 German biographical film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Emil Jannings, Lucie Höflich, and Werner Hinz. It was one of a series of major propaganda films produced in Nazi Germany att ...
'' (1941) * ''
Wedding in Barenhof ''Wedding in Barenhof'' (german: Hochzeit auf Bärenhof) is a 1942 German historical comedy film directed by Carl Froelich and starring Heinrich George, Paul Wegener and Ilse Werner. The film's art direction was by Walter Haag. It was shot at th ...
'' (1942) * ''
Women Are No Angels ''Women Are No Angels'' (german: Frauen sind keine Engel) is a 1943 German comedy film directed by Willi Forst and starring Marte Harell, Axel von Ambesser and Margot Hielscher.Hake p. 58 The film was made by Wien-Film in Anschluss, German-occupi ...
'' (1943) * '' The Bath in the Barn'' (1943) * ''
And the Heavens Above Us ''And the Heavens Above Us'' (german: Und über uns der Himmel) is a 1947 German drama film directed by Josef von Báky and starring Hans Albers, Paul Edwin Roth and Lotte Koch. It was part of the post-war series of rubble films.Bergfelder, Tim ...
'' (1947) * ''
Chemistry and Love ''Chemistry and Love'' (german: Chemie und Liebe) is a 1948 East German comedy film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Hans Nielsen, Tilly Lauenstein and Ralph Lothar. It is an anti-capitalist satire inspired by a stage play by the c ...
'' (1948) * ''
The Trip to Marrakesh ''The Trip to Marrakesh'' (german: Die Reise nach Marrakesch) is a 1949 West German drama film directed by Richard Eichberg and starring Luise Ullrich, Maria Holst and Karl Ludwig Diehl. It was Eichberg's last film and his first in a decade, havi ...
'' (1949) * ''
Don't Dream, Annette ''Don't Dream, Annette'' (german: Träum' nicht, Annette) is a 1949 German comedy film directed by Eberhard Klagemann and Helmut Weiss and starring Jenny Jugo, Max Eckard and Karl Schönböck. It was made by DEFA in the Soviet Zone of Germany wh ...
'' (1949) * ''
Who Is This That I Love? ''Who Is This That I Love?'' (german: Wer bist du, den ich liebe?) is a 1950 West German musical comedy film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Jester Naefe, Adrian Hoven, and Iván Petrovich. It was shot at the Wiesbaden and Bavaria ...
'' (1950) * '' The Sinner'' (1951) * ''
Miracles Still Happen ''Miracles Still Happen'' ( it, I miracoli accadono ancora) is a 1974 Italian film directed by Giuseppe Maria Scotese. It features the story of Juliane Diller, the sole survivor of 92 passengers and crew, in the 24 December 1971 crash of LANSA F ...
'' (1951) * ''
The Sergeant's Daughter ''The Sergeant's Daughter'' (german: Der große Zapfenstreich) is a 1952 West German war romance film directed by George Hurdalek and starring Johanna Matz, Jan Hendriks and Friedrich Domin.Bock & Bergfelder p. 187 It was based on a 1903 novel by ...
'' (1952) * ''
Captive Soul ''Captive Soul'' (german: Gefangene Seele) is a 1952 West German drama film directed by Hans Wolff and starring Attila Hörbiger, Anne-Marie Blanc and Adrian Hoven.Bock & Bergfelder p.304 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios and on location in ...
'' (1952) * Piano Concerto (1945)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackeben, Theo 1897 births 1953 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century German composers 20th-century German conductors (music) 20th-century German male musicians German classical composers German male classical composers German male conductors (music) German film score composers Male film score composers People from Starogard Gdański People from West Prussia