Wolfgang Zeller (12 September 1893 – 11 January 1967) was a German composer noted for his complex film music.

Life

Born in Biesenrode (now part of

Mansfeld Mansfeld, sometimes also unofficially Mansfeld-Lutherstadt, is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Protestant reformator Martin Luther grew up in Mansfeld, and in 1993 the town became one of sixteen places in ...

Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the merg ...

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, Zeller was the son of a vicar. As a child, he studied violin and showed an aptitude for composition. After graduating from high school in Potsdam, Zeller continued studies with violinist Felix Berger in Munich, and with composer Jean Paul Ertel, in Berlin. Zeller fought in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. After being discharged from duty due to an injury, he made a living as a violinist with the Deutsches Opernhaus. Between 1921 and 1929 he was violinist and in-house composer for the Berlin

Volksbühne The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") is a theater in Berlin. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (Rosa Luxemburg Square) in what was the GDR's capital. It has been called Berlin's most iconic theatre. About The Vol ...

orchestra. Wolfgang Zeller died in

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 constitu ...

in 1967.

Film music

His film music career was launched with the orchestral score he composed for ''

The Adventures of Prince Achmed ''The Adventures of Prince Achmed'' (known as ''Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed'' in German) is a 1926 German animated fairytale film by Lotte Reiniger. It is the oldest surviving animated feature film; two earlier ones were made in Argentin ...

''. The animated film created by

Lotte Reiniger Charlotte "Lotte" Reiniger (2 June 1899 – 19 June 1981) was a German film director and the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation. Her best known films are ''The Adventures of Prince Achmed'', from 1926, the first feature-length animated fil ...

premiered in Berlin in 1926. The score for

Walter Ruttmann Walter Ruttmann (28 December 1887 – 15 July 1941) was a German cinematographer and film director, an important German abstract experimental film maker, along with Hans Richter, Viking Eggeling and Oskar Fischinger. He is best known for dire ...

's Melodie der Welt, the first full-length German sound film, followed in 1929. During the Third Reich, Zeller wrote music for propaganda films such as

Jud Süß (, "Süss the Jew") is a 1940 Nazi German historical drama and propaganda film produced by Terra Film at the behest of Joseph Goebbels. It is considered one of the most antisemitic films of all time. The film was directed by Veit Harlan, who ...

(1940) directed by

Veit Harlan Veit Harlan (22 September 1899 – 13 April 1964) was a German film director and actor. Harlan reached the highpoint of his career as a director in the Nazi era; most notably his antisemitic film '' Jud Süß'' (1940) makes him controversia ...

. After the war, Mr. Zeller continued to work as a film composer and wrote music for anti-fascist films like

Marriage in the Shadows ''Marriage in the Shadows'' (German: ''Ehe im Schatten'') is 1947 German melodrama film directed by Kurt Maetzig and starring Paul Klinger, Ilse Steppat and Alfred Balthoff. It was produced in the Soviet zone in what later became East Germany ...

(1947). Zeller's last score was for the documentary

Serengeti Shall Not Die ''Serengeti Shall Not Die'' (german: Serengeti darf nicht sterben; also known as ''Serengeti'' ) is a 1959 German documentary film written and directed by Bernhard Grzimek. His son, cinematographer Michael Grzimek, died on-location during the fi ...

(1959) by Bernhard Grzimek.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1926) * ''

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (gi ...

'' (1928) * '' Melody of the World'' (1928) *''

Land Without Women ''Land Without Women'' (german: Das Land ohne Frauen) is a 1929 German drama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Conrad Veidt, Elga Brink and Clifford McLaglen. It was based on the novel ''Die Braut Nr. 68'' by Peter Bolt. The film is ...

'' (1929) * ''

Miss Europe Miss Europe is a beauty pageant for European women from all over Europe. It was established in February 1927 by Fanamet, the European distributor of Paramount, as a one-off event where the winner was to star in a film directed by Friedrich ...

'' (1930) * ''Menschen im Busch'' (1931) * '' Vampyr'' 1932 * ''

Sacred Waters Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cleric ...

'' (1932) * '' Die Herrin von Atlantis'' (1932) * ''Insel der Dämonen'' (1933) * ''

The King's Prisoner ''The King's Prisoner'' (german: Der Gefangene des Königs) is a 1935 German historical comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Michael Bohnen, Paul Kemp, and Susi Lanner. It is based around the development of Meissen porcelain during ...

'' (1935) * ''

The Old and the Young King ''The Old and the Young King'' (German: ''Der alte und der junge König'') is a 1935 German historical drama film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Emil Jannings, Werner Hinz and Leopoldine Konstantin. The film's sets were designed by the ...

'' (1935) * '' Ewiger Wald'' (1936) * ''

Der Herrscher ''The Ruler'' (German: ''Der Herrscher'') is a 1937 German drama film directed by Veit Harlan. It was adapted from the play of the same name by Gerhart Hauptmann. Erwin Leiser calls it a propagandistic demonstration of the Führerprinzip of Na ...

'' (1937) * ''

The Ruler ''The Ruler'' (German: ''Der Herrscher'') is a 1937 German drama film directed by Veit Harlan. It was adapted from the play of the same name by Gerhart Hauptmann. Erwin Leiser calls it a propagandistic demonstration of the Führerprinzip of ...

'' (1937) * ''

The Broken Jug ''The Broken Jug'' (german: Der zerbrochne Krug, link=no, , also sometimes translated ''The Broken Pitcher'') is a comedy written by the German playwright Heinrich von Kleist. Kleist first conceived the idea for the play in 1801, upon looking at ...

'' (1937) * '' Ride to Freedom'' (1937) * '' People Who Travel'' (1938) * '' You and I'' (1938) * '' Travelling People'' (1938) * ''

Target in the Clouds ''Target in the Clouds'' (German: ''Ziel in den Wolken'') is a 1939 German drama film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Albert Matterstock, Leny Marenbach and Brigitte Horney. It was based on a novel by Hans Rabl. The film portrays t ...

'' (1939) * ''

Police Report In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...

'' (1939) * '' The Governor'' (1939) * ''

Robert Koch Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch ( , ; 11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) was a German physician and microbiologist. As the discoverer of the specific causative agents of deadly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, cholera (though the bacteri ...

'' (1939) * ''

'' (1940) * '' Sky Hounds'' (1942) * ''

Andreas Schlüter Andreas Schlüter (1659 – c. June 1714) was a German baroque sculptor and architect, active in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Tsardom. Biography Andreas Schlüter was b ...

'' (1942) * '' Immensee'' (1943) * ''

The Enchanted Day ''The Enchanted Day'' (german: Der verzauberte Tag) is a 1944 German romantic drama film directed by Peter Pewas and starring Winnie Markus, Hans Stüwe and Ernst Waldow.O'Brien p. 221 It explores the romantic ambitions of two women who work a ...

'' (1944) * ''

The Years Pass ''The Years Pass'' (german: Die Jahre vergehen) is a 1945 German drama film directed by Günther Rittau and starring Heidemarie Hatheyer, Carl Kuhlmann and Werner Fuetterer.Bock & Bergfelder p. 33 It was shot at the Althoff Studios in Berlin and ...

'' (1945) * ''

'' (1947) * '' Morituri'' (1948) * ''

The Court Concert ''The Court Concert'' (german: Das Hofkonzert) is a 1936 German historical romantic comedy film directed by Detlef Sierck (later known as Douglas Sirk), and starring Mártha Eggerth, Johannes Heesters, and Kurt Meisel.Hake p. 142 It was made by ...

'' (1948) * '' The Last Night'' (1949) * '' The Murder Trial of Doctor Jordan'' (1949) * '' Where the Trains Go'' (1949) * ''

Second Hand Destiny ''Second Hand Destiny'' (german: Schicksal aus zweiter Hand) is a 1949 West German drama film directed by Wolfgang Staudte and starring Erich Ponto, Heinz Klevenow and Marianne Hoppe. It is sometimes considered a film noir.Spicer p. 460 At the t ...

'' (1949) * '' The Lie'' (1950) * ''

Eyes of Love Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...

'' (1951) * '' Two People'' (1952) * ''

Life Begins at Seventeen ''Life Begins at Seventeen'' (german: Mit siebzehn beginnt das Leben) is a 1953 West German romance film directed by Paul Martin and starring Sonja Ziemann, Paul Hubschmid and Paul Hörbiger.Bock & Bergfelder p.553 It was shot at the Tempelhof S ...

'' (1953) * ''

Red Roses, Red Lips, Red Wine ''Red Roses, Red Lips, Red Wine'' (german: Rote Rosen, rote Lippen, roter Wein) is a 1953 West German romantic drama film directed by Paul Martin and starring Gardy Granass, John Van Dreelen, and Rolf von Nauckhoff.Bock & Bergfelder p. 241 It ...

'' (1953) * ''

You Can No Longer Remain Silent ''You Can No Longer Remain Silent'' (German: ''Du darfst nicht länger schweigen'') is a 1955 West German romantic drama film directed by Robert A. Stemmle and starring Heidemarie Hatheyer, Wilhelm Borchert and Werner Hinz.Bock & Bergfelder p. ...

'' (1955) * ''

A Heart Returns Home ''A Heart Returns Home'' (german: Ein Herz kehrt heim) is a 1956 West German musical drama film directed by Eugen York and starring Maximilian Schell, Willy Birgel and Maria Holst.Parish p.41 It was shot at the Wandsbek Studios in Hamburg and on ...

'' (1956) * ' (1958) * ''

'' (1959)

References

"The concise Cinegraph: encyclopaedia of German cinema"
By Hans-Michael Bock, Tim Bergfelder

External links

*
French biography pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeller, Wolfgang 1893 births 1967 deaths People from Mansfeld People from the Province of Saxony German military personnel of World War I German Protestants German film score composers Male film score composers German male composers 20th-century German composers 20th-century German male musicians Burials at the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf