Bronisław Kaper (; February 5, 1902 – April 26, 1983) was a Polish film composer who scored films and musical theater in

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, and the USA. The American immigration authorities misspelled his name as Bronislau Kaper. He was also variously credited as Bronislaw Kaper, Bronislaw Kapper, Benjamin Kapper, and Edward Kane. Kaper is perhaps best remembered as the composer of the jazz standards " On Green Dolphin Street" (lyrics by

Ned Washington Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington, August 15, 1901 – December 20, 1976) was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Life and career Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Be ...

) and " Invitation" (lyrics by

Paul Francis Webster Paul Francis Webster (December 20, 1907 – March 18, 1984) was an American lyricist who won three Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and was nominated sixteen times for the award. Life and career Webster was born in New York City, United S ...

) which were the respective title songs for the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

films '' Green Dolphin Street'' (1947) and '' Invitation'' (1952). He also scored the

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

film musical '' Lili'' (1953) for which he received the

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by ...

. Kaper's later works include ''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the ''Bounty'' occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship, , from their captain, Lieutenant (navy), Lieutenant William Bli ...

'' (1962), '' Lord Jim'' (1965) and the TV series '' The F.B.I.'' (1965–1974).

Biography

Bronisław Kaper was born in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, Poland, to an

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Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family, and began playing the piano at the age of six, and soon demonstrated considerable talent on this instrument. He studied composition and piano at the Warsaw Conservatory, and law at Warsaw University, in deference to his father's wishes. Soon after completing his studies, Kaper went to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

—then a city teeming with theaters and cabarets, where many artists from other parts of Europe lived. In Berlin, in the late 1920s, Kaper met another young composer, the Austrian Walter Jurmann. The two worked as a team, first in Berlin and then, after the Nazis took power in Germany, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. The emergence of sound film created a major market for their talents. In Paris, they composed music for films directed by persons who had fled the rise of Nazism and consequent persecution of Jews and other minorities. In 1935, upon being offered a seven-year contract with MGM by studio head

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been: * Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...

, Kaper and Jurmann emigrated to the United States, where they continued their work. One of their first American films was the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

comedy '' A Night at the Opera'' (1935), for which they composed the song "Cosi-Cosa". Kaper and Jurmann also co-wrote the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for the 1936 film ''

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

''. They worked again with the Marx Brothers on their follow-up film, '' A Day at the Races'' (1937), for which Kaper, Jurmann, and

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (G ...

wrote the song " All God's Chillun Got Rhythm", which became a minor jazz standard. Kaper was part of a significant community of refugees in Los Angeles during the 1940s who had fled Nazi-occupied/war-torn Europe for the United States. This community included composers, writers, and filmmakers such as

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

and

Heinrich Mann Luiz Heinrich Mann (; March 27, 1871 – March 11, 1950), best known as simply Heinrich Mann, was a German writer known for his sociopolitical novels. From 1930 until 1933, he was president of the fine poetry division of the Prussian Academy ...

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

Lion Feuchtwanger Lion Feuchtwanger (; 7 July 1884 – 21 December 1958) was a German Jewish novelist and playwright. A prominent figure in the literary world of Weimar Republic, Weimar Germany, he influenced contemporaries including playwright Bertolt Brecht. ...

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...

, Hanns Eisler, and Berthold and Salka Viertel. His sole musical theater venture in New York was 1946's ''Polonaise,'' for which he both adapted music by Chopin, and composed many numbers himself."Polonaise, New Musical, Billed for Erlanger." Buffalo (NY) Courier-Express, 3 February 1946. In 1947, Kaper scored the

film '' Green Dolphin Street'', whose title song " On Green Dolphin Street" (lyrics by

) is perhaps Kaper's most enduring and popular composition. It has since become a

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

, recorded by artists including

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

, and Eric Dolphy. Kaper composed perhaps his second most-enduring song "

Invitation (song) "Invitation" is a song by Bronisław Kaper with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster, which originally appeared in the film '' A Life of Her Own'' (1950). Although it was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Score in the original film, it only b ...

" (lyrics by

) for director

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

's melodrama '' A Life of Her Own''; but it was not until its use as the theme song for the 1952 film '' Invitation'' that the song became popular. "Invitation" has been widely recorded, by artists including

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

, Rosemary Clooney,

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

, and

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987), was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, ...

as the title track of his 1983 album '' Invitation (Jaco Pastorius album)''. In 1954, Kaper won an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

for scoring of the musical '' Lili'' (1953) starring Leslie Caron, and featuring Kaper's song " Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" with lyrics by Helen Deutsch. Kaper also scored Caron's next film, '' The Glass Slipper'', a musical adaptation of the fairy tale

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

. In 1959, Kaper composed most of the music for MGM's production of '' Green Mansions'' with

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

and Anthony Perkins, after MGM had asked Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos to write the score. Only some of Villa-Lobos' music was used in the film; much of the rest was later arranged as the secular cantata '' Forest of the Amazons'', which Villa-Lobos recorded in

stereophonic sound Stereophonic sound, commonly shortened to stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configurat ...

for

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

with the

Symphony of the Air The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, the parent corporation of the National Broadcasting Company especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC S ...

. One of Kaper's last projects under his MGM contract was also his most ambitious: the big-budget 1962 remake of ''

'' starring

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

, for which he wrote epic seafaring melodies as well as native Polynesian music (Nominated for

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for Best Musical Score). MGM had originally wanted composer Miklós Rózsa (who was known for lush epics) to score this remake, but Rózsa declined. The film's love theme "Love Song from Mutiny on the Bounty (Follow Me)" has found a place in the repertoire of popular Polynesian music and is occasionally performed for tourists at Luaus. Kaper's interest in melding exotic indigenous music with traditional styles continued in '' Lord Jim'', where he introduced Western audiences to the unique sound of the southeast-Asian

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

orchestra. For television, Kaper composed the theme music and several scores for the

Quinn Martin Quinn Martin (born Irwin Martin Cohn; May 22, 1922 – September 5, 1987) was an American television producer. He had at least one television series running in prime time every year for 21 straight years (from 1959 to 1980). Martin is a memb ...

-produced series '' The F.B.I.'' In total, Kaper composed music for nearly 150 Hollywood films.

Credits on Broadway

*''Polonaise'' (1945) –

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

–

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

*''Mostly Sondheim'' (2002) –

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

– featured

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

Recordings - film scores

Recordings of many of Kaper's film scores were not available in his lifetime but, in recent decades, many of these previously unavailable recordings have been re-released and/or re-recorded on compact disc for labels like Monstrous Movie Music ('' Them!''), and Film Score Monthly ('' Lili'', '' Home from the Hill'', '' The Swan'' and others).

Legacy

The Bronisław Kaper Awards

The Bronisław Kaper Awards For Young Artists are held annually by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the piano and strings instrumental categories, which alternate each year. Named in honor of Bronisław Kaper, who served for more than 15 years as a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association's Board of Directors, the Awards encourage the development of young and gifted musicians. Award winners receive monetary awards: first place receiving $2,500, second place receiving $2,000 and Most Promising Musician winning $500. The 2007 Bronisław Kaper Awards competition has been for string players.

Selected filmography

* '' The Big Attraction'' (1931) * '' A Mad Idea'' (1932) * '' His Highness Love'' (1931) * '' Marriage with Limited Liability'' (1931) * '' Scandal on Park Street'' (1932) * '' Three on a Honeymoon'' (1932) * '' Honeymoon Trip'' (1933) * '' Things Are Getting Better Already'' (1932) * '' Madame Wants No Children'' (1933) * '' A Song for You'' (1933) * ''

Today Is the Day Today Is the Day is an American noise rock and Avant-garde metal, experimental metal band that originally formed in Nashville, Tennessee. The band's diverse sound combines influences from areas such as noise music, avant-garde metal, grindcore ...

'' (1933) * '' All for Love'' (1933) * '' A Man Has Been Stolen'' (1934) * '' Moscow Nights'' (1934) * '' A Day at the Races'' (1937) * '' The Captain Is a Lady'' (1940) * '' Above Suspicion'' (1943) * '' Gaslight'' (1944) * '' Mrs. Parkington'' (1944) * '' The Stranger'' (1946) * '' The Great Sinner'' (1949) * '' A Life of Her Own'' (1950) * '' To Please a Lady'' (1950) * '' The Red Badge of Courage'' (1951) * '' The Naked Spur'' (1953) * '' Lili'' (1953) * '' Them!'' (1954) * '' The Prodigal'' (1955) * '' The Glass Slipper'' (1955) * '' The Adventures of Quentin Durward'' (1955) * '' The Swan'' (1956) * '' Somebody Up There Likes Me'' (1956) * '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1957) * '' Jet Pilot'' (1957) * '' Don't Go Near the Water'' (1957) * '' The Brothers Karamazov'' (1958) * '' Auntie Mame'' (1958) * '' Green Mansions'' (1959) * ''

The Scapegoat A scapegoat is a goat used in a religious ritual or the victim of scapegoating, the singling out of a party for unmerited blame. Scapegoat or The Scapegoat may also refer to: Places * Scapegoat Wilderness, a Wilderness Area in Montana ** Scapego ...

'' (1959) * '' Home from the Hill'' (1960) * ''

BUtterfield 8 ''BUtterfield 8'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Taylor won her first Academy Award for her performance in a leading role. The film was based on a 1935 novel of the same ...

'' (1960) * '' Ada'' (1961) * ''

'' (1962) * '' Kisses for My President'' (1964) * '' Lord Jim'' (1965) * ''

Tobruk Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

'' (1967) * '' The Way West'' (1967) * ''

Counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

'' (1968) * '' A Flea in Her Ear'' (1968)

Sources

* Viertel, Salka, ''The Kindness of Strangers'' (New York: Rinehart,1969), pp. 250–251 * Elisabeth Buxbaum: ''Veronika, der Lenz ist da. Walter Jurmann – Ein Musiker zwischen den Welten und Zeiten''. Mit einem Werkverzeichnis von Alexander Sieghardt. Edition Steinbauer, Wien 2006,

References

External links

* *
Kaper filmography/discography at Soundtrack Collector
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaper, Bronislaw 1902 births 1983 deaths American film score composers Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Musicians from Warsaw Polish film score composers American male film score composers 20th-century Polish classical composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Jewish American film score composers 20th-century American Jews Polish emigrants to the United States Polish expatriates in Germany Polish expatriates in France