Wilhelm Grosz

Wilhelm Grosz (11 August 1894 – 10 December 1939) (sometimes credited as Hugh Williams) was an Austrian composer, pianist, and conductor.

Wilhelm Grosz was born in Vienna. He studied music with Richard Robert, Franz Schreker and Guido Adler. In 1921 he was appointed conductor of the Mannheim Opera, but returned to Vienna in 1922, where he worked as a pianist and composer. From 1927 he was the artistic manager of the Ultraphone Gramophone company in Berlin. In 1933 he became conductor of the Kammerspiele Theater in Vienna.

Forced to flee his native land because of the Nazi takeover, Grosz resettled in England in 1934. However, he found little interest there for his avant garde musical style. He was able to apply a considerable melodic gift to setting the lyrics of popular songs, some of which became international successes. Most of his most popular titles were written with lyricist Jimmy Kennedy: "Harbour Lights", "Red Sails in the Sunset", "When Budapest Was Young", and "Isle of Capri".

Grosz's classical compositions include three operas, two ballets, incidental music for three plays, scores for a number of films, orchestral works, a Symphonic Dance for piano and orchestra, chamber music, piano pieces and songs.

Afrika-Songs, a song cycle for two vocal soloists and chamber ensemble, was first performed in 1930. It utilizes texts by Afro-American poets, mainly Langston Hughes, and a strongly blues-flavored sound. Both Afrika-Songs and a selection of the pop tunes, along with other of Grosz's works, were recorded in the mid-1990s by Decca Records, as part of their series called Entartete Musik (subtitled "Music Suppressed By the Third Reich").

He died in 1939 in New York City.

Birth and Death Data: Born August 11, 1894 (Vienna), Died December 10, 1939 (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1931 - 1946

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, songwriter

Notes: Name sometimes appears as Will Grosz. Used the pseudonym Hugh Williams.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 51 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-047530 10-in. 2/5/1940 Red sails in the sunset Riley Puckett Male vocal solo, with guitar and mandolin composer  
Victor BS-048716 10-in. 4/4/1940 Make-believe Island Mitchell Ayres ; Fashions-in-Music ; Mary Ann Mercer Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-048906 10-in. 4/15/1940 Make-Believe Island Dick Todd Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer  
Victor BS-050134 10-in. 4/24/1940 Make-Believe Island Tommy Ryan ; Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-054960 10-in. 8/1/1940 Isla de ensueños Tito Coral Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor BS-055581 10-in. 9/3/1940 Shadows on the sand Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-056131 10-in. 9/17/1940 Shadows on the sand Frank Sinatra ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-057389 10-in. 11/12/1940 Along the Santa Fe trail Jimmy Brown ; Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-057612 10-in. 11/8/1940 Along the Santa Fe Trail Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-057644 10-in. 11/14/1940 Along the Santa Fe Trail Dick Todd Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer  
Victor BS-068137 10-in. 10/31/1941 Isle of Capri Arturo and his Cubano Rhythm Jazz/dance quintet composer  
Victor D6VB-2053 10-in. 4/24/1946 Isle of Capri Buddy Cole Orchestra ; Four King Sisters Female vocal quartet, with jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia CO43808 10-in. 5/4/1950 Ten pretty girls Adolph Hofner and his San Antonians String band songwriter  
Columbia CO17701 10-in. 6/6/1935 L'isola di Capri Clara Stella Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble composer  
OKeh W404885 10-in. 3/18/1931 Do I really deserve it from you? Fred Rich Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Brunswick E36081 10-in. 2/16/1931 Do I really deserve it from you Ozzie Nelson Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Brunswick LA391 10-in. 7/12/1935 La Isla de Capri : Tango canción Los Madrugadores Vocal and instrumental ensemble composer  
Gramophone 0HC182 10-in. 10/21/1936 Je daleko Šanghaj Dol Dauber se Svými Solisty Instrumental ensemble, with vocal composer  
Gramophone 0EA1953 10-in. 8/14/1935 Red sails in the sunset Jack Jackson Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Gramophone 0EA3807 10-in. 6/12/1936 Poor little Angeline Sid Buckman ; Roy Fox Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Gramophone 0EA3815 10-in. 5/9/1936 or 6/26/1936 At the Cafe Continental Denny Dennis ; Roy Fox Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0EA4112 10-in. 10/29/1936 The miller's daughter, Marianne Sid Buckman ; Roy Fox Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0EA4638 10-in. Before 5/19/1937 Harbor lights Barry Gray ; Roy Fox Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Gramophone 0EA5429 10-in. 8/16/1937 Ten pretty girls Ronnie Munro Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal songwriter  
Columbia (U.K.) CL5070 10-in. 11/2/1934 C'est a capri Marcel Carivan ; Tino Rossi Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
(Results 26-50 of 51 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Grosz, Wilhelm," accessed April 18, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108685.

Grosz, Wilhelm. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108685.

"Grosz, Wilhelm." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 18 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108685

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