Nicholas Brodszky
Nicholas "Slug" Brodszky (Russian: Николай Бродский; April 20, 1905 – December 24, 1958) was a composer of popular songs for the theatre and for films. Brodszky was born in Odessa, today Ukraine (previously in Russian Empire, 1772–1917), into a Jewish family, who moved to Budapest during the civil war in Russia. He spent many years studying and working in Rome, Vienna, Berlin and Budapest. In the 1920s he contributed songs to Viennese operettas. His first film was made in Vienna in 1930 and featured Richard Tauber and Gitta Alpar. He wrote the music for C B Cochran and A P Herbert's coronation revue Home and Beauty at the Adelphi Theatre in 1937. After a decade in the film industry in Germany and Austria, always keeping one step ahead of the rising Nazi party, he emigrated to the UK at the end of the 1930s. There he had some success providing music for the Terence Rattigan scripted film French Without Tears (1939), and The Way to the Stars (1949), both directed by Anthony Asquith. He also wrote the score for the Yiddish language film Der Purimspieler (1939). He emigrated once again to the United States at the end of the 1940s. In Hollywood, he composed for many musical films including The Toast of New Orleans (1950); Rich, Young and Pretty (1951); Because You're Mine (1952); Small Town Girl (1953); The Student Prince (1954); Love Me or Leave Me (1955); and Serenade (1956). Among the hit songs he wrote with lyricist Sammy Cahn were "Be My Love" (his most popular song, from The Toast of New Orleans), "I'll Never Stop Loving You," "Because You're Mine," "Serenade," and "My Destiny." He wrote three songs for The Student Prince: "Summertime in Heidelberg," "Beloved," and "I'll Walk with God" (with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster) to supplement the Sigmund Romberg musical score for the 1954 filmed version. Recordings of "Be My Love" and "Because You're Mine" made by the famous 1950s tenor and movie star Mario Lanza were million-seller hits (gold records) on the RCA Victor Red Seal label. Five of Nicholas Brodszky's musical compositions were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Original Song:
Brodszky was a tunesmith who always needed the help of arrangers and assistants to turn his ideas into finished compositions. These assistants included Roy Douglas, Philip Green, Skip Martin, Clive Richardson, Mischa Spoliansky, Albert Sendrey, Sidney Torch and Charles Williams, but they were rarely credited. Lionel Salter termed Brodszky a 'near-illiterate.' He died in Hollywood, California in 1958, aged 53. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Odesa (city in southwestern Ukraine, administrative center of Odesa Oblast and Odesa Raion), Died December 24, 1958 (Hollywood (neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1930 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, songwriter, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | 79702 | 10-in. | 9/27/1934 | Nada tão belo como teu amor | Maria Branca | Female vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | MBS-092768 | 10-in. | before 4/24/1951 | Sé mi amor | Fernando Fernández ; Orquesta Luis Arcaraz | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Gramophone | 0D800 | 10-in. | 2/19/1932 | Was kann so schön sein wie deine Liebe | Marek Weber Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | composer | |
| Gramophone | 0D803 | 10-in. | 12/19/1932 | Kannst du gut küssen? | Marek Weber Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | composer | |
| Gramophone | 0B1256 | 10-in. | 7/2/1931 | O cara mia | Jack Hylton Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Gramophone | 0D1769 | 10-in. | 10/16/1933 | Ich hab' dieses Lied für dich erdacht | Orchester Ludwig Rüth | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | composer | |
| Gramophone | BD9274 | 10-in. | 11/14/1930 | O cara mia | Marek Weber Orchestra ; Leo Moll | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Odeon | CE7213 | 10-in. | 10/28/1935 | Loneliness | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Odeon | CE8062 | 10-in. | 2/8/1937 | Sing something in the morning | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Odeon | CE8063 | 10-in. | 2/8/1937 | No more | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Odeon | CE8065 | 10-in. | 2/15/1937 | Twilight sonata | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with two pianos | composer | |
| Patria | 308 | 10-in. | October 1936 | Egy zengö keringö | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Patria | 312 | 10-in. | October 1936 | Nem Tudom... | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor (Canada) | 1004 | 10-in. | before 3/22/1951 | Pour t'aimer | Luis Mariano ; Allan McIver | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Parlophon | W133335 | 10-in. | 12/3/1931 | Du bist das Abenteuer | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Parlophon | W133476 | 10-in. | 3/17/1932 | Was kann so schön sein wie deine Liebe | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Parlophon | W133477 | 10-in. | 3/17/1932 | Mädel, so bist du | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Parlophon | W133478 | 10-in. | 3/17/1932 | Dort wo die Wälder grün | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Parlophon | W133479 | 10-in. | 3/22/1932 | Für dich sing' ich meine schönsten Lieder | Gitta Alpár | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | WB5442 | 10-in. | 6/23/1933 | Piccola Madonna | Giovanni Assante | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CB6219 | 10-in. | 8/29/1934 | Oggi son tanta innamorato | Lotte Menas | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CB6220 | 10-in. | 8/29/1934 | Bella signora, pardon | Lotte Menas | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CB6221 | 10-in. | 8/29/1934 | Tanta scienza | Lotte Menas | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CB14220 | 10-in. | 7/9/1955 | Soltanto tu | Carlo Buti | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Brodszky, Nicholas," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103925.
Brodszky, Nicholas. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103925.
"Brodszky, Nicholas." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Nicholas Brodzsky
Discogs: Nicholas Brodszky
Grove: Nicholas Brodszky
IMDb: Nicholas Brodszky
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Brodszky, Nicholas - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82153092
Wikidata: Nicholas Brodzsky - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1991393
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/12496228
MusicBrainz: Nicholas Brodzsky - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3d361dba-4b1f-41b6-a56d-b5a116278d20
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