View source for Erich Wolfgang Korngold

{{Short description|Austrian-born American composer and conductor (1897–1957)}}
{{redirect|Korngold|others of the same name|Korngold (surname)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name           = Erich Wolfgang Korngold
| image          = Erich Wolfgang Korngold 01.jpg
| imagesize      = 
| caption        = Korngold (undated, {{c.|1912}})
| birth_name     = 
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1897|5|29|mf=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Brno]], [[Margraviate of Moravia|Moravia]], [[Austria-Hungary]]
| death_date     = {{Death date and age|1957|11|29|1897|5|29|mf=y}}
| death_place    = Los Angeles, California
| occupation     = {{hlist|Composer|conductor|pianist}}
| known_for      = Operas, [[film score]]s, symphonic and chamber music
| citizenship    = {{ubl|Austria|United States (from 1943)}}
| years_active   = 1909–1957
| spouse         = {{marriage|Luise von Sonnenthal|1924}}
}}

'''Erich Wolfgang Korngold''' ({{IPA|de|ˈeːʁɪç ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈkɔʁnɡɔlt|lang}}; May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an [[Austria|Austrian]] composer and conductor, who fled Europe in the mid-1930s and later adopted US nationality. A [[child prodigy]], he became one of the most important and influential composers in [[history of Hollywood|Hollywood history]].<ref name=Burlingame/> He was a noted pianist and composer of classical music, along with music for [[Classical Hollywood cinema|Hollywood films]], and the first composer of international stature to write Hollywood scores.<ref name=Burlingame>{{YouTube|aRrmWe-r9cI|Burlingame, Jon. "Erich Wolfgang Korngold: A Retrospective"}}, video, 9 min.</ref><ref name=Jeromski />

When he was 11, his ballet ''Der Schneemann'' (The Snowman) became a sensation in Vienna; his Second Piano Sonata, which he wrote at age 13, was played throughout Europe by [[Artur Schnabel]]. His one-act operas ''[[Violanta]]'' and ''[[Der Ring des Polykrates (opera)|Der Ring des Polykrates]]'' were premiered in Munich in 1916, conducted by [[Bruno Walter]]. At 23, his opera ''[[Die tote Stadt]]'' (The Dead City) premiered in Hamburg and Cologne. In 1921 he conducted the Hamburg Opera.<ref name=Oxford>[[Michael Kennedy (music critic)|Kennedy, Michael]]. ''The Oxford Dictionary of Music'', Oxford Univ. Press (2013) p. 464</ref> During the 1920s he re-orchestrated, re-arranged and nearly re-composed several operettas by [[Johann Strauss II]]. By 1931 he was a professor of music at the [[University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna|Vienna State Academy]].

At the request of motion picture director [[Max Reinhardt]], and due to the rise of the [[Nazi regime]], Korngold moved to Hollywood in 1934 to write music for films. His first was Reinhardt's [[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935 film)|''A Midsummer Night's Dream'']] (1935). He subsequently wrote scores for such films as ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]'' (1935), which helped boost the career of its starring newcomer, [[Errol Flynn]]. His score for ''[[Anthony Adverse]]'' (1936) won an Oscar; two years later he won another Oscar for ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' (1938).

Korngold scored 16 Hollywood films in all, and received two more nominations for Oscars. Along with [[Max Steiner]] and [[Alfred Newman]], he is one of the founders of American [[Film score|film music]]. Although his late-Romantic style of classical composition was no longer as popular when he died in 1957, his music underwent a resurgence of interest in the 1970s beginning with the release of the RCA Red Seal album ''The Sea Hawk: The Classic Film Scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold'' (1972). This album, produced by his son [[George Korngold]], was hugely popular and ignited interest in his other film music (and that of other classic film composers), as well as in his concert music, which often incorporates popular themes from his film scores (an example being the [[Violin Concerto (Korngold)|Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35]], which incorporates themes from four of his motion picture scores and has become part of the standard repertoire).

==Early years as prodigy==
Erich Wolfgang Korngold was born to a Jewish family in Brünn, [[Austria-Hungary]] (present-day [[Brno]], [[Czech Republic]]). Erich was the second son of eminent music critic [[Julius Korngold|(Leopold) Julius Korngold]] (1860–1945); his older brother, {{ill|Hans Robert Korngold|de}} (1892–1965), also became a musician. A child prodigy living in [[Vienna]], Erich could play four-hand piano arrangements alongside his father at age five. He was also able to reproduce any melody he heard on the piano, along with playing complete and elaborate chords. By age seven, he was writing original music.<ref name= Thomas/>{{rp|11}}

Korngold played his [[cantata]] ''Gold'' for [[Gustav Mahler]] in 1906; Mahler called him a "musical genius" and recommended he study with composer [[Alexander von Zemlinsky]]. [[Richard Strauss]] also spoke highly of the youth, and along with Mahler told Korngold's father there was no benefit in having his son enroll in a music conservatory since his abilities were already years ahead of what he could learn there.<ref name= Thomas/>{{rp|11}}

At age 11, he composed his ballet ''Der Schneemann'' (''The Snowman''), which became a sensation when performed at the [[Vienna State Opera|Vienna Court Opera]] in 1910, including a command performance for Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Josef]].<ref name=Jeromski/> He continued composing with great success throughout his teens.<ref name=Sadie>{{cite book|editor-first= Stanley | editor-last= Sadie | editor-link= Stanley Sadie |title=[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]| volume= 2| publisher= Macmillan| year=1992|pages=1029–1031}}</ref> At age 12, he composed a piano trio. His Piano Sonata No. 2 in E major, which  followed, was played throughout Europe by [[Artur Schnabel]].<ref name= "carroll13823">Carroll. ''New Grove (2001)'', 13:823.</ref> During these early years he also made live-recording [[player piano]] music rolls for the [[Ludwig Hupfeld|Hupfeld]] DEA and Phonola system and also the Aeolian Duo-Art system, which survive today and can be heard.<ref name= classical>{{cite web | url= http://www.classicalconnect.com/composer/Erich%20Wolfgang%20Korngold | title= Erich Wolfgang Korngold Biography | website= ClassicalConnect.com | access-date= November 23, 2016 | archive-date= December 1, 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161201045710/http://www.classicalconnect.com/composer/Erich%20Wolfgang%20Korngold | url-status= live }}</ref>

Korngold wrote his first orchestral score, the ''Schauspiel-Ouvertüre'', when he was 14. His ''[[Sinfonietta (Korngold)|Sinfonietta]]'' appeared the following year, and his first two operas, ''Der Ring des Polykrates'' and ''Violanta'', in 1914.<ref name= bio>{{cite web| url= http://www.korngold-society.org/bio.html| title= Biography of Erich Korngold| publisher= Korngold Society| website= korngold-society.org| access-date= November 23, 2016| archive-date= November 24, 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161124024811/http://www.korngold-society.org/bio.html| url-status= live}}</ref> In 1916, he wrote songs, chamber works, and incidental music, including to ''[[Much Ado About Nothing#Adaptations|Much Ado About Nothing]]'', which ran for some 80 performances in Vienna.<ref name= Sadie />

==Composing career in Europe==
Korngold was active in the theatre throughout Europe while in his 20s. After the success of his opera ''[[Die tote Stadt]]'', which he conducted in many opera houses, he developed a passion for the music of [[Johann Strauss II]] and managed to exhume a number of lost scores.<ref name= Thomas />{{rp|13}} He orchestrated and staged them using new concepts.<ref name= Thomas />{{rp|13}} Both [[Eine Nacht in Venedig|''A Night in Venice'']] and [[Cagliostro in Wien|''Cagliostro in Vienna'']] are Korngold re-creations;<ref name=Thomas />{{rp|13}} these were the works that first drew the attention of [[Max Reinhardt]] to Korngold.<ref name=Thomas />{{rp|13}}

By this point Korngold had reached the zenith of his fame as a composer of opera and concert music. Composers such as [[Richard Strauss]] and [[Giacomo Puccini]] heaped praise upon him, and many famous conductors, soloists and singers added his works to their repertoires. He began collaborating with Reinhardt on many productions, including a collection of little-known Strauss pieces that they arranged, [[Waltzes from Vienna|''Waltzes From Vienna'']].<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|13}} It was retitled ''The Great Waltz'' and became the basis for a 1934 British film directed by [[Alfred Hitchcock]]<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|13}} and a film by the [[The Great Waltz (1938 film)|same name]] in the US, starring [[Luise Rainer]]. Korngold conducted staged versions in Los Angeles in 1949 and 1953.<ref name= Thomas/>{{rp|13}}

He completed a [[Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Korngold)|Concerto for Piano Left Hand]] for pianist [[Paul Wittgenstein]] in 1923 and his fourth opera, ''[[Das Wunder der Heliane]]'', four years later. He started arranging and conducting [[operetta]]s by Johann Strauss II and others while teaching opera and composition at the Vienna Staatsakademie. Korngold was awarded the title professor ''honoris causa'' by the [[president of Austria]].<ref name= "carroll13823"/>{{when?|date=September 2025}}

==Composer for Hollywood films==

===''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (1935)===
After Max Reinhardt's success in producing [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' for the stage, using [[A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn)|incidental music]] by [[Felix Mendelssohn]], he invited Korngold to Hollywood in 1934 to adapt Mendelssohn's score for his planned film version.<ref name=Thomas>Thomas, Tony. ''Korngold: Vienna to Hollywood'', Turner Entertainment (1996)</ref>{{rp|8}} Korngold would also enlarge and conduct the score.

[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935 film)|The film]], which was released in 1935, was a first for [[Warner Brothers]] studio in producing a film based on a 400-year-old work of literary art. The studio assigned almost every star or character actor under contract to take part in the film, with the filming taking over six months.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|8}} The studio also allowed Korngold to devote more attention to the score than it had to any of its previous films; he could prerecord certain parts of the film for the benefit of actors, whom he then had act to the rhythm and tempo of the music.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|8}} As a result of the score's elaborate tailoring, the film and Korngold's music left a strong impression on the film industry.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|8}}

Korngold returned to Austria to finish ''[[Die Kathrin]]''. He came back to Hollywood to score the film ''[[Give Us This Night]]'', with lyricist [[Oscar Hammerstein II]], a film which introduced mezzo-soprano [[Gladys Swarthout]] and the Polish-born tenor [[Jan Kiepura]], who had starred in several Korngold operas in Europe.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|9}}

===''Captain Blood'' (1935)===
In 1935 Warners asked Korngold if he was interested in writing an original dramatic score for ''Captain Blood''. He at first declined, feeling that a story about pirates was outside his range of interest. However, after watching the filming, with a dynamic new star, Errol Flynn, in a heroic role alongside [[Olivia de Havilland]], who had her debut in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', he changed his mind.

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|bgcolor=Cornsilk|quote=Korngold not only had the background but also had the gift of melody, an innate sense of theater, and the skills to manipulate sentiment, emotion, humor, and excitement. In short, if [[Jack L. Warner]] had been praying for such a composer, then his prayers had been answered.|source=film historian [[Tony Thomas (film historian)|Tony Thomas]]<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|10}}}}

After he accepted, however, he learned that he needed to compose over an hour of symphonic music in only three weeks. The short time frame forced him to use bits of symphonic poems by [[Franz Liszt]], and a couple of engaging cues were written by Korngold orchestrator Milan Roder.  In the end, Korngold insisted he be credited only with musical adaptations, even though he scored nearly the entire film with original music.<ref>{{Cite web|title=KORNGOLD, E.W.: Captain Blood / STEINER, M.: The Three Musketeers / YOUNG, V.: Scaramouche (Brandenburg Philharmonic, Kaufman)|url=https://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.557704&catNum=557704&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=www.naxos.com|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020030336/https://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.557704&catNum=557704&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=March 30, 2020|title=CAPTAIN BLOOD – Erich Wolfgang Korngold|url=https://moviemusicuk.us/2020/03/30/captain-blood-erich-wolfgang-korngold/|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=MOVIE MUSIC UK|language=en|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019215105/https://moviemusicuk.us/2020/03/30/captain-blood-erich-wolfgang-korngold/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Thomas />{{rp|8}}

''Captain Blood'' became an immediate hit, with an Oscar nomination for the score.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1936|title=The 8th Academy Awards – 1936|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-date=July 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093707/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/8th-winners.html|url-status=live}}</ref> As Korngold's first fully symphonic film score, it marked a milestone in his career, as he became the first composer of international stature to sign a contract with a film studio.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|10}}<ref name=Woodstra>Woodstra, Chris, Brennan, Gerald, Schrott, Allen, editors. ''All Music Guide to Classical Music: The Definitive Guide to Classical Music'', Hal Leonard Corp. (2005) p. 701</ref> It also launched the career of Flynn and gave a major boost to that of de Havilland, who did another seven movies with Flynn. Korngold scored six more films starring Flynn.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|21}} In addition, ''Captain Blood'' opened the way for other costumed romantic adventures, which hadn't been seen since the silent era.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|9}}

===''Anthony Adverse'' (1936)===
After scoring ''Anthony Adverse'', another Warners picture, this one starring [[Fredric March]] and Olivia de Havilland, Korngold's career in Hollywood developed quickly. He finally became convinced that dramatic scoring went well with certain types of films.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|23}} The film, which is set in mid-18th century Italy, the Alps, and France, received an expensive treatment from Warners, which pleased him greatly.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|23}}

Korngold was awarded his first Academy Award for the ''Anthony Adverse'' score. In this film, the first half hour contains continuous scoring<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|23}} and proved to be a major step forward in the art of film scoring. Korngold conceived his film scores as "operas without singing."<ref>{{cite book |last=Parker|first=Joshua |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|title=Austria and America: Cross-Cultural Encounters 1865–1933 |year=2014 |page=104 |isbn=9783643905765 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VIi8BAAAQBAJ}}</ref>

===''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938)===
In 1938, Korngold was conducting opera in Austria when he was asked by [[Warner Bros.|Warner Brothers]] to return to Hollywood and compose a score for ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' (1938), starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. The film, based on a largely fictional English legend, is considered the finest of its kind, with a continuous series of romantic and adventurous sequences propelled by Korngold's dynamic score.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|27}} Music historian Laurence E. MacDonald notes that there were many factors which made the film a success, including its cast, its Technicolor photography and fast-paced direction by [[Michael Curtiz]], but "most of all, there is Korngold's glorious music."<ref name=MacDonald>MacDonald, Laurence E. ''The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History'', Scarecrow Press (1998)</ref>{{rp|49}} And film historian [[Rudy Behlmer]] describes Korngold's contribution to this and his other films:
{{blockquote|Korngold's score was a splendid added dimension. His style for the Flynn swashbucklers resembled that of the creators of late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century German symphonic tone poems. It incorporated chromatic harmonies, lush instrumental effects, passionate climaxes{{mdash}}all performed in a generally romantic manner. Korngold's original and distinctive style was influenced by the Wagnerian [[leitmotif]], the orchestral virtuosity of Richard Strauss, the delicacy and broad melodic sweep of [[Puccini]], and the long-line development of Gustav Mahler.<ref name=Behlmer>Behlmer, Rudy. ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'', Univ. of Wisconsin Press (1979)</ref>{{rp|38}}}}

Before Korngold began composing the score, Austria was invaded by Germany and [[Anschluss|annexed by the Nazis]]. His home in Vienna was confiscated by the Nazis.<ref name=Behlmer/>{{rp|35}} Because all Jews in Austria were now at risk, Korngold stayed in America until the end of [[World War II]]. He later said, "We thought of ourselves as Viennese; [[Hitler]] made us Jewish."<ref>Bernardi, Daniel. ''Hollywood's Chosen People: The Jewish Experience in American Cinema'', [[Wayne State University Press]] (2013) p. 48</ref>

Korngold noted that the opportunity to compose the score for ''Robin Hood'' saved his life. It also gave him his second [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]] and established the symphonic style that would later be used in action films during Hollywood's Golden Age.<ref name=MacDonald/>{{rp|50}} Modern day epics such as the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' trilogies similarly included original symphonic scores.<ref name=MacDonald/>{{rp|50}} Composer [[John Williams]] has cited Korngold as his inspiration in scoring the ''Star Wars'' series.<ref name=Hischak/>{{rp|717}}

===''Juarez'' (1939)===

Korngold was interested in writing a score for [[Juarez (film)|''Juarez'']], as it involved historical figures from Mexico and Austria. It dealt with the Mexican politician [[Benito Juarez]] but also involved the story of Archduke [[Maximilian von Habsburg]] and his wife, [[Carlota of Mexico|Carlotta]]. Korngold was moved by the true-life story of how [[Louis Napoleon]], seeing America engulfed by [[American Civil War|Civil War]], took advantage of that fact and attempted, in 1864, to control Mexico. He appointed Maximilian as its emperor.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|29}}

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|bgcolor=Cornsilk|quote=All of the music written at that time was strictly Viennese. The European influence was so strong in Mexico during that time that native composers, either consciously or in an unconscious effort to court the favor of the rulers, abandoned their native style and copied that of [[Johann Strauss II|[Johann] Strauss]].|source=Erich Korngold<ref>"Korngold Makes Interesting Music Discovery," ''Los Angeles Times'', June 22, 1939 p. 10</ref>}}

After the United States demanded that France divest itself of its interests in Mexico, the Austrian aristocrat was left to his fate, and he was executed by the Juarez government. The dramatic accent of the film leaned in favor of Maximilian and Carlotta, however, aided greatly by Korngold's poignant themes for them.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|29}}

Korngold researched the music popular in Mexico at the time and realized it was not Mexican but "unmistakenly [[Vienna|Viennese]]." He composed 3,000 bars of music for the score, at times emulating the rhythms of [[Frédéric Chopin]] and [[Franz Schubert]], and the second theme of the first movement of his [[Violin Concerto (Korngold)|Violin Concerto]] was drawn from his work for the film.<ref name=Stine>Stine, Whitney, and Davis, Bette, ''Mother Goddam: The Story of the Career of Bette Davis''. New York: Hawthorn Books 1974. {{ISBN|0-8015-5184-6}}, pp. 101–104</ref> Maximilian and Carlotta loved the Mexican song "[[La Paloma]]," and Korngold used it effectively during the score.<ref name=Thomas />{{rp|29}}

===''The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'' (1939)===

Korngold was again nominated for his score of ''[[The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex]]''. The score is essentially operatic, with lush background music throughout, a rousing march theme for Essex (Errol Flynn), and one of his "most noble and heroic melodies" for 
the theme "Elizabeth, The Queen", Elizabeth (Bette Davis)<ref name=MacDonald/>{{rp|59}} An hour of the hour and half long film is supported by the score, composed of rich dramatic and romantic themes.

He chose not to use any period music or to approximate 16th-century musical sounds, explaining:
{{blockquote|The loves and hates of the two main characters, the ideas expressed by the playwright generally, while taken from history, are symbolic. It is a play of eternally true principles and motives of love and ambition, as recurrent today as three hundred years ago.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|30}}}}

The score concentrates on the regal Main Title, the triumphal entry march of Essex into London, the Queen's theme, and the recapitulation of that theme in the End Titles.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|30}}

===''The Sea Hawk'' (1940)===

''[[The Sea Hawk (1940 film)|The Sea Hawk]]'' was Korngold's last score for swashbuckler films, all of which had starred Errol Flynn. It is widely regarded as one of Korngold's best.<ref name=Behlmer/>{{rp|39}} The film ran two hours and six minutes and was one of the longest films he ever worked on.<ref name=MacDonald/>{{rp|67}} It includes symphonic score in all but twenty minutes.<ref name=MacDonald/>{{rp|67}} It was also his tenth original score in less than six years.<ref name=MacDonald/>{{rp|67}}

Of the final duel between Thorpe ([[Errol Flynn]]) and Wolfingham ([[Henry Daniell]]), MacDonald states that "Korngold's breathlessly fast-paced music helps to make this one of the most exciting swordfights in cinema history",<ref name=MacDonald/>{{rp|68}} while Behlmer describes the duel scene as a "''tour de force'' of rhythmic energy and exactitude."<ref name=Behlmer/>{{rp|39}}

===''The Sea Wolf'' (1941)===

In scoring [[The Sea Wolf (1941 film)|''The Sea Wolf'']], based on a novel by [[Jack London]], Korngold's film career went in a different direction. In this film, the score reflects an evil atmosphere, dark images, and the tense emotions of its crew during an unfortunate voyage. [[Edward G. Robinson]], as Wolf Larsen, plays a tormented and brutal captain of a sealing schooner, which gets crippled by a rival ship.

To support the complex atmosphere, with its scenes of the fog-shrouded voyage, Korngold created a score that was understated, which was very different from his swashbucklers.<ref>Reid, John Howard. ''Hollywood Gold: Films of the Forties and Fifties'', LuLu (2005) p. 120</ref> He often used sharp brass chords with swirling configurations, along with a love theme voiced by a harmonica. Music historian Thomas S. Hischak notes some aspects of the score:
{{blockquote|Korngold's score for ''The Sea Wolf'' is not only quieter but actually somber and, at times, dissonant. The opening theme captures the chaos of the wilderness in the North but soon the score seems to be enveloped in a fog (as are the characters) and everything becomes morose and haunting.<ref name=Hischak>Hischak, Thomas S. ''The Encyclopedia of Film Composers'', Rowman & Littlefield (2015)</ref>{{rp|410}}}}

===''Kings Row'' (1942)===

The score for ''[[Kings Row]]'' (1942) has been compared to those of films like ''Gone with the Wind'' and ''Anthony Adverse'', which also had powerful theme motifs. Those stories were based on recent best-selling novels, as was ''Kings Row''.<ref name=Franklin>Franklin, Peter. ''Seeing Through Music: Gender and Modernism in Classic Hollywood Film Scores'', Oxford Univ. Press (2011) pp. 108–109</ref> In this score, Korngold moved even further away from his previous romantic and swashbuckler styles. This was Korngold's most Gothic film score, and a film which film historian Tony Thomas has called a "true American classic."<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|36}} He adds that the score "might well have been the basis for an opera or a grandly scaled symphonic poem."<ref name=Thomas />{{rp|36}}

The story is set in a Midwestern US town (Kings Row), where the characters portray a wide range of psychological emotions, from loves and hates, bitterness, tenderness and torment. Combined with Korngold's score, which some{{who|date=April 2017}} claim is among his finest, the film drew an unusually high level of public interest and acclaim.<ref name=Franklin/> Its costar, future President [[Ronald Reagan]], considered his performance the best of his career.<ref>Dick, Bernard F. ''The President's Ladies: Jane Wyman and Nancy Davis'', Univ. Press of Mississippi (2014) p. 109</ref>

The score contains a main theme which is varied throughout the film, depending on the how each scene develops. MacDonald states that the main theme is a "majestic and noble melody that immediately grabs the viewer's attention" when the film begins.<ref name=MacDonald/>{{rp|80}} By using this motif, the theme connects the entire score, which often left a strong impact on viewers.

British composer [[Harold Truscott]], for example, who saw the film when he was 28, wrote to Korngold admiring the score. He also saw the film more than thirty times just to hear the score, sometimes with his eyes completely closed.<ref name=Franklin/> Like ''Gone with the Wind'', ''Kings Row'' concludes with the main theme hymned operatically by an unseen chorus.

===Later scores: 1943–1956===
''Kings Row'' was followed by seven film scores in four years – ''[[The Constant Nymph (1943 film)|The Constant Nymph]]'' (1943), ''[[Between Two Worlds (1944 film)|Between Two Worlds]]'' (1944), ''[[Devotion (1946 film)|Devotion]]'' (1946), ''[[Of Human Bondage (1946 film)|Of Human Bondage]]'' (1946), ''[[Deception (1946 film)|''Deception'']]'' (1946), ''[[Escape Me Never (1947 film)|Escape Me Never]]'' (1947), and ''[[Adventures of Don Juan]]'' (1948) (unused score).

World War II prevented Korngold from returning to Europe. He became an American citizen in 1943 and remained in the US after retiring from film composing in 1947.

He spent the last ten years of his life composing concert pieces, including a [[Violin Concerto (Korngold)|Violin Concerto]], a Symphonic Serenade for strings, a Cello Concerto and a [[Symphony in F-sharp major (Korngold)|Symphony]]. The Violin Concerto has become particularly successful, with many recordings and performances following [[Jascha Heifetz]]'s initial version.

He returned to film scoring one more time, shortly before his death, for ''[[Magic Fire]]'' (1955), a film biography of the composer [[Richard Wagner]]. He was asked to adapt the music of Wagner for most of the film, but Korngold also wrote some original music for it. He is seen during the final scenes in an unbilled cameo as the conductor [[Hans Richter (conductor)|Hans Richter]].

At the time of his death at age 60, he was working on his sixth opera.<ref name=Sadie/>

==Composing techniques and style==
{{quote box|align=|width=25em|bgcolor=Cornsilk|quote=His strong points are lyrical melody, rich textures and virtuoso orchestration; the music has a strong sense of the theatre and of theatrical effectiveness, but is deficient in contrapuntal vitality. His emotional directness and lack of inhibition, his unashamedly grand manner and the sheer exuberance of his invention breathed new life into a moribund tradition and have ensured the renewed and growing interest in his work which the last few years have witnessed.|source=''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'' (1992)<ref name=Sadie />}}

Korngold approached his scoring theatrically, and could only write by regarding film scenarios as opera [[libretti]].<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|13}} This made him prefer to write leitmotifs for each of the main characters in a film, and vary them based on the emotional level of a scene.<ref name=Kalinak>Kalinak, Kathryn. ''Settling the Score: Music and the Classical Hollywood Film'', Univ. of Wisconsin Press (1992) pp. 109–110</ref> He felt that by having "musical identifications for characters, places, and even abstract ideas in a film," it would help keep characters straight in the minds of the audience.<ref name=Neale/> Music motifs were commonly used by other film composers during that period, including Max Steiner.<ref name=Neale/>

During ''Captain Blood'', for instance, motifs were created for phases of Captain Blood's career as a pirate, using different instrumentation. Variations of some type of brass instrument were heard, such as when the ship readies for voyage, or to lend solemnity to someone's death. A full reiteration of the motif is reserved for a climactic battle scene.<ref name=Kalinak/> The impact of the score for ''Captain Blood'' led [[Gene Roddenberry]], creator of ''[[Star Trek]]'', to tell his composer to use that film as an archetypal example of the kind of sound he wanted for his series.<ref name=Kalinak/> According to Karlin and Wright in ''On the Track'':
{{blockquote|The development of motifs is a powerful compositional device for the film composer, allowing him to bring an overall sense of unity to his score and still leave room for variety.<ref name=Neale>Neale, Steve. ''The Classical Hollywood Reader'', Routledge (2012) p. 276</ref>}}

Korngold composed in the evenings while at the piano, as he watched scenes from the film that an assigned projectionist would run for him. He would run scenes repeatedly as he improvised the music. He would collect his ideas and concepts and later commit them to paper.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|13}}

During his years scoring films, he still composed some non-film works, such as ''[[Passover Psalm]]'', Opus 30, for chorus and orchestra (1941); ''Prayer'', Opus 32 for chorus and orchestra (1942); and ''Tomorrow When You Have Gone'', Opus 33, for chorus and orchestra (1942).<ref name=Butterworth>Butterworth, Neil. ''Dictionary of American Classical Composers'', Routledge (2005) p. 251</ref> In 1946 he composed an opera, ''[[Die stumme Serenade]]'', which he recorded privately hoping to attract interest in making a full production.<ref name=Butterworth/> On the never-released private recording, he can be heard humming as he played the piano.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=NXDuBKvQ8-U]

In the studio during the day, he worked with orchestrators, such as [[Hugo Friedhofer]], with whom he would make elaborate sketches marking out exactly what he wanted. He once told Friedhofer that he felt ''Tosca'' was the best film score ever written.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|13}} With the orchestra in session, Korngold would conduct.

Korngold biographer Brendan G. Carrol describes Korngold's style and methods:{{blockquote|text=Treating each film as an 'opera without singing' (each character has his or her own leitmotif) [Korngold] created intensely romantic, richly melodic and [[counterpoint|contrapuntally]] intricate scores, the best of which are a cinematic paradigm for the [[symphonic poem|tone poem]]s of Richard Strauss and Franz Liszt. He intended that, when divorced from the moving image, these scores could stand alone in the concert hall. His style exerted a profound influence on modern film music.<ref>Carroll, Brendan G. ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]''</ref>}}

==Personal life==
In 1924, Korngold married Luzi von Sonnenthal (1900–1962), granddaughter of actor [[Adolf von Sonnenthal]], an actress, writer, singer and pianist, with whom he had fallen in love at age 19. They had two children, Ern[e]st Werner and [[George Korngold|Georg[e] Wolfgang]].<ref>{{Austriaforum|Wissenssammlungen/Biographien/Korngold,_Erich_Wolfgang|Korngold, Erich Wolfgang}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://agso.uni-graz.at/marienthal/biografien/korngold_luzi.htm|title=Luzi Korngold|website=agso.uni-graz.at|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416105835/http://agso.uni-graz.at/marienthal/biografien/korngold_luzi.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Luzi's biography of her husband was published in 1967.<ref>{{Worldcat|oclc=489821006|name=''Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Ein Lebensbild''}}</ref>

In 1943, Korngold became a [[naturalized citizen]] of the United States. The year 1945 became an important turning point in his life. His father, who had never been entirely comfortable in Los Angeles, and who had never approved of Erich's decision to work exclusively on film composition, died after a lengthy illness.<ref name="orelfoundation.org">{{cite web|url=http://orelfoundation.org/index.php/composers/article/erich_wolfgang_korngold|title=OREL Foundation. ''Erich Wolfgang Korngold''. (2009). Robert Kingston|access-date=December 2, 2015|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208080716/http://orelfoundation.org/index.php/composers/article/erich_wolfgang_korngold|url-status=live}}</ref>

Around the same time, World War II in Europe drew to an end. At this stage in his career Korngold had grown increasingly disillusioned with Hollywood and with the kinds of pictures he was being given, and he was eager to return to writing music for the concert hall and the stage.<ref name="orelfoundation.org"/>

==Death==
Korngold lived at 9936 Toluca Lake Avenue, [[Toluca Lake, Los Angeles]], a few blocks from Warner Brothers Studio, where he worked.<ref>[http://movielanddirectory.com/tour-location.cfm?location=53819 9936 Toluca Lake Ave, North Hollywood, California] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830174233/http://movielanddirectory.com/tour-location.cfm?location=53819 |date=August 30, 2018 }}, The Movieland Directory; Russell Holmes Fletcher: ''Who's Who in California'', vol. 1942–32, [http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/russell-holmes-fletcher/whos-who-in-california-volume-1942-43-tel/page-122-whos-who-in-california-volume-1942-43-tel.shtml p. 122] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830174202/http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/russell-holmes-fletcher/whos-who-in-california-volume-1942-43-tel/page-122-whos-who-in-california-volume-1942-43-tel.shtml |date=August 30, 2018 }}; Daniel I. McNamara (ed): ''The Ascap Biographical Dictionary of Composers, Authors, and Publishers'' (Thomas Y. Crowell, New York, 1948), [https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.155808/2015.155808.The-Ascap-Biographical-Dictionary-Of-Authors-And-Publishers#page/n223/ p. 208]</ref> In October 1956 he suffered a severe stroke and although he partially recovered, he "endured many physical and emotional difficulties" before his death at the age of 60, on November 29 the following year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicacademyonline.com/composer/biographies.php?bid=110|title=Erich Korngold|website=www.musicacademyonline.com|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-date=January 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121064445/http://www.musicacademyonline.com/composer/biographies.php?bid=110|url-status=live}}</ref> He was survived by his wife, Luzi (Luise), two sons, [[George Korngold]] and Ernst Korngold; his mother, Josephine Korngold; a brother, Hans Robert Korngold, and three grandchildren.<ref>''Los Angeles Times'', November 30, 1957, p. 3</ref> He was interred at [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]].<ref name=classical />

==Legacy==
{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|bgcolor=Cornsilk|quote=Korngold was a master film composer. His wonderful melodies, orchestrated in the most gorgeous Richard Strauss-oriented manner, are a joy to hear, even when the films are forgettable. ''Robin Hood'', ''The Sea Hawk'', and ''Elizabeth and Essex'' all display Korngold's musical extravertism, and for some reason, his unmistakable Viennese kind of sentiment helped Errol Flynn be a convincing English hero.|source=Composer [[André Previn]]<ref>Karlin, Fred. ''Listening to Movies'', Macmillan Publishing (1994) p. 285</ref>}}

Despite his achievements, Korngold for years attracted little positive critical attention. In 1972, [[RCA Victor]] released an LP titled ''The Sea Hawk: The Classic Film Scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold,'' featuring excerpts performed by the [[National Philharmonic Orchestra]]. This was followed by recordings of Korngold's operas and concert works, which led to performances of his [[Symphony in F-sharp major (Korngold)|Symphony in F-sharp major]] and concertos, as well as other compositions.<ref name=Jeromski>{{cite book|editor=Jeromski, Grace|series=International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers|volume=4|title=Writers and Production Artists|edition=3rd|publisher=St. James Press|year=1997|page=453}}</ref> Following the success of the Korngold album, the Classic Film Scores series was extended through thirteen additional discs, including a second Korngold collection. These records have been credited with inspiring the revival of symphonic music in films, most prominently in the [[Star Wars]] series, which features prominent allusions to Korngold's style.

Productions of ''Die tote Stadt'' were mounted at the [[Vienna Volksoper]] in 1967{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} and the [[New York City Opera]] in 1975.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper = New York Times | access-date = 28 October 2024 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/03/archives/city-opera-tote-stadt-exploits-film-technique.html | date = 3 April 1975 | title= City Opera 'Tote Stadt' Exploits Film Technique | first = Harold C. | last = Schoenberg }}</ref>

The [[American Film Institute]] ranked Korngold's score for ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' as number 11 on [[AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores|their list of the greatest film scores]]. His scores for the following films were also nominated for the list:{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

*''[[The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex]]'' (1939)
*''[[The Sea Hawk (1940 film)|The Sea Hawk]]'' (1940)
*''[[Kings Row]]'' (1942)
*''[[Deception (1946 film)|Deception]]'' (1946)

Further recognition came in the 1990s; two full-scale biographies of him appeared almost simultaneously. One is [[Jessica Duchen]]'s ''Erich Wolfgang Korngold''.<ref>Duchen, Jessica. ''Erich Wolfgang Korngold'', Phaidon Press (January 1, 2000)</ref> The other is Brendan G. Carroll's ''Erich Korngold: The Last Prodigy''.<ref>Carroll, Brendan. ''The Last Prodigy: A Biography of Erich Wolfgang Korngold'', Amadeus Press (October 1997)</ref> Carroll is President of the International Korngold Society.<ref name=society>[http://www.korngold-society.org/korngold_centre.html Korngold Centre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218015255/http://www.korngold-society.org/korngold_centre.html |date=February 18, 2007 }}, korngold-society.org; accessed December 2, 2015.</ref> Carroll released excerpts of acetates with Korngold conducting the Warner Bros. studio orchestra in music from his film scores, some possibly taken from KFWB radio broadcasts.

In 2019 the [[Bard Music Festival]] (at Bard College, New York) celebrated Korngold with an extensive series of performances and lectures and the publication of ''Korngold and His World,'' edited by Daniel Goldmark and Kevin C. Karnes. In addition, Bard sponsored the first US production of ''Das Wunder der Heliane'' — more than ninety years after its premiere.

In 2008 Gary Noland wrote a string trio ''Korngoldaroonie'' in tribute to Korngold.<ref>{{Cite web |last= Noland |first= Gary Lloyd |title= Gary Lloyd Noland: List of Compositions |url= https://garynolandcomposer.com/compositions |access-date= October 19, 2022 |website= composergarynoland.com |language= en-US |archive-date= October 19, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221019102905/https://garynolandcomposer.com/compositions |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title="Korngoldaroonie" for string trio (Op. 94) by Gary Noland | date=February 2, 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiTHgvE364w |language=en |access-date=October 19, 2022 |archive-date=October 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019102911/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiTHgvE364w |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Selected recordings==
*In 1973, Warner Brothers released special LPs featuring excerpts from the original soundtracks of films scored by Korngold, as well as a rare recording of Korngold playing the main theme from ''Kings Row'' on the piano.
*"Korngold: The Sea Hawk / The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex / Captain Blood / The Prince and the Pauper", conductor André Previn, Deutsche Grammophon<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Korngold-Private-Elizabeth-Captain-Prince/dp/B00005UW3Z |title="Korngold: The Sea Hawk" |website=Amazon |access-date=November 23, 2016 |archive-date=November 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123201918/https://www.amazon.com/Korngold-Private-Elizabeth-Captain-Prince/dp/B00005UW3Z |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.musicweb-international.com/film/2002/Mar02/Korngold.html "Compilation: Previn conducts Korngold"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230082345/http://www.musicweb-international.com/film/2002/Mar02/Korngold.html |date=December 30, 2017 }}, MusicWeb-International</ref>
*[[KFWB]] radio broadcast from 1938 with Korngold conducting the studio orchestra in excerpts from ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'', narrated by actor [[Basil Rathbone]], was released on LP.
* The National Symphony Orchestra released a recording of the score of ''King's Row'' [when].<ref>[https://www.discogs.com/Erich-Wolfgang-Korngold-National-Philharmonic-Orchestra-Charles-Gerhardt-Kings-Row/release/7509922 "Erich Wolfgang Korngold – National Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Gerhardt – ''Kings Row''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129233526/https://www.discogs.com/Erich-Wolfgang-Korngold-National-Philharmonic-Orchestra-Charles-Gerhardt-Kings-Row/release/7509922 |date=November 29, 2016 }}, Discogs</ref>

There have also been a number of new digital recordings of Korngold's film scores, as well as some of his concert works:
*[[Violin Concerto (Korngold)|Violin concerto]] and his symphony in 2013, which <ref name=musfight/> was given its first [[The Proms|Proms]] performance, at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037v2d4|title=Prom 31 (part 2): Walton, Rubbra, Bruch & Korngold|publisher=bbc.co.uk|access-date=August 6, 2013|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417172703/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037v2d4|url-status=live}}</ref>
*RCA Victor was the first to record a complete Korngold opera (in stereo), in 1975: ''[[Die tote Stadt]]'', conducted by [[Erich Leinsdorf]] in Germany.<ref name=musfight>[http://musfight.com/artist_erich-wolfgang-korngold/album_symphony-in-f-sharp-major-einfache-lieder-mariettas-lied-the-philadelphia-orches "Symphony in F-sharp major"/Einfache Lieder/Mariettas Lied (The Philadelphia Orchestra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123202741/http://musfight.com/artist_erich-wolfgang-korngold/album_symphony-in-f-sharp-major-einfache-lieder-mariettas-lied-the-philadelphia-orches/ |date=November 23, 2016 }}, Musfight</ref>
*In 1980, CBS Masterworks recorded the opera ''Violanta'' under the baton of [[Marek Janowski]]; this recording has been re-released by Sony Classical in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://imslp.org/wiki/Violanta,_Op.8_(Korngold,_Erich_Wolfgang) |title= Violanta, Op.8 (Korngold, Erich Wolfgang), Vocal Score |publisher= IMSLP |access-date= July 26, 2010 |archive-date= August 29, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100829143901/http://imslp.org/wiki/Violanta,_Op.8_(Korngold,_Erich_Wolfgang) |url-status= live }}</ref>
*In 1993, [[Decca Records|Decca]] released a recording of ''Das Wunder der Heliane''.
*Korngold's two remaining operas, ''[[Der Ring des Polykrates (opera)|Der Ring des Polykrates]]''<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/40823.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about | title = Erich Wolfgang Korngold Der Ring des Polykrates (opera), Op.7 | publisher = classicalarchives.com | year = 2008 | access-date = August 5, 2010 | archive-date = June 10, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110610170021/http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/40823.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about | url-status = live }}</ref> and ''Die Kathrin'' have both been recorded (in 1996 and 1998 respectively) by the German record label [[Classic Produktion Osnabrück|CPO]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Erich-Wolfgang-Korngold-1897-1957-Die-Kathrin/hnum/8389480|title=Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Die Kathrin (3 CDs) – jpc|website=jpc.de|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-date=October 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014133634/https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Erich-Wolfgang-Korngold-1897-1957-Die-Kathrin/hnum/8389480|url-status=live}}</ref>
*American conductor-pianist [[Alexander Frey]] has recorded Korngold's complete original piano works.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=18639|title=Korngold: Piano Works Vol 1 / Alexander Frey – Koch International Classics: 07300394|website=www.arkivmusic.com|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-date=December 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223211523/http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=18639|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*In 2001, ArtHaus Musik released on DVD (UPC 807280036398) a documentary titled ''Erich Wolfgang Korngold – The Adventures of a Wunderkind'' (also ''Between Two Worlds''), directed by [[Barrie Gavin]], in the ''Composers of Our Time'' series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Jun03/DVD_Korngold_Portrait_concert.htm|title=The Adventures of a Wunderkind|author=Ian Lace|date=June 2003|publisher=MusicWeb International|access-date=July 28, 2010|quote=... a splendid record of the life and music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold.|archive-date=July 24, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724141538/http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Jun03/DVD_Korngold_Portrait_concert.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The Korngold Violin Concerto was recorded in 2006 by Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, with James Ehnes as violinist, on a Grammy Award-winning album that included Concertos by Walton and Barber.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Nov06/Korngold_Ehnes_ONYX4016.htm |title=James Ehnes (violin), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra/Bramwell Tovey (2006) – Korngold Violin Concerto |access-date=March 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324123655/http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Nov06/Korngold_Ehnes_ONYX4016.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Double bass soloist [[Joel Quarrington]] recorded a transcription of the "Garden Scene" from Korngold's incidental music to ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'', Op. 11 on his 2008 CD, also entitled "Garden Scene". Quarrington won a [[Juno Award]] for the album.
*In 2009, Korngold's Violin Concerto was released on the [[Naxos Records]] label, along with Overture to a Drama, Op. 4, and the concert suite from ''Much Ado About Nothing'', performed by the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria and violinist [[Philippe Quint]].<ref>[[Michael Steinberg (music critic)|Steinberg, Michael]], ''The Concerto, a Listener's Guide'' (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1998). {{ISBN|0-19-510330-0}}.</ref>
*In 2013, the Adamas Quartett recorded String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26 (Gramola 2013), awarded among others ''[[Diapason (magazine)|Diapason]]'' découverte" and "{{ill|Pasticcio Prize|de|Pasticcio-Preis}}".
*In 2022, Naxos released Korngold's complete incidental music, which consists of music written for a 1920 Vienna production of ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'', and for [[Hans Müller-Einigen]]'s play ''Der Vampyr, oder Die Gejagten'' (''The Vampire, or the Hunted'').<ref>{{Cite AV media |url= https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.573355 |title= Korngold: Complete Incidental Music |date= February 2022 |type= CD |publisher= Naxos |id= Naxos Catalogue No. 8.573355 |access-date= October 16, 2022 |archive-date=18 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250918141336/https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.573355 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= Clarke |first= Colin |title= Korngold: Complete Incidental Music |url= https://www.classicalexplorer.com/korngold-complete-incidental-music/ |date= March 12, 2022 |publisher= Classical Explorer |access-date= October 16, 2022 |archive-date= October 17, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221017092718/https://www.classicalexplorer.com/korngold-complete-incidental-music/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Selected list of works==
{{Main|List of compositions by Erich Wolfgang Korngold}}
*Piano Sonata No. 1 in [[D minor]] with concluding [[passacaglia]] (composed 1908; first performed 1908/09)
*Piano Trio in [[D major]], Op. 1 (composed and first performed 1910)
*Piano Sonata No. 2 in [[E major]], Op. 2, in four movements (composed 1910; first performed 1911)
*''Schauspiel-Ouvertüre'' (Overture to a Play), Op. 4 (Composed and first performed 1911)
*[[Sinfonietta (Korngold)|Sinfonietta]], Op. 5 (Composed 1912, orchestrated and first performed 1913)
*Violin Sonata in [[G major]], Op. 6 (composed 1912; first performed 1916)
*''Der Ring des Polykrates'', Op. 7 (opera) (1916)
*''[[Violanta]]'', Op. 8 (opera) (1916)
*''Einfache Lieder'', Op. 9 (1911–16)
*String Sextet in D major, Op. 10 (1914–16; first performed 1917)
*''Much Ado About Nothing'', Op. 11 (Incidental music to [[Much Ado About Nothing|the play]] by Shakespeare, composed 1918–1919, first performed 1920)
*''[[Die tote Stadt]]'', Op. 12 (opera) (1920)
*''Sursum Corda'', Op. 13 (symphonic overture) (Composed 1919, first performed 1920)
*Quintet for two violins, viola, cello and piano in E major, Op. 15 (composed 1920&ndash;21; first performed 1923)
*String Quartet No. 1 in [[A major]], Op. 16 (composed 1923; first performed 1924)
*[[Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Korngold)|Piano Concerto in C{{music|sharp}} for the left hand alone]], Op. 17, (Composed 1923, first performed 1924)
*''Das Wunder der Heliane'', Op. 20 (opera) (1927)
*Suite for 2 violins, cello and piano left hand, Op. 23, composed 1930; first performed 1930
*Piano Sonata No. 3 in [[C major]], Op. 25 (composed 1931; first performed 1932) <ref>{{Cite web|title = Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957): The Piano Music: Film Music on the Web CD Reviews November 2003|url = http://www.musicweb-international.com/film/2003/Nov03/korngold_piano_music.html|website = www.musicweb-international.com|access-date = December 2, 2015|archive-date = May 14, 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110514011530/http://www.musicweb-international.com/film/2003/Nov03/korngold_piano_music.html|url-status = live}}</ref>
*String Quartet No. 2 in [[E-flat major|E{{music|flat}} major]], Op. 26 (composed 1933; first performed 1934)
*''[[Die Kathrin]]'', Op. 28 (opera) (1939)
*''Tomorrow'', Op. 33, tone poem for mezzo-soprano, women's choir and orchestra, for the movie ''The Constant Nymph''. (First performed in concert 1944)
*String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 34 (composed 1945; first performed 1949<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dixon |first1=Troy O. |title=The Premiere of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's String Quartet #3 in D Major, Op. 34 |url=https://korngold-society.org/site/the-premiere-of-erich-wolfgang-korngolds-string-quartet-3-in-d-major-op-34/ |website=Korngold Society |access-date=September 19, 2019 |date=November 20, 2010 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520202126/https://korngold-society.org/site/the-premiere-of-erich-wolfgang-korngolds-string-quartet-3-in-d-major-op-34/ |url-status=live }}</ref>)
*[[Violin Concerto (Korngold)|Violin Concerto]], Op. 35 (Composed 1945, first performed 1947)
*''[[Die stumme Serenade]]'', Op. 36 (musical comedy) (1954)
*Cello Concerto in C major, Op. 37 (Composed 1950, expanded from a work written for the 1946 film ''Deception'')
*Symphonic Serenade in B{{music|flat}} major for string orchestra, Op. 39 (Composed 1947–48, first performed 1950)
*[[Symphony in F-sharp major (Korngold)|Symphony in F{{music|sharp}} major]], Op. 40 (Composed 1947–52, first performed 1954)
*Theme and Variations, Op. 42 (composed and first performed 1953)

==See also==

* [[The Holocaust in Austria]]
* [[List of Austrians in music]]
* [[Vugesta]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* ''The Last Prodigy: A Biography of Erich Wolfgang Korngold'' by Brendan G. Carroll; {{ISBN|978-1-57467-029-5}} (Hardcover, October 1997)
* ''Das Letzte Wunderkind'' by Brendan G Carroll. Boehlau-Verlag, Vienna; {{ISBN|978-3-20577-716-8}} (Hardcover, June 2008); revised edition of 1997 biography in German translation
* ''Erich Wolfgang Korngold'' (20th-Century Composers) by Jessica Duchen. Phaidon Publication; {{ISBN|0-7148-3155-7}} (Paperback, July 1996)
* ''Erich Wolfgang Korngold'' by Luzi Korngold (wife). Verlag Elisabeth Lafite, Vienna, 1967 {{in lang|de}}
* "Erich Wolfgang Korngold: early life and works". Doctoral thesis by David Ian Kram. Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
* {{cite encyclopedia |last=Carroll |first=Brendan G. |editor-first1=Ben |editor-last1=Winters |year=2020 |orig-year=2001 |encyclopedia=[[Grove Music Online]] |title=Korngold, Erich Wolfgang |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford |doi=10.1093/omo/9781561592630.013.3000000199 |isbn=978-1-56159-263-0 |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-3000000199}} {{Grove Music subscription}}
* Caspar Wintermans: ''Een jongen van brutale zwier: Erich Wolfgang Korngold in Nederland 1910–1958''. The Hague, Kallipygos Press, 2016. {{ISBN|978-90-8243-640-2}}

==External links==
{{Archival records|title=Erich Wolfgang Korngold collection, 1889–2008|location= [[Music Division, Library of Congress]]|description_URL=https://lccn.loc.gov/2006579403}}

{{Commons category}}
{{wikisource|works=or}}
* {{IMDb name|0006157}}
* [http://www.korngold-society.org Official Korngold Society]
* [http://orelfoundation.org/composers/article/erich_wolfgang_korngold Detailed Biography of Korngold]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141019190330/http://www.korngold.jp/index-e.html Japanese Premieres of A Great Composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold] ({{Interlanguage link|Togitsu Hidehiro|jp|3=時津英裕}}), sound files
* [http://thompsonian.info/korngold.html Korngold: Maestro for the Movies]
* {{IMSLP|id=Korngold, Erich Wolfgang|cname=Erich Wolfgang Korngold}}

{{Erich Korngold|state=expanded}}
{{Academy Award Best Original Score}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Classical music|Opera}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Korngold, Erich Wolfgang}}
[[Category:1897 births]]
[[Category:1957 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century classical composers]]
[[Category:American film score composers]]
[[Category:American opera composers]]
[[Category:Austrian classical composers]]
[[Category:Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to the United States]]
[[Category:Emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to the United States]]
[[Category:Austrian male classical composers]]
[[Category:Austrian opera composers]]
[[Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:String quartet composers]]
[[Category:Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery]]
[[Category:Child classical musicians]]
[[Category:Composers for piano]]
[[Category:Moravian Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish American classical composers]]
[[Category:Jewish classical composers]]
[[Category:American male film score composers]]
[[Category:American male opera composers]]
[[Category:Neoromantic composers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Brno]]
[[Category:Musicians from the Margraviate of Moravia]]
[[Category:Composers from Vienna]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]]
[[Category:Pupils of Alexander Zemlinsky]]
[[Category:Composers for piano left-hand]]
[[Category:20th-century American male composers]]