# Hans Spialek > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hans_Spialek > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hans_Spialek.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Spialek > Source revision: 1299550574 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Austrian-born American composer and orchestrator Hans Spialek in 1983 **Hans Spialek** (April 17, 1894 – November 20, 1983) was an Austrian-born American composer and orchestrator. Raised in Vienna and given an early musical education, he continued his studies in Moscow, at first as a prisoner of war during World War I, before settling in the US in 1924.[1] Spialek is best known for scoring the music for [Broadway](/source/Broadway_theatre) musicals by [Cole Porter](/source/Cole_Porter), [Rodgers and Hart](/source/Rodgers_and_Hart) and others, as well as ballet music, and radio broadcasts. He orchestrated 147 musicals from 1926 to 1967, many in collaboration with other arrangers such as [Robert Russell Bennett](/source/Robert_Russell_Bennett).[2] In his retirement in the 1980s, he helped reconstruct the original orchestrations for recordings of some of his 1930s Broadway shows. ## Life and career ### Early life and peak years Spialek was born in Vienna, where he received a musical education. He sang in the children's chorus of the [Vienna State Opera](/source/Vienna_State_Opera) and played small roles, including the little boy in the second act of *[La bohème](/source/La_boh%C3%A8me)* under the baton of [Gustav Mahler](/source/Gustav_Mahler).[3] He studied composing and conducting at the Vienna Conservatory, before fighting in the First World War.[1] He was taken prisoner by Russian forces, but was allowed to continue his musical studies, and he conducted a prisoners’ orchestra.[1] After the war he studied in Moscow with [Reinhold Glière](/source/Reinhold_Gli%C3%A8re).[1] In 1924, Spialek and his wife, the singer Dora Boshoer, moved to America, where he joined the music staff of publisher [Chappell Music](/source/Warner%2FChappell_Music). His [Broadway](/source/Broadway_theatre) debut was in 1926, orchestrating some of [Walter Donaldson](/source/Walter_Donaldson_(songwriter)) and [Joseph Meyer](/source/Joseph_Meyer_(songwriter))'s music for *Sweetheart Time* (1926).[4] At Chappell, he shared an office with [Robert Russell Bennett](/source/Robert_Russell_Bennett), with whom he collaborated on dozens of shows.[1] Over the next 22 years, Spialek arranged the music for more than 100 Broadway musicals, and by the time of his retirement in 1957 he had worked on a total of 147.[2] Among the shows from the 1920s on which Spialek worked are *[Rosalie](/source/Rosalie_(musical))* (1928), *[The New Moon](/source/The_New_Moon)* (1928) and *[Fifty Million Frenchmen](/source/Fifty_Million_Frenchmen)* (1929). His many shows from the 1930s include *[The New Yorkers](/source/The_New_Yorkers)* (1930), *[Gay Divorce](/source/Gay_Divorce)* (1932), *[Anything Goes](/source/Anything_Goes)* (1934), *[On Your Toes](/source/On_Your_Toes)* (1936), *[Babes in Arms](/source/Babes_in_Arms)* (1937), *[I Married an Angel](/source/I_Married_an_Angel)* (1938) and *[The Boys from Syracuse](/source/The_Boys_from_Syracuse)* (1938). His 1940s shows include *[Pal Joey](/source/Pal_Joey_(musical))* (1940), *[Panama Hattie](/source/Panama_Hattie)* (1940), *[Something for the Boys](/source/Something_for_the_Boys)* (1943), *[Are You with It?](/source/Are_You_with_It%3F_(musical))* (1945), and *[Where's Charley?](/source/Where's_Charley%3F)* (1948).[2][4] Music historian Thomas Hischak has written of Spialek that perhaps his greatest contribution "was the modern ballet orchestrations he made of [Richard Rodgers](/source/Richard_Rodgers)' music for "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" and the "Princess Zenobia" ballet in *On Your Toes*, the "Big Brother" ballet in The Boys From Syracuse, and "Peter's Journey" ballet in Babes in Arms."[4] In the *[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians](/source/Grove_Dictionary_of_Music_and_Musicians)*, George J. Ferencz writes of Spialek, "His theatre orchestrations are distinguished by their wittiness, frequent text-painting and masterful use of minimum resources."[1] ### Later years From the 1940s, Spialek worked less for Broadway; he had written music for the [1939 World's Fair](/source/1939_World's_Fair), and over the next years he composed and conducted for radio and entertainment events at trade expositions and civic pageants. His last new theatre work was on a 1967 musical, *Mata Hari*.[1] In retirement, Spialek accepted invitations from the conductors [John Mauceri](/source/John_Mauceri) and [John McGlinn](/source/John_McGlinn) to reconstruct his original 1930s scoring for recordings of *On Your Toes* and *Anything Goes*, which, in Ferencz's words, "earned the adulation of a new generation of theatre scholars and enthusiasts."[1] McGlinn wrote of him, "Spialek genuinely loved this music and loved getting the most out of it. His orchestrations are uniquely transparent and kind to singers – never covering, always supporting, and full of sly humour (he was, beyond doubt, the funniest man I've ever met)."[3] In addition to his work as an arranger, Spialek wrote and published some original works of his own. They include the orchestral suite *The Tall City* (1933);[5] an orchestral *Sinfonietta* (1936);[6] and *Manhattan Watercolors* ("An Orchestral Entertainment", 1937).[7] Spialek died in New York at the age of 89.[3] ## Notes Archives at Location Library of Congress Source Hans Spialek papers, 1926-1967 How to use archival material 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-grove_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-grove_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-grove_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-grove_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-grove_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-grove_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-grove_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-grove_1-7) Ferencz, George J. ["Spialek, Hans,"](http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/45950) *Grove Music Online*, Oxford Music Online, accessed 23 October 2011 (subscription required) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ocat_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ocat_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ocat_2-2) Bordman, Gerald and Thomas S. Hischak (eds.) ["Spialek, Hans"](http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t149.e2898), *Oxford Companion to American Theatre*, Oxford University Press 2004. Oxford Reference Online, accessed 23 October 2011 (subscription required) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ag_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ag_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ag_3-2) McGlinn, John. "The Original 'Anything Goes' – A Classic Restored", notes to EMI CD 7-49848, *[Anything Goes](/source/Anything_Goes)* (1989) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ocam_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ocam_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ocam_4-2) Hischak, Thomas. ["Spialek, Hans"](http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t282.e1707), *Oxford Companion to the American Musical*, Oxford University Press 2009. Oxford Reference Online, accessed 23 October 2011 (subscription required) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["The Tall City"](http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/DNDK9GIGXJCDCQ7NC1UK9F3S6CKDJJJB8GAS5U75FQ4C399R4P-16421?func=full-set-set&set_number=023060&set_entry=000014&format=999), British Library Integrated Catalogue, accessed 23 October 2011 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Sinfonietta"](http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/DNDK9GIGXJCDCQ7NC1UK9F3S6CKDJJJB8GAS5U75FQ4C399R4P-04029?func=full-set-set&set_number=023142&set_entry=000009&format=999), British Library Integrated Catalogue, accessed 23 October 2011 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Manhattan Watercolors"](http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/DNDK9GIGXJCDCQ7NC1UK9F3S6CKDJJJB8GAS5U75FQ4C399R4P-17605?func=full-set-set&set_number=023121&set_entry=000004&format=999), British Library Integrated Catalogue, accessed 23 October 2011 Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF WorldCat National United States Israel Artists MusicBrainz Discography of American Historical Recordings Other SNAC Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hans Spialek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Spialek) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Spialek?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.