Harry Revel

Harry Revel, born Harry Glaser on 21 December 1905 in London, England, was a British-born American composer who worked primarily in musical theatre and film. The son of Russian-Jewish emigrants from Schrunden, Latvia — Jacob Glaser and his wife — who had settled in England, Revel was the second of four children. His older brother William was a dancer, his younger sister Rene was a singer, and his youngest brother Sam eventually became a travel agent in the United States after working as a concierge in London. The family adopted the surname Revel in honor of a French soldier who had helped them flee Europe.

Revel studied piano from childhood and received formal training at the Guildhall School of Music in London. Around 1922 he departed for Paris, where he performed with a Hawaiian Band and toured across Europe. His first published song, "Oriental Eyes," appeared in Italy during this period. He subsequently joined the New York Jazz Band, a dance band with which he toured Europe, and while in Berlin received a commission to compose the music for the operetta Was Frauen Traumen. The success of that work led to additional commissions in Paris, Vienna, and London.

In 1928, after returning to England, Revel decided to relocate to New York City and pursue a career as a professional songwriter. There he formed a partnership with lyricist Mack Gordon, and the two collaborated on songs for several Broadway productions, including Ziegfeld Follies of 1931, Fast and Furious, Everybody's Welcome, and Smiling Faces, which ran from 30 August to 24 September 1932. One of their notable songs from this period was "Underneath the Harlem Moon" (1932), which was recorded by multiple jazz performers.

Revel and Gordon moved to Hollywood in 1932 and signed as a songwriting team with Paramount Pictures, for which Revel composed scores for numerous films, among them Sitting Pretty, Broadway Through a Keyhole, We're Not Dressing, She Loves Me Not, Shoot the Works, College Rhythm, Love in Bloom, Paris in the Spring, Stolen Harmony, Two for Tonight, and Collegiate. In 1934, Revel appeared in Hollywood Rhythm, a short film depicting the Gordon and Revel team at work developing the score for College Rhythm. In 1936, the pair moved to Twentieth Century Fox, where they continued working on films including Stowaway, Poor Little Rich Girl, Ali Baba Goes to Town, Wake Up and Live, You Can't Have Everything, Head Over Heels, and Love Finds Andy Hardy. Their partnership concluded in 1939.

Revel retained his British citizenship throughout his years in the United States. On two separate occasions, he and his brother Billy Revel were convicted of entering the country using false passports and were fined. During World War II, Revel organized variety shows for the USO while continuing to compose for film. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1942 for "There's a Breeze on Lake Louise," from The Mayor of 44th Street, written with lyricist Mort Greene, and a second nomination for "Remember Me to Carolina," from the 1944 film Minstrel Man, written with Paul Francis Webster.

On Broadway, Revel composed the music for Are You With It?, which ran from 10 November 1945 to 29 June 1946, with lyrics by Arnold Horwitt. His earlier Broadway credit, Smiling Faces, had featured music he composed in collaboration with Mack Gordon. Additional Broadway productions featuring his music included Marching By (1932) and the revue Blues in the Night, which ran from 2 June to 18 July 1982 and incorporated songs from his catalog.

In the late 1940s, Revel turned his attention to electronic music, developing what he called "therapeutical music" using the theremin. Working with arranger and conductor Les Baxter and theremin player Samuel Hoffman, he produced the 1947 album Music Out of the Moon, released on Capitol Records, followed by Perfume Set to Music on RCA Victor the following year. In 1950 he composed Music for Peace of Mind, again featuring Hoffman alongside Billy May's orchestra, and in 1955 released Harry Revel's Music from Out of Space, recorded with the Stuart Phillips orchestra and chorus. This body of work has led to Revel being recognized as a pioneer of space age pop.

During the 1950s, Revel established his own publishing company, Realm Music Inc., and continued composing until his death. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in New York City on 3 November 1958, at the age of 52. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.