Romberg, Sigmund

Romberg, Sigmund (rŏm`bûrg), 1887–1951, Hungarian-American composer, educated in Vienna. He came to the United States in 1909, played in restaurant and café orchestras, and soon had his own orchestra. He wrote the score for the musical The Whirl of the World (1914), and followed it with more than 70 operettas. Among the most successful were Blossom Time (1921; based on the life and music of Franz Schubert), The Student Prince (1924), The Desert Song (1926), and The New Moon (1928). These recalled the romantic, lyrical style of Viennese operettas. He later wrote scores for several films, some of them adaptations of his own stage works.

Bibliography

See E. Arnold's Deep in My Heart: A Story Based on the Life of Sigmund Romberg (1949).

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Romberg, Sigmund

(born July 29, 1887, Nagykanizsa, Austria-Hungary—died Nov. 9, 1951, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Hungarian-born U.S. composer. Romberg studied engineering and composition in Vienna, becoming a skilled violinist and organist. In 1909 he went to New York City, where he conducted a restaurant orchestra and played piano in cafés. As staff composer for the impresario Jacob Shubert (see Shubert Brothers), Romberg prepared scores for about 40 musical shows. His first notable operetta, Maytime (1917), was followed in the 1920s by Blossom Time (1921), The Student Prince (1924), The Desert Song (1926), and The New Moon (1928). His last success was Up in Central Park (1945). In all he wrote almost 80 stage shows.

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Romberg, Sigmund (1887–1951) composer; born in Nagy Kaniza, Hungary. He came to the U.S.A. in 1909; his over 70 operettas, which are among the most popular ever written, include Blossom Time (1921), The Student Prince (1924), and The New Moon (1928).