Felix Arndt

Born on 20 May 1889 in New York, USA, and deceased on 16 October 1918 in Harmon-On-Hudson, New York, USA, Felix Arndt pursued careers as composer, pianist and organist. After completing studies at the New York Conservatory he took positions with several music publishers while simultaneously directing ensembles of his own. In addition he produced a substantial body of piano rolls for Aeolian Company, the major manufacturer that operated multiple distinct labels, and he actively persuaded fellow songwriters including George Gershwin and Vincent Youmans to record rolls for the same firm. His best-known piece, “Nola” (1915, lyric by James F. Burns), took its title from his wife, herself a singer and composer, and later served as the signature theme for bandleader Vincent Lopez. Lopez’s orchestra featured the number in the motion picture The Big Broadcast (1932), and the composition reappeared on screen in the Jack Oakie vehicle That’s The Spirit (1945). Arndt’s further works encompass “Soup To Nuts,” “Toots,” “Kakuda,” “Marionette,” “Love In June” and “Operatic Nightmare.”