Victor Young

American composer Victor Young abandoned a thriving path as a concert violinist to pursue popular music, emerging as a leading creative force from the 1930s into the mid-1950s through his extensive output of hit songs and music for more than 300 Hollywood productions.

Born in Chicago on August 8, 1901, Young grew up with a father who sang tenor for the Chicago Opera Company. At age ten he lost his mother, after which he and his sister relocated to Warsaw, Poland, to live with their grandparents. There he trained on violin with Isador Lotto at the Warsaw Conservatory of Music, continued with private instructors, and made his debut with the Warsaw Philharmonic. The performance proved so successful that a patron presented him with a 1730 Guarnerius violin and arranged European tours with leading concert orchestras. Following the start of World War I, Young returned to the United States, resumed work as a concert violinist, and took up conducting duties for movie-theater orchestras in both Los Angeles and Chicago before shifting his focus to popular repertoire.

Throughout the 1920s he served as arranger and violinist with the Ted Fio Rito Band while simultaneously leading a dance theater and two additional movie-theater orchestras; by the later part of the decade he had also begun radio conducting work in Chicago. In 1931 he relocated to New York City for radio assignments, thereafter directing ensembles across varied formats that included Don Ameche’s variety program and collaborations with Al Jolson. He continued as a bandleader through the 1930s and 1940s, most frequently accompanying vocalists during the latter decade.

Young settled on the West Coast in 1935, beginning his film career with Paramount Pictures’ Anything Goes (1936). The ensuing demands of arranging, conducting, and music supervision left no room for pop songs until 1940, when three separate motion pictures introduced his compositions to strong public response. Additional Paramount credits encompassed The Light That Failed (1939), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), and The Greatest Show on Earth (1953). For Columbia Pictures he contributed to Golden Boy (1939), My Foolish Heart (1949), The Quiet Man (1953), and Around the World in 80 Days (1956). In total his film work exceeded 300 titles.

Parallel to his screen projects, Young placed numerous successful singles, made sporadic radio appearances, and composed for a pair of Broadway shows. He earned twenty Oscar nominations and received a posthumous Academy Award for the score of Around the World in 80 Days. Over his career he collaborated with lyricists that included Ned Washington, Ed Heyman, and Joe Young. Among his most enduring compositions are “Sweet Sue” (1928), “Beautiful Love” (1931), “Love Me Tonight” (1932), “A Ghost of a Chance” (1933), “Stella by Starlight,” “Love Letters” (1946), “Golden Earrings” (1947), “My Foolish Heart” (1950), “When I Fall in Love” (1952), and “Around the World” (1956).