Hugo Winterhalter

Hugo Winterhalter (August 15, 1909 – September 17, 1973) was an American easy listening arranger and composer, best known for his many arrangements and recordings for RCA Victor.

Biography Hugo Ferdinand Winterhalter was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States, on August 15, 1909, He graduated from Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Maryland,

Winterhalter penned the main title theme for the film, Diamond Head (1962). His other motion picture credits include work as conductor and arranger for Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds in the 1956 musical comedy, Bundle of Joy, and orchestrator for Thrill of a Romance (1945) and Meet the People (1944).

Winterhalter remained with RCA Victor until 1963, at which time he moved to Kapp. Winterhalter recorded a handful of albums for Kapp including The Best of '64 and its follow-up, The Big Hits of 1965, before leaving the label to work on Broadway. He later worked in television and continued recording the occasional LP for various budget labels. Winterhalter's last US chart single was "Theme From 'Popi'", released by Musicor in 1969. It reached #35 in the Billboard Easy Listening Top 40.

Winterhalter died from cancer, in Greenwich, Connecticut on September 17, 1973. He is interred alongside his wife at Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill, New York. Winterhalter had a son, Hugo Francis Winterhalter, who was killed in Vietnam on December 29, 1966. He was with the 169th Combat Engineer Battalion.

Musical style The back cover of "Hugo Winterhalter Goes...Continental" shares this about the conductor: Maestro Winterhalter uses a very large string section, a full brass section (he was, incidentally, one of the first of the big-band leaders to use such previously symphonic instruments as the French horn in popular music), a large woodwind choir, and timpani galore. Together with the distinctive Winterhalter arranging touch, this all results in a fresh and ear-filling treatment of even those tunes that are standard fare wherever pop music is played.