Composer
Hugo Riesenfeld
Born 26 January 1879 · Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria] — died 10 September 1939
Hugo Riesenfeld (1879–1939) was a Vienna-born composer and conductor who moved to New York in 1907. He became a leading figure in silent-film music, writing original orchestral scores for around 100 films. He is best remembered for his scores for F. W. Murnau's Sunrise and Tabu.
Key films
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)On Cinespective
Murnau's Hollywood masterpiece, with an original Riesenfeld score that is among his best-known work.
Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)
Murnau's final film, again featuring a Riesenfeld score.
Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927)
Landmark jungle-set feature from the late silent era, scored by Riesenfeld.
The Cat and the Canary (1927)
Influential silent haunted-house comedy-thriller that shows his range beyond serious drama.
Hell's Angels (1930)
Large-scale early-sound aviation epic that shows his work in the transition from silent to sound film.
Key awards
No major awards are documented here.
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 28
- 1916Hoodoo AnnComposer
- 1920HumoresqueComposer
- 1920Conrad in Quest of His YouthComposer
- 1925The Pony ExpressComposer
- 1926The Sorrows of SatanComposer
- 1927Sunrise: A Song of Two HumansComposer
- 1927The Cat and the CanaryComposer
- 1927Chang: A Drama of the WildernessComposer
- 1928TempestComposer
- 1928The Battle of the SexesComposer
- 1928The Woman DisputedComposer
- 1928Sins of the FathersComposer
- 1929The Taming of the ShrewComposer
- 1929EvangelineComposer
- 1930Hell's AngelsComposer
- 1930One Romantic NightComposer
- 1931Tabu: A Story of the South SeasComposer
- 1934The President VanishesComposer
- 1934Two Heads on a PillowComposer
- 1936The Mandarin MysteryComposer
- 1936The President's MysteryComposer
- 1936Ghost Town GoldComposer
- 1936The Devil on HorsebackComposer
- 1937Make a WishComposer
- 1937Gunsmoke RanchComposer
- 1937Larceny on the AirComposer
- 1938Tell Your ChildrenComposer
- 1938Sunset Murder CaseComposer
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.