- Born
- Died
- Not only did Joseph compose music for movies, he was the first person to compose a score specifically for a motion picture - "Queen Elizabeth" in 1912. In addition to film music, Joseph composed for various operas - `Love Laughs at Locksmiths' 1910, `Prof. Tattle' 1913 and, `The Seventh Chord' 1913. Breil died from heart disease.- IMDb Mini Biography By: vicdru@hotmail.com
- Joseph Carl Breil - an American composer, conductor, music director, and tenor; born to Joseph Breil (Sr.), an immigrant from Prussia, and Margaret A. (Frohnhoefer) Breil in Pittsburgh, 29 June 1870.
His mother started Joseph on violin lessons at age 11. He developed a passionate interest in the theater, but his father, a prosperous lawyer, regarded the law as the one suitable profession for his only son; however, Joseph composed an opera at age 17 (Orlando of Milan, performed by amateurs under his direction in Pittsburgh), and continued to pursue private musical studies while learning law in Pennsylvanian colleges, and in the University of Liepzig, Germany. Afterwards, he graduated from the Leipzig Conservatory where his creative potential was fully revealed, determining the career for the rest of his life.
From 1892 to 1897, he was tenor soloist and choir director of St. Paul's Cathedral, Pittsburgh, starting as principal tenor of Emma Juch Opera Co. in 1891; also theatrical conductor, 1897-1903.
Joseph Breil spent much of his career composing vocal compositions for church and the theater from 1903 to 1909: a requiem and two other masses, vesper service, sacred songs and anthems, and popular songs including The Song of the Soul, If Dreams Came True, A Toast to Angeline, Boatman's Love Song; and also incidental music for The Climax at Weber's in New York, subsequently at Powers' in Chicago, at the Nixon in Pittsburgh, etc.
1910-1911 was the time for Breil as music director at the Kingston Opera House, N.Y., also on tour in New England and elsewhere. He directed opera, Love Laughs at Locksmiths, produced by the New Opera Co.
For nearly two decades, Joseph Breil gained a slow but steady increase in recognition through continuous experience as a singer, conductor, and composer. The turning point came in 1909, when he wrote the incidental music for Edward Locke's three-act play, The Climax, which premiered at Joseph W. Weber's Music Hall, New York City. Various reviews pointed out the importance of the music in this play and praised Breil's compositions. In particular, the Song of the Soul (recorded by Marguerite Dunlap for Victor Records in 1910) found a large audience and was published later in several arrangements.
Between 1912 and 1914, Joseph Breil composed songs and incidental music for comedies that made him a significant pioneer in the field of film music: Les amours de la reine Élisabeth (1912) and La dame aux camélias (1912) with Sarah Bernhardt; The Prisoner of Zenda (1913) with James K. Hackett; Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1913) with Minnie Maddern Fiske; In the Bishop's Carriage (1913) with Mary Pickford; Cabiria (1914) with Lidia Quaranta and Italia Almirante-Manzini.
Of particular importance to his career was the incidental music for D.W. Griffith's films The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916); and a one-act opera, The Legend, which was performed three times at the Metropolitan in New York in 1919. These dramatic compositions, including the Song of the Soul, gained Joseph Breil much attention in print. His name appeared in a number of reference works been usually closed to film composers of the silent period.- IMDb Mini Biography By: MAthePA
- SpousesAlta G. Breil(? - January 23, 1926) (his death)Alta (Dot) Gelvin
- Also wrote the opera "The Legend", which had its world premiere 1919 at the Metropolitan Opera New York
- The love theme from "The Birth of a Nation" was essentially the first popular hit song from a movie score (published as "The Perfect Song").
- He was the first composer to have a live chore accompany a film screening by singing in the lobby before the show. And he is the Great Uncle to Kimberly Gelvin-Wilks because he married her Great Aunt Dot who was a famous stylist for Lillian Gish and the like.
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