Hugh Williams

Aliases: Will Grant
Will Grosz
Real name: Wilhelm Grosz
Born: August 11, 1894
Died: December 10, 1939
Country: Austria
IPI: 00012548703 1 work
00012786294 17 works
00032977761 5 works
00255516662 2 works
Affiliation: PRS, ASCAP
Comments: Austrian composer, pianist, and conductor born in Vienna. In 1921 he was appointed conductor of the Mannheim Opera, but returned to Vienna in 1922, where he worked as a pianist and composer. From 1927 he was the artistic manager of the Ultraphone Gramophone company in Berlin and In 1933 he became conductor of the "Kammerspiele Theater" in Vienna. Forced to flee his native land because of the Nazi takeover Grosz resettled in England in 1934. However, he found little interest there for his avant garde musical style. He was able to apply a considerable melodic gift to setting the lyrics of popular songs, some of which became international successes. Most of his most popular titles were written with lyricist Jimmy Kennedy: "Harbour Lights", "Red Sails in the Sunset", "When Budapest Was Young", and "Isle of Capri".