Knowra Miklós Rózsa Miklós Rózsa Miklós Rózsa (1907–1995) was a Hungarian-American composer whose work ranged from concert music to influential film scores, including Ben-Hur, Spellbound, and Double Indemnity.
Ben-Hur (1959 film) : The 1959 historical epic directed by William Wyler, with a score by Miklós Rózsa. Rózsa’s monumental score won an Academy Award and helped define the film’s ancient-world sound.
Violin Concerto (Rózsa) : Miklós Rózsa’s 1953 violin concerto, later adapted into music for the film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. It shows his concert style in a large-scale work that also crossed into film.
Arthur Honegger : Swiss-born French composer associated with the group of composers known as Les Six. Rózsa studied with Honegger in Paris, gaining a direct link to modern European composition.
Budapest : The capital of Hungary, where Miklós Rózsa was born and began his musical education. Rózsa’s Hungarian upbringing and early studies began in Budapest.
Academy Award for Best Original Score : An Academy Award recognizing excellence in music composed for a motion picture. Rózsa won three times, for Spellbound, A Double Life, and Ben-Hur.
Spellbound : Alfred Hitchcock’s 1945 psychological thriller, scored by Miklós Rózsa. Rózsa used the theremin to give the film’s psychological drama an unsettling sound.
Sinfonia concertante (Rózsa) : Miklós Rózsa’s 1966 concert work for violin, cello, and orchestra. Its solo-instrument interplay displays his independent orchestral writing.
Alexander Korda : Hungarian-born British film producer and director who founded London Films. Korda’s invitation brought Rózsa into film scoring through The Thief of Bagdad.
Leipzig Conservatory : A German music conservatory founded in Leipzig in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn. Rózsa studied composition and musicology there before establishing himself as a composer.
A Double Life : George Cukor’s 1947 film about an actor whose role begins to overtake his life, scored by Rózsa. The score earned Rózsa his second Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Show all 28