Herbert W. Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Herbert Winfield Spencer (1905-04-07)April 7, 1905 |
| Died | September 18, 1992(1992-09-18) (aged 87) Culver City, California, U.S. |
Herbert Winfield Spencer (April 7, 1905 – September 18, 1992) was a Chilean-born American film and televisioncomposer andorchestrator.
Spencer gained industry fame when he teamed up with fellow20th Century Fox orchestratorEarle Hagen in 1953 to create the Spencer-Hagen Orchestra. They recorded albums for an offshoot of the RCA label "X", and Liberty, and also formed a film scoring service called Music Scoring, Inc. (MSI). Spencer and Hagen scored many early sitcoms and other television shows, includingThe Danny Thomas Show,Where's Raymond?, renamedThe Ray Bolger Show,It's Always Jan starringJanis Paige andMy Sister Eileen. Earle wrote the underscore, while Herb wrote the arrangements. Occasionally, these chores overlapped, when time permitted. MSI was dissolved about 1960, and Spencer went on to scoreThe Joey Bishop Show. Although Spencer is credited by theBMI as "co-composer" ofThe Andy Griffith Show Theme, he was not involved in its composition.[1]
Spencer also helped orchestrate such noted film musicals asHoliday Inn (1942),Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953),Call Me Madam (1953),Carousel (1956),Funny Girl (1968), andHello, Dolly! (1969), and received the credit "musical associate" for his work on the film musicalMan of La Mancha (1972).[2] He also composed the music forSol y nieve (1962, a Chilean documentary).[3]
Later in life, Spencer was known mostly for his collaborations with composerJohn Williams as orchestrator and arranger (from 1967 until his death) for many of his film scores, such as the originalStar Wars trilogy,E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and theIndiana Jones film series.
He orchestrated the stage musicalsThe Good Companions (1974, forAndré Previn), andThomas And The King (1975, for John Williams). Neither show was a success.[citation needed]
Spencer was also principal orchestrator forthe original version ofClash of the Titans (1981).[4]
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