[2] He first gained attention as a composer during the 1920s and 1930s, writing German language songs such as Ein Lied geht um die Welt (1933) and Es wird im Leben dir mehr genommen als gegeben (1936), gaining considerable popularity in Europe through recordings by Joseph Schmidt and Richard Tauber.
Two early examples (both for British International Pictures) were The Flame of Love in 1930 (starring Anna May Wong), followed by Bridegroom Widow the following year.
[2] After his enforced move to the UK in 1936 he began scoring full length feature sound films for organisations such as Boulting Brothers and Rank/Gainsborough Pictures.
[7][8] May returned to the European continent in 1957 and continued writing scores for film and stage productions, including Der Kaiser und das Wäschermädel (1957).
His musical language and style looked back to the golden age of Viennese operetta and composers such as Franz Lehár and Emmerich Kalman.