Hans Spialek

He sang in the children's chorus of the Vienna State Opera and played small roles, including the little boy in the second act of La bohème under the baton of Gustav Mahler.

His Broadway debut was in 1926, orchestrating some of Walter Donaldson and Joseph Meyer's music for Sweetheart Time (1926).

His many shows from the 1930s include The New Yorkers (1930), Gay Divorce (1932), Anything Goes (1934), On Your Toes (1936), Babes in Arms (1937), I Married an Angel (1938) and The Boys from Syracuse (1938).

"[4] In the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, George J. Ferencz writes of Spialek, "His theatre orchestrations are distinguished by their wittiness, frequent text-painting and masterful use of minimum resources.

"[1] From the 1940s, Spialek worked less for Broadway; he had written music for the 1939 World's Fair, and over the next years he composed and conducted for radio and entertainment events at trade expositions and civic pageants.

His orchestrations are uniquely transparent and kind to singers – never covering, always supporting, and full of sly humour (he was, beyond doubt, the funniest man I've ever met).