John Joseph Braham Sr.

[2][3] In 1862, at the age of 14, Braham began earning his living as a violinist in New York vaudeville and music hall houses and theaters.

[4][5] His father served as the music director for Tony Pastor's Opera House on the Bowery, where Braham may have played in the orchestra.

[citation needed] After touring for a few years as a violin virtuoso, Braham accepted the post of musical director of Pike's Opera House and subsequently at other New York theatres.

[9] From 1882 to 1883, he directed an authorized production of Iolanthe at the newly opened Bijou Theatre in Boston with a cast that featured principals from the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.

[2] He is listed in 1899 in The New York Times as director at Koster and Bial's Music Hall but was also engaged on occasion at the Casino Theatre's roof top garden.

[15] Around the same time, Edward S. Curtis commissioned Braham to compose a score for In the Land of the Head Hunters.

[17][18] Curtis's film and Braham's score were restored and shown at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California on June 5, 2008.