London 1896 - Munich 1976

Friedrich Hollaender was born into a family of musicians, conductors and writers obsessed with the theatre, so it was no surprise that the young Friedrich, though still at school, spent his free time improvising at the keyboard to the silent films at the cinema.  His classical music education under the tutelage of Humperdinck led to an engagement at the Prague Opera, but he was soon to follow in his father’s footsteps writing music for the popular stage.

The exciting, satirical world of the Berlin Cabaret provided a rich environment for a composer and lyricist of Hollaender’s facility and versatility.  He wrote for Kurt Tucholsky’s Cabaret venue “Schall und Rauch”, more than matching the biting political and social satire of Tucholsky’s texts. His next position was as composer and lyricist at “Megalomania” but it was in 1926 that Hollaender wrote, composed and directed his first cabaret show “The Magic Lantern.  The cabaret shows of the 1920’s reflected the new zeitgeist, a reaction against the sentimentality, nostalgia and utopianism of the cabaret of the Weimar Republic, expressed in the “Neue Sachlichkeit” - the new objectivity movement.  Society needed to view itself from a distance and reassess each individual’s needs and inclinations and cabaret provided the lens through which this might be viewed.

In 1930 Hollaender, as a favour, played for a colleague’s audition for a new film “Der Blaue Engel”.  Hollaender was hired as composer for the film and the role for which his colleague auditioned was given to the cabaret singer, Marlene Dietrich.  This film, proved to be a turning point in his life.  Not only did he write one of the most famous songs in the history of popular song, “Falling in love again” but the people he encountered, together with the accident of having been born in London and thus having a British passport, saved Hollaender from the tragic fate of so many of his Jewish contemporaries.

In 1933, at a moment’s notice, Hollaender fled from his Berlin home via Paris to the USA where he had a contract awaiting his arrival in Hollywood.  Here he was reunited with old friends and colleagues; Billy Wilder, Ernst Lubitsch, Peter Lorre, Joe May, Franz Waxmann and Marlene Dietrich.  Although his contract was initially for three months, he stayed for twenty years, writing songs and scores for the Hollywood film industry, on occasion, even appearing as an actor.

Early in the 1950’s Hollaender took the opportunity to revisit Germany.  Many friends had already returned there.  Despite painful memories, Hollaender finally returned to Germany for good in 1956 settling in Munich.  His links with Hollywood were not broken and he continued to write for American films, but also popular music for German revues.  In 1959 he was awarded the “Bundesverdienstkreuz” for his services to the music industry.  Shortly thereafter, he retired from composing and spent the last years devoting his time to writing.