Leo Edwards (composer)
Encyclopedia
Leo Edwards was a Broadway
composer
. He was the brother of Gus Edwards
,, who was also a Broadway composer.
Edwards was born Leo Simon in the German Empire
. He appeared in vaudeville
and worked for music publishing firms as a staff writer. His Broadway credits include The Wizard of Oz, The Blue Paradise
, and the Ziegfeld Follies
of 1912, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1921 and 1923.
Edwards co-wrote the popular song "My Fantasy" with Paul Whiteman
and Jack Meskill, which is an adaptation of the Polovtsian Dances theme from the opera Prince Igor
by Alexander Borodin
.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He was the brother of Gus Edwards
Gus Edwards (songwriter)
Gus Edwards was an American songwriter and vaudevillian. He also organised his own theatre companies and was a music publisher.-Early life:...
,, who was also a Broadway composer.
Edwards was born Leo Simon in the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. He appeared in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and worked for music publishing firms as a staff writer. His Broadway credits include The Wizard of Oz, The Blue Paradise
The Blue Paradise
The Blue Paradise is a musical with music by Edmund Eysler and Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Herbert Reynolds, and a book by Edgar Smith, based on the operetta Ein Tag im Paradies by Eysler with original text by Leo Stein and Bela Jenbach. The story is set in a Viennese cafe, where a man realizes...
, and the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
of 1912, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1921 and 1923.
Edwards co-wrote the popular song "My Fantasy" with Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
and Jack Meskill, which is an adaptation of the Polovtsian Dances theme from the opera Prince Igor
Prince Igor
Prince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
by Alexander Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
.