Gottfried Huppertz Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Gottfried Huppertz (11 March 1887 – 7 February 1937) was a German composer who is perhaps most known for his scores to German expressionist silent films such as the science fiction epic Metropolis (1927). He collaborated with legendary director Fritz Lang on multiple occasions.
Fritz Lang tried to convince Huppertz to follow him out of Germany, but Huppertz who was simply too nostalgic about Berlin felt he couldn't leave and decided to stay.
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The theme music for the first of the Karl May talkies, Through the Desert (1936), is included in the Karl May Film Music Collection Box Wild West, Hot Orient.
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His job history to a film composer started with some small appearances as an actor. In the movies "Vier um die Frau" (1921) he played the minor role of a head waiter and in "Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler" (1922) the role of a hotel director. Both movies were directed by Fritz Lang and they became close friends. Finally Fritz Lang gave him the task to wrote the score for his next movie.
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Huppertz initially refused the job to write the music for " Die Nibelungen" and only after reviewing the script he was convinced that the film was independent of the Opera and based on the Volksaga. He then wrote music for the film using a copy of Thea Von Harbou's script that she personally handed to him.
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During WWI Huppertz worked as an opera singer and theater actor in Coburg, Freiburg and Breslau, and also wrote some music for the theater.
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Because of the great attention the composition attracted there was even a disc publication in 1927 with Huppertz's film music for Metropolis - probably one of the first if not even the first soundtrack at all recorded on a disc in film history.
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When he went to Berlin in 1920 he got an engagement as an operetta singer.
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Gottfried Huppertz got down to work to score Fritz Lang's monumental movie "Die Nibelungen" (1924). The movie was shown in two parts and inspired the audience back then. The movie is regarded today as one of the most important German silent movies.
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On February 14, 1924 came the premiere of the first part of the film "Die Nibelungen". While Huppertz finished the music on time for the premiere, Lang, on the other hand, didn't finish editing the film and was working on it during the grand premiere. The reels had to be delivered to the cinema with police escort for each of them to reach on time, which created long pauses between each reel. The conductor at the premiere, Ernö Rapée, had hardest time of his life conducting the 60-piece orchestra, as last minute changes didn't fit the synchronization cues written to the score by Huppertz.
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Gottfried Huppertz also wrote many songs - his first song was "Rankende Rosen" (1905) dedicated to his childhood friend the later Fritz-Lang actor Rudolf Klein Rogge - and he was also active as a conductor.
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After a study in music in Cologne he began his professional life as a singer and stage actor in his hometown.
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After a longer interruption Huppertz used the time to compose own compositions beyond the film business before he worked again for movies from 1933.
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For the theater he also wrote first own compositions and with it he made important experiences for his later career in the film business.
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Letters of Gottfried Huppertz are held by the Leipzig music publisher CF Peters in Leipzig State Archives.
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His third film composition was again for a movie of Fritz Lang. It should become the ultimate height for both artists - for Huppertz already back then, for Fritz Lang many years later. With "Metropolis" director Fritz Lang created a science-fiction classic which receives huge response especially today. At the world premier then the critics were reluctant, it seemed Fritz Lang was too far ahead of the times - and Gottfried Huppertz composed that composition for which he already got great praise at that time and for which he is still known today. Huppertz also impersonated also his third small role in front of the camera as a violin player. By the way his last role in a movie he playes in "Spione" (1928), again as a violin player.
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In 1920 Huppertz moved to Berlin and began acting at the Nollendorfplatz Theater, and shortly afterwards met his future wife, Charlotte Lindig.
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Huppertz was also recorded singing two songs with other singers as promotion for the operetta "Verliebte Leute," which was released in 1922 on a 78rpm record.
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The film composer Gottfried Huppertz was only involved in few movies comparatively still he takes an important position among the German film composers. The main reason is his participation in some of Fritz Lang's most popular silent movies.
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Gottfried Huppertz died of a heart attack, forgotten for almost 40 years until rediscovered due to his early film work of Die Nibelungen and Metropolis.
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His original 1927 score for Metropolis was restored, in a digital recording, for the 2002 DVD release by Kino International as per the documentation on the DVD.
Composer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Das Erbe der Nibelungen
2011
TV Movie documentary
Die Reise nach Metropolis
2010
TV Movie documentary 1927 score
Durch die Wüste
1936
Le domino vert
1935
Der grüne Domino
1935
Hanneles Himmelfahrt
1934
Elisabeth und der Narr
1934
The Judas of Tyrol
1933
Metropolis
1927
The Chronicles of the Gray House
1925
Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache
1924
Die Nibelungen: Siegfried
1924
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler
1922
uncredited
Vier um die Frau
1921
Oberkellner
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Fear (El Miedo)
2006
composer: stock music
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2011
Saturn Award
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
Best Music
Metropolis (1927)
Known for movies
Metropolis (1927) as Composer
Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924) as Composer
Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache (1924) as Composer
$1.7 Million
