Gabriel Yared
b. Oct. 7, 1949, Beirut, Lebanon
Active during the 1970s - 2000s, this composer has work on over 60 films and TV shows. His first film was 'Miss O'Gynie et les hommes fleurs' (1974), which was followed by 'Sauve qui peut' (1979), 'Malevil' (1981), 'La Lune dans le caniveau '(1983), 'Tir �vue 1984)', 'Flagrant d�ir (1985)', 'Testament d'un po�e juif assassin� Le (1988)', 'Mille et une nuits, Les (1990)', 'Putain du roi, La (1990)', 'English Patient, The (1996)', 'Autumn in New York (2000)', and 'Lisa (2001)'.

   Jack Yellen
b. June 6, 1892, Poland, d. April 17, 1991, Concord, NY, USA.
Overview
In 1897, Yellen's family emigrated to the U.S.A. He composed his first song in 1913. In the 1920's, he began to write lyrics for the great vaudevillian Sophie Tucker. The team of Lyricist Jack Yellen and composer Milton Ager were most active during the 1920's and 1930's. The two men were partners in the publishing firm of Ager, Yellen and Bornstein. Yellen remained active until the 1960's.

Jack received his BA from the University of Michigan. After his graduation, be worked as a reporter for the Buffalo (NY) Courier before coming to New York City. In New York, he began writing special material for entertainers, including Sophie Tucker. In 1925, he composed one of her great hits "My Yiddishe Momme". He then began collaborating with composer Milton Ager with whom, in 1920, he wrote the score for the Broadway musical "What's In A Name". In 1924, they composed the hit "I Wonder What's Become Of Sally". In 1927 Yellen and Ager had a hit tune "Ain't She Sweet". In 1928, he and Ager scored the show "Rain or Shine" and another hit tune in 1929 "Hard Hearted Hannah".

In 1930, Yellen and Ager worked in Hollywood, where they had a huge hit tune with "Happy Days Are Here Again", introduced in the film 'Chasing Rainbows' (1930). Curiously, this tune helped usher in the world-wide economic Depression. In 1931, working with Sid Silvers, he did the libretto, and lyrics, for the Broadway musical 'You Said It". Among Yellen's best-known lyrics, are:
l9l5 "Alabama Jubilee"
and. "Are You from Dixie?"
l924 "Hard-Hearted Hannah"
1927 "Ain't She Sweet?"
1929 "Happy Days Are Here Again"
Among the shows for which he contributed are:
1928 Rain or Shine
1935 George White's Scandals of 1935
1939 Son's O'Fun
1943 Ziegfeld Follies
Jack Yellen is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

   Vincent Youmans
b. Sept. 27, 1898, New York, NY, USA. d. April 5, 1946, Denver, Colorado
né: Vincent Millie Youmans.
Overview
Here's one photograph of Vincent Youmans, and another somewhat clearer photo of Youmans, (photo uncredited) who was a famous composer of popular songs throughout the 1920's and early 1930's. Most of his hit songs were written for Broadway musicals. Tragically, his career was shortened when he contracted tuberculosis and, in 1934, entered a Denver sanitarium. He was able to leave the sanitarium periodically, but his musical endeavors became limited.

While still a child, his family moved to a home in Westchester County. Youmans' father was the owner of a hat store chain. Vincent started his piano lessons when he was just 4 years old. He later attended private schools in Westchester including Trinity School in Mamaroneck and Heathcote Hall in Rye, N.Y. He then enrolled in Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, but quit Yale shortly afterwards due to not having any interest at all in engineering. Circa 1913, he briefly served as a clerk in a Wall Street brokerage, before being drafted into the U. S. Navy in 1914.

All during WW1, he served in the U. S. Navy preparing musical shows. He would often write some tunes for these shows, and one of them was heard by, and then used by, John Phillip Sousa in his band concerts. The song was later (1927) renamed "Hallelujah" and was a hit in the Broadway show 'Hit the Deck'.

Upon his discharge from the U.S. Navy, he embarked on a musical career. His first song was in an 1918 Broadway show.

1918 for the Broadway show 'From Broadway to Piccadilly',
     "Who's Who With You", his first Broadway show tune.
1920 The song "Country Cousin" was published.

In 1920, on the strength of "Country Cousin", Max Dreyfuss of 'Harms Music' hired him as a staff pianist and songplugger. Later, he worked as a pianist for the composer Victor Herbert, helping him to rehearse singers for his musicals. (About that job, Youman's later wrote "I got something in less than a year that money couldn't buy.")

1922 Youmans composed (Lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and Paul Lannin scoring) 'Two Little Girls in Blue'. It was Youmans first Broadway show. It was also Ira Gershwin's 'first', -using the pseudonym 'Arthur Francis', Ira wrote all the lyrics. It was Ira's first undertaking of a complete show. "Oh Me, Oh My, Oh You", was the show's best song.

1923 The Broadway musical 'The Wildflower' had music by Youmans and Herbert Stothart. The book and lyrics were by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. (586 performances)
     "Bambalina"

1923 Youmans and Stothart had another show "Mary Jane KcKane', it flopped. "My Boy and I", the song also flopped. But, the following year it was resurrected, with new lyrics, for the play 'No No Nanette', as the title song. It was a hit then.

1925 The Broadway musical 'No, No, Nanette'. Music by Youmans. Book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. Lyrics by Harbach and Irving Caesar. Three great songs were: "No, No, Nanette", revised from "My Boy and I" from the show 'Mary Jane McKane'. Here's a MIDI of Tea for Two, wonderfully played by Mr. Irwin Schwartz. AND, here is the way The Benson Orchestra, did it in 1924.
     "I Want To Be Happy"

1926 The Broadway play 'Oh, Please', which failed, had the song:
     "I Know That You Know", lyric by Anne Caldwell.

1927 The Broadway musical 'Hit the Deck', with
     "Hallelujah", lyric by Leo Robin and Clifford Grey
     'Hit the Deck'
     "Sometimes I'm Happy". The tune was originally written for the play 'Mary Jane McKane',but taken out before the show reached New York. Two years later, Irving Caesar wrote new lyrics and re-titled it "Sometimes I'm Happy"for the musical 'One Night Out', which never reached Broadway. The song finally made it into 'Hit the Deck'.

1928 The musical 'Rainbow' with book by Laurence Stallings and Oscar Hammerstein II was a failure. It attempted to integrate book and music. Perhaps it would have been a hit in 1940, but 1928 audiences couldn't accept it.
     "I Want a Man", lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II

1929 The Broadway show 'Great Day' was not a hit. But the songs were:
   "Great Day", lyric by William Rose and Edward Eliscu.
   "More Than You Know", lyric by William Rose and Edward Eliscu.
   "Without a Song", lyric by William Rose and Edward Eliscu.

1930 The song "Time on My Hands", lyric Harold Adamson, was issued as a single Tin Pan Alley song, after Marilyn Miller objected to singing it in the show 'Smiles'.
   "Orchids in the Moonlight"

1932 The Broadway play 'Through the Years' failed; the songs didn't:
   "Through the Years", lyric by Edward Heyman
   "Drums in my Heart", lyric by Edward Heyman

1932 Nacio Herb Brown scored the Broadway show 'Take a Chance', but two of Youmans' songs were interpolated into the play.
   "Rise and Shine", lyric by Buddy De Sylva.
   "So Do I", lyric by De Sylva

1933 Scored the movie musical 'Flying Down to Rio', starring Gene Raymond, Dolores Del Rio, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This was the film that made Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers a team. (Lyrics by Gus Kahn and Edward Eliscu.)
   "Carioca"
   "Music Makes Me"
   "Orchids in the Moonlight".
   "Flying Down To Rio"

Unfortunately, his career now began to fade, in part due to his heavy drinking. It all started to unravel for Youmans when in 1933, he contracted Tuberculosis and entered a sanatorium in Denver, Colorado. After a while, he was able to leave and took up residence in New Orleans. He spent this time sketching ideas for new musical endeavors.

In the mid-1930s, Youmans ceased working professionally as a result of his insurance policies. All during his career, Youmans had been troubled by the fact that many songwriters ended their careers impoverished. To protect against such an end, he had spent much of his royalties on life insurance policies. It was his original intention to collect on the insurance if his songwriting talents ever failed. When he found that the insurance companies would not pay out as long as his songs were being published (or he was otherwise physically incapable (such as TB) of earning a living), Youmans ceased working professionally. He did continue to compose, but accumulated his songs only as unpublished manuscripts.

In 1943, after collecting most of his insurance money, he returned to New York where millionaire heiress Doris Duke financed his ideas for a show called 'The Vincent Youmans Ballet Revue'. The lavish show featured modern and classical ballet, puppets, serious music, and rather elaborate costuming. It folded in Boston, and never did reach New York City.

In 1945, Vincent's health deteriorated and he entered Doctor's Hospital in New York. In 1946, he had to return to the sanitorium in Denver. In April, he died. The organist at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, where his funeral service was held, played "Through the Years" in his honor. Youmans was 48.

Youmans was elected to the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

   Narciso Yépés
b. Nov. 14, 1927, Marchena (7 km from Lorca), Spain. d. May 3, 1997 (cancer)
Note: Narciso Yépés was essentially a wonderful concert guitarist and consumate 'Classical' musician. We have included him in this database for his contributions to several popular films.

At just age 4, his father bought him a guitar, and he started to take lessons (in Lorca) from his first teacher, Jesús Guevara. When he was age 12, his family moved to Valencia, and there Narciso continued his studies at the Conservatory of Music with his teacher, Vicente Asensio. In 1943, he made his debut at the Teatro Serrano in Valencia.

Shortly afterwards, the family returned to Lorca, and there Narciso played for the famous conductor Ataúlfo Argenta, who urged him to move to Madrid. In the capital, Yépés met such well known composers as Regino Sainz de la Maza and Joaquín Rodrigo, who had recently finished his new composition "Concierto de Aranjuez". With that work, in 1947, Yépés began his career as soloist performing it with the Orquesta de Camara under Ataúlfo Argenta's baton, in the Teatro Español of Madrid.

The next year, in 1948, after a very succesful concert in Genève, Switzerland, he moved to Paris, France, and continued his musical sludies. In Paris, Yépés met such artists as Nadia Boulanger, George Enesco, and Walter Gieseking, all of whom helped to further his own artistic personality.

In 1958, while in Paris, he met and married Marysia, a young woman of Polish origin, who was then a student of philosophy at the famed Sorbonne university. Their union produced 3 children; Juan de la Cruz (who died in accident), Ignacio (who later became an orchestral conductor), and Ana (who later became a choreographer at the Opera in Paris).

In 1952, he both composed and performed the music for René Clement's film "Jeux Interdits" (aka Forbidden Games). The film won prizes in both the Cannes and Venice festivals, and an Oscar for the best foreign film that year.
Other films for which he has supplied music are:
 1961 The Girl with the Golden Eyes, (Italy: La Ragazza dagli occhi d'oro; France: La Fille aux yeux d'or)
 1991 La Viuda del capit&aacyte;n Estrada, (Captain Estrada's Widow)

In 1964, he invented the 10 string guitar. In addition to his work as a concert artist, Yépés constantly worked to recover old unpublished scores from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and has over 6000 works to his credit. A wonderful contribution to the world of music.

In 1980 he toured the former Soviet Union, and from there continued on to Japan, where he gave 40 concerts, and where his art was truly revered. A tireless traveller and performer, he was applauded by audiences all over the world.