Raoul Moretti

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Raoul Moretti was a French composer, born in 1893 and died in 1954. He wrote music for films and operettas and devoted himself to light music. Little about his life is recorded in the sources, but his work is known in broad outline.

Music and breakthrough

His film work falls mainly in the 1930s and 1940s, the time when sound film flourished in France. He wrote music for titles such as King of the Hotel and If You Wish It from 1932, Simone Is Like That and Suburban Melody from 1933 and One Night's Secret from 1934. After that came The Hortensia Sisters and Count Obligado in 1935, Sing Anyway in 1940, Moulin Rouge in 1941 and Melody for You in 1942. He also wrote for A Woman in the Night, After the Storm and A Dog's Life, all three from 1943. The titles are given here in English as they appear in the source; the original French titles may differ.

Influence

A composer like Moretti belongs to the layer of pop history that receives little attention. He worked in the world of light music, between operetta and film, where songs were made for a broad audience. His name is less well known than those of the singers and actors who performed his music, but composers like these helped supply the repertoire of the French cinema of those years.

Listening

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• The Dream Factory: Film Reel 1^NL Reader