Research Catalog

Title

Ann Ronell papers, 1914-1999.

Author

Ronell, Ann.

Supplementary Content

Finding Aid

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990.
• Gershwin, George, 1898-1937.
• Berezowsky, Nicolai, 1900-1953.
• Ryerson, Florence.
• Weill, Kurt, 1900-1950.
• Cowan, Lester.

Description

8.5 linear ft. (26 boxes)

Summary

The Ann Ronell papers consist of approximately 8.5 linear feet of material documenting Ronell's musical education and her career as a composer, lyricist and musical director for films. Scores and subject files, containing the bulk of her correspondence, along with material gathered for biographical purposes, constitute the majority of the collection. Financial records, photographs, and material belonging to her husband, Lester Cowan, are also present.

Subject

• Ronell, Ann
• Cowan, Lester
• Gershwin, George, 1898-1937 > Friends and associates
• Composers > United States
• Lyricists > United States
• Motion picture producers and directors > United States
• Women composers > United States
• Women lyricists > United States

Genre/Form

Scores.

Source (note)

• Cowan, Robert.

Biography (note)

• Ann Ronell, songwriter, lyricist, and musical director for films, was born Ann Rosenblatt in Omaha, Nebraska on December 25, 1905.

Indexes/Finding Aids (note)

• Finding aid available in repository and on Internet.

Processing Action (note)

• Cataloged

Call Number

JPB 02-1

OCLC

NYPT04-A7

Author

Ronell, Ann.

Title

Ann Ronell papers, 1914-1999.

Biography

Ann Ronell, songwriter, lyricist, and musical director for films, was born Ann Rosenblatt in Omaha, Nebraska on December 25, 1905. She attended Radcliffe College, where her work for the college newspaper served as the primary launching pad for her career as a commercial songwriter. Through writing reviews and interviews, Ronell made the acquaintance of many of the era's prominent musical figures. An assignment involving George Gershwin led to his offering to connect Ronell with some of his contacts in the music business and she became a coach and rehearsal pianist for Broadway shows. In 1932 she wrote her most widely covered song, Willow, weep for me and dedicated it to Gershwin. While in New York, Ronell was able to place a number of her songs in shows. In 1933, she left New York for Hollywood, where she worked for the Walt Disney Studios, assisting in creation of the song Who's afraid of the big bad wolf derived from a Three little pigs animated short. In 1935 Ronell married the producer Lester Cowan. The majority of her work during this period concentrated on film music, but from the late 1940s onward much of her time was also spent translating and adapting opera and operetta libretti in an attempt to bring these genres to wider audiences. Ronell contributed to the soundtrack scores of numerous films and worked on a number of aspects of musical direction for films.

Ronell was a pioneer in several areas of soundtrack recording and is sometimes given credit for introducing, in The story of G.I. Joe, the concept of the theme song sung over the title credits of a film. Following her return to New York in the 1960s, Ronell served on the boards of several musical and theatrical associations and in 1991 was inducted into the National Academy of Popular Music's Songwriters Hall of Fame. Ronell died on her 88th birthday on December 25, 1993.

Indexes

Finding aid available in repository and on Internet.

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Request Access to Music & Recorded Sound Division Special Collections material

Finding Aid

Added Author

Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990.

Gershwin, George, 1898-1937.

Berezowsky, Nicolai, 1900-1953.

Ryerson, Florence.

Weill, Kurt, 1900-1950.

Cowan, Lester.

Research Call Number

JPB 02-1