Henry Souvaine(1895-1954)
- Producer
- Director
- Soundtrack
Henry Souvaine was a composer and radio producer. As a child prodigy,
he took his first professional bow as violinist with a symphony
orchestra in San Francisco. He later switched to the piano. In the
early 1920s he lectured about music in public schools. As composer he
collaborated with EY Harburg, Morrie Ryskind, J. P. McEvoy ("Comic
Supplement" for Ziegfeld). His song "Would 'Ja For a Big Red Apple?"
(written with Johnny Mercer and Everett Miller) was featured in the
1932 Broadway revue "Americana." He began his career in radio as
producer of "Cadillac Concerts" and of the prestigious General Motors
Symphony Broadcasts. From 1940 until his death he was in charge of
Metropolitan Opera broadcasts and its intermission features, "Opera
News On the Air" and "Opera Quiz." According to Variety, he sponsored
the broadcasting debuts of Menuhin, Toscanini, Marian Anderson,
Heifetz, Artur Rubinstein and others.