Herbert Stothart

Herbert Stothart was an American composer, arranger, conductor, and songwriter. He studied music in Europe and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he later taught. Stothart began his career in theater as a musical director for touring productions under producer Arthur Hammerstein, which led to collaborations on Broadway works. He later worked with composers such as Vincent Youmans and others in the Broadway and popular music world, contributing to several successful stage works and songs, including "The Donkey Serenade" (adapted from Rudolf Friml’s music). In 1929, Stothart moved to Hollywood after signing with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he became one of the studio’s leading composers for over two decades. He contributed to a plethora of film scores, including The Wizard of Oz (1939), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and received multiple additional Oscar nominations throughout his career. Stothart died on February 1, 1949, in Los Angeles, California.

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