Walter Bransen, also Walther Bransen (6 May 1886 – 21 October 1941), was a German physician, violinist and composer. His pseudonyms were Will Rollins, Sam Fox and Karl Wetter.
Life Bransen was born in 1886 as Walter Abramssohn in Braunschweig. After studying medicine, he switched to music in the 1920s and became a student of the Russian-Swiss composer Paul Juon.
He wrote operas and operettas, chamber music and incidental musicamong others for the performance of Kleist's Kätchen von Heilbronn at the Deutsches Theater Berlin on 29 December 1925, and at dieterleitner.de but also songs and Schlager, the latter mostly under the stage name "Will Rollins". He worked with renowned lyricists such as Fritz Rotter, Robert Gilbert and Willy Rosen. Bransen published with several Berlin publishers. Popular performers ensured the circulation of his pieces, which were performed by bands such as Dajos Béla, ("Dobbri") and Paul Godwin, performed by singers like Serge Aranovic, and Leo Monosson.
Soon he was also working for the new media of gramophone, radio and cinema. For the newly founded Berlin record company VoxRainer E. Lotz: Kurze Firmengeschichte he composed a "Vox-Foxtrot",cf. Vox 01782 Vox-Foxtrot (M: Walter Bransen) in the Discovering Music Archives which the orchestra Bernard Etté recorded in January 1925.cf. Lotz, Rainer E.: Artist Discography (PDF; 2.1 MB). It was through this company, whose building in Berlin, the , also housed the first German radio station in 1923, that his path to broadcasting led him. From June 1925, he headed the department for instrumental and vocal arts at the "Deutsche Stunde, Gesellschaft für drahtlose Belehrung und Unterhaltung G.m.b.H." whose radio orchestra, also from June 1925, was conducted by Bruno Seidler-Winkler.
Together with the dance teacher Walter Carlos, who also worked on the new medium of radio as a "radio dance teacher", he created the "German Dance" DETA in autumn 1927, which was also distributed on recordsDeta : A German Dance by Walter Carlos / Walter Bransen. Performer(s): Dajos Béla Dance Orchestra. Odeon O-2287 / A 45 268 (Be 6358), cf. the DNB entry For two feature films he was involved as a film composercf. filmportal.de The songs from the film Ich war zu Heidelberg Student (director Wolfgang Neff. World premiere: 1 July 1927, Berlin, U.T. Turmstraße) were popularised by the German singer Franz Baumann,cf. label of the Tri-Ergon record T.E.1059 Ich war zu Heidelberg Student, who also wrote lyrics himself. Bransen wrote the premiere music for the film Die Frau, nach der man sich sehnt (director Kurt Bernhard. Premiere 28 April 1929, Berlin, Mozartsaal). Other compositions for the film were provided by Edward Kilenyi and Giuseppe Becce.cf. silentera.com "Music score by Edward Kilenyi; song "Stascha" by Giuseppe Becce and Walther Bransen; song "Bist du das Glück, nach dem ich mich gesehnt" by Giuseppe Becce." The film was released in the US in 1929 under the title Three Loves (silent) by Moviegraphs, Inc. A synchronised version for screening in the US with music by Edward Kilenyi and Walther Bransen was circulated by Associated Cinemas in 1931, cf. marlenedietrich-filme.de
Bransen was married to the Polish-born soprano Dorothea Manski.a Wagnerian singer who sang the roles of Sieglinde and Isolde in Bayreuth and Berlin, cf. the memoirs of Patricia Callaway at , differing from , where Walter Bransen is confused with the Swedish music critic Walter Brandon. There is evidence of a test recording of her with a composition by her husband ("Anita-Boston") for the Berlin company Vox, whose lyrics "Baby, träum' von mir, träume süss" were written by Karl Brüll.cf. Discovering Music Archivescf. Discovering Music Archives and Lotz, Rainer E.: Vox-Künstlerdiskographie (PDF; 2.1 MB) : "Vox-Matr. 1118-BB, without order no., Dorothea Manski with grand piano accompaniment. Presumably unpublished test recording, 9 December 1926. (M Walter Bransen [?])"
As a Jewish artistcf. Stengel-Gerigk p. 41 he saw his existence threatened by the strengthening of the National Socialists and was forced to emigrate; with his wife and daughter Ingethe latter, like her mother, also became a singer, cf. : MANSKI, Dorothée (also Dorothea) [soprano, 1891 Berlin – 1967 Atlanta, Georgia, USA], MANSKI, Inge [soprano, mezzo 1923 Berlin- 2001 Chicago, Illinois, US] he left Germany even before the Machtergreifung in 1933.Frau.Callaway mentions the year 1928 On the steamship "Ïle de France"I think that Inge said they sailed on the SS Île de France and that there were fleas..." recalls Mrs. Callaway they sailed to America. Bransen would have had to have his medical training in Germany recognised in the USA by taking another exam, which he refused to do. He preferred to play the violin in the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera in New York,according to Mrs.Callaway's memoirs at healthyvoicestudio.com where his wife was engaged as a singer.
In America, he continued to compose songs. He set poems by Robert Burns and Christina Georgina Rosetti to music, as well as several texts by Thomas Grant Springer. Walter Bransen died in Bloomington, Indiana (US) in 1941.
Work Worldcat lists 28 titles by Bransen:. Stage works: Der Theatergraf : Operette in 3 Akten. Musik v. Walter Bransen. Textbuch v. Fritz Lunzer & Felix Körner. Ausgabe: Als Ms. gedr. Berlin, Schlesinger, Erscheinungsjahr 1921 Liedschlager (as ‚Will Rollins‘): Die kleine Susanne (text by Fritz Rotter) Ich hab' ein Rendez-vous (with Rene Porges; text by Willy Rosen) Liebchen, Gut’ Nacht. Lied (ext: Franz Baumann) Liebling fahr doch an die Nordsee mit mir (with Austin Egen, text: Fritz Rotter) Mein ganzer Reichtum (text by Fritz Rotter) Süß singt die Geige “Gut’ Nacht”. Tango (with Will Meisel) Wieso ist der Walter so klug für sein Alter (text: Fritz Rotter) Liedschlager (as "Walter Bransen"): Anita. Boston (text: Karl Brüll) Auf der grünen Wiese. Foxtrott (with Walter Borchert, text by Fritz Rotter & Otto Stransky) Du meines Lebens Sonnenschein. Walzerlied Heut sing ich nur für dich. Valse Boston (text: Franz Baumann) Liebchen, gute Nacht! Lied (text: Franz Baumann) Wilde Rosen und Becherklang. Lied (text by Hans Erich Winkler) Wir leben, wir lieben, wer weiß wie lange (with Austin Egen, text Fritz Rotter)
a) for "Will Rollins": Mein ganzer Reichtum / Will Rollins, Text: Fritz Rotter. Franz Baumann, Tenor, mit Violine, Cello, Klavier. Tri-Ergon T.E.1057 [M 339] Ich hab ein Rendezvous / Musik v. Rene Porges u. Will Rollins – Text von Willy Rosen. Ultraphon A 912 [mx. 16 845]. Alfred Beres mit seinem Orchester. Refraingesang: Leo Emm [d. i. Monosson] Süß singt die Geige "Gut' Nacht" : Tango / Will Rollins – Text: Robert Gilbert. Saxophon-Orchester Dobbri mit Gesang. Beka B.6773 [mx. 37 561] Süß singt die Geige "Gute Nacht" : Lied / Will Rollins – Text: Robert Gilbert. Serge Aranovic mit Orchester unter Leitung von Kapellmeister O. Dobrindt. Parlophon B.12 121 [mx. 37 929-2 ] Süß singt die Geige der Nacht : Tango / Will Rollins. Text: Rob. Gilbert. Tango-Orchester Dajos Béla mit Gesang. Odeon O-11 086 [ Be 8428 ] Wieso ist der Walter so klug für sein Alter / Austin Egen & Will Rollins, Text von Fr. Rotter. Austin Egen, Bariton mit Klavier. Electrola AM 870 [BD 4735-II]. Wieso ist der Walter so klug für sein Alter : Foxtrot / Will Rollins & Austin Egen – Fritz Rotter. Saxophon-Orchester Dobbri, mit Gesang. Beka B 6219 [mx. 34 166] Wieso ist der Walter so klug für sein Alter? / Musik von Austin Egen und Will Rollins – Text von F. Rotter. Austin Egen, Bariton in Deutsch mit Klavier. Electrola Gesellschaft m.b.H., Nowawes und Berlin, E.G. 633 [BD 4735-II] (8-42053) Die kleine Susanne : Foxtrott / Will Rollins. Julian Fuhs mit seinem Orchester. Beka B.6155 [mx. 34 011-2] Die kleine Susanne / Will Rollins, Fritz Rotter. Austin Egen, Bariton in Deutsch mit Klavier. Electrola Gesellschaft m.b.H., Nowawes und Berlin, E.G. 584 [BD 4738-II] (8-42049)
b) for Walter Bransen: Anita. Boston / Walter Bransen. Marek Weber mit seiner Künstlerkapelle vom Esplanade. Parlophon P.1285 [mx. 2-5693] Heut' sing ich nur für dich! : Valse Boston / Walter Bransen. Kapelle Merton. Beka B.6090 [mx. 33 772] Heut' sing ich nur für dich! Valse boston / Walter Bransen. Orchester Dajos Béla. Odeon O-2090 [Be 6020] Heut sing ich nur für dich : Lied und Valse Boston / Walter Bransen. Kapelle Gebrüder Steiner. Artiphon-Record 2554 Heut' sing ich nur für dich! / Walter Bransen. Text: Franz Baumann. Franz Baumann, Tenor, Begleitung: Klavier und Dajos Béla, Violine. Odeon O-2082 [Be 5579] Wilde Rosen und Becherklang : Lied / Walter Bransen, Text von Hans Erich Winkler. Max Kuttner, Tenor, mit Orchesterbegleitung. Hertie Record No.858 [mx. 2767] B28.8.27 Wilde Rosen und Becherklang / Walter Bransen – Text: H. E. Winkler. Franz Baumann, Tenor, mit Violine, Cello, Klavier. Tri-Ergon TE 1060 [mx. 340] Wilde Rosen und Becherklang / Text: Hans Erich Winkler – Music: Walter Bransen. Franz Baumann, Tenor, mit Klavierbegleitung: Fritz Redl. Homocord 4-2353 [mx. M 19 304–2] A29.11.27 Wilde Rosen und Becherklang / Walter Bransen – E. Winckler. Franz Baumann with Instrumental-Trio. Beka B.6211 [mx. 34 217] Wilde Rosen und Becherklang / Erich Winckler, Walter Bransen. Franz Baumann, Begleitung: Instrumental-Trio. Odeon O-2156 [Be 5781] Liebchen, gute Nacht! / Walter Bransen, Franz Baumann. Franz Baumann, Tenor mit Orchesterbegleitung. Homocord 4-2534 [mx. M 19 860] Du meines Lebens Sonnenschein : Walzerlied / Walter Bransen. Eugen Transky, Tenor, mit Orchesterbegleitung. Bu-Scha Schallplattenvertriebsges.m.b.H. Berlin S. 42, Katalognummer 217 [mx. 07325] Auf der grünen Wiese : Foxtrott / Walter Bransen & Walter Borchert – Text by Fritz Rotter & Otto Stransky. Saxophon-Orchester Dobbri mit Gesang. Beka B.6172 [mx. 34 113] Art Lieder in American Exile: Music of the spring (poem by Enrico D'Amicis; music by Walter Bransen) Verlag: New York, Sprague-Coleman, ©1938. Music of the spring When I am dead, my dearest (poem by Christina Rossetti; music by Walter Bransen) Verlag: New York : Sprague-Coleman, ©1940. Veröffentlichung: Marian Anderson Collection of Printed Music. The forest trees are sighing. Song for voice and piano (poem by Alice Mattullath; music by Walter Bransen) Verlag: New York : Sprague-Coleman, ©1940. Veröffentlichung: Marian Anderson Collection of Printed Music. Peace comes to me. Song for voice and piano (poem by Phylura E. Skalinder; music by Walter Bransen). Verlag: New York : Sprague-Coleman, ©1940. Veröffentlichung: Marian Anderson Collection of Printed Music. There shall be music when you come (music: Walter Bransen, lyrics by Bertita Harding) Verlag: New York : Broadcast Music, Inc., 1941. Wurde aufgeführt im Konzertsaal: Dorothy Hodgkin Dorsey presents Lotte Lehmann, prima donna soprano, Metropolitan Opera, Lauritz Melchior, leading tenor, Metropolitan Opera in joint recital, Constitution Hall, Tuesday evening, Nov. 18, 1941 at 8:30 o'clock. Mr. Paul Ulanowsky at the piano for Mme. Lehmann, Mr. Ignace Strasfogel at the piano for Mr. Melchior. im Radio: vgl. The Post Radio Highlights: Thursday, Dec. 4 1941_Washington, Eastern Standard Time.Radiologs 1940 (PDF; 84 kB) 9:30, WOL-America Preferred: Lauritz Melchior, tenor. With Wallenstein's Orchestra: "There Shall Be Music When You Come," Walter Bransen. Schallplattenaufzeichnung: Columbia 17 353-D, published 1942 vgl. Yale Universitie’s Library.
Recordings (selection) The documents can all be found on YouTube: Heut sing ich nur für dich. Valse boston by Walter Bransen, played by the Merton Chapel (d. i. Dajos Bela). Beka B.6090-II (mx. 33 772) – 1927 Die kleine Susanne. Foxtrott (Will Rollins). Julian Fuhs mit seinem Orchester. Beka B.6155 (mx. 34 011-2) Liebling, fahr doch an die Nordsee mit mir! (Musik von Austin Egen und Will Rollins. Text von F. Rotter) Austin Egen, Bariton in Deutsch mit Klavier. Electrola E.G.461 (Matr. BW 934)