Hal Schaefer
Harold Herman "Hal" Schaefer (22 July 1925 – 8 December 2012) was an American jazz pianist and vocal coach. He coached Marilyn Monroe, Mitzi Gaynor, Judy Garland, Robert Wagner, Jane Russell, and Barbra Streisand, in films and musical comedy songs, and composed the film scores to The Money Trap (1965) and The Amsterdam Kill (1977). Schaefer was a pianist in Benny Carter's group, including performing as a pianist in Harry James and Boyd Raeburn's jazz groups and for Peggy Lee and Billy Eckstine.
Hal Schaefer
jazz musician and vocal coach.
- Name
- Hal Schaefer
- Birth Name
- Harold Herman Schaefer
- Born
- 22 July 1925
- Birthplace
- New York City, U.S.
- Died
- 8 December 2012
- Place of death
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Musician
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- music · jazz · vocal pedagogy
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Documentary summary
Harold Herman "Hal" Schaefer (22 July 1925 – 8 December 2012) was an American jazz pianist and vocal coach. He coached Marilyn Monroe, Mitzi Gaynor, Judy Garland, Robert Wagner, Jane Russell, and Barbra Streisand, in films and musical comedy songs, and composed the film scores to The Money Trap (1965) and The Amsterdam Kill (1977). Schaefer was a pianist in Benny Carter's group, including performing as a pianist in Harry James and Boyd Raeburn's jazz groups and for Peggy Lee and Billy Eckstine.
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Hal Schaefer (1925–2012) was a composer, film score composer and jazz musician, among other activities, of American nationality. The composer was born in New York City and died in Fort Lauderdale. Activity centred on jazz, music and vocal pedagogy. The work spans jazz.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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gnd · 1265621039 · museum · 491d10e7-ca2a-4ad1-b85a-306adbfdf43f · wikidata · Q1570147 · wikipedia · Hal Schaefer
In this article
Biography
Biography
During his career he helped many directors and producers such as Howard Hawks, Harold Prince, and George Cukor. In 2009, Schaefer was nominated by Michael Feinstein for the Best Latin Jazz Award and also for the NEA Jazz Masters. He never left the music industry. Schaefer once performed a musical piece for Eleanor Roosevelt and sang at the United Nations' anniversary in 1955. He moved to Florida in the 1990s and continued to teach voice lessons to students until his death.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Hal Schaefer • Landscape — yes • Birth Name — Harold Herman Schaefer • Born — 22 July 1925 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Died — 8 December 2012 • Place of death — Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. • Genre — Jazz • Occupation — * Musician • vocal coach • Instrument — Piano • Years Active — 1950s–2000s
Albums
Albums
• Date — Title — Label • 1956 — The RCA Victor Jazz Workshop — RCA Victor • 1959 — Ten Shades of Blue — United Artists • 1976 — The Extraordinary Jazz Pianist — Renaissance • 1992 — Solo Duo Trio — Discovery • 2011 — Brilliant! — Summit • 2015 — Jazz Goes to the Movies / Showcase: Great Songs from United Artists Pictures — Fresh Sound
Identity
Identity
Hal Schaefer is recorded as pianist, composer, music educator and musician.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2012
Hal Schaefer died at Fort Lauderdale.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
US.
Country
New York City.
Birth place
Fort Lauderdale.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1570147: Hal Schaefer
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Hal Schaefer”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Institutional database
- MusicBrainz artist record for Hal Schaefer
Scholarly · MetaBrainz Foundation
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.AARP. Hal Schaefer: The Piano Man. 19 December 2012.
- 2.Nelson, Valerie J. Hal Schaefer dies at 87; musician known for Marilyn Monroe liaison. The Los Angeles Times. 16 December 2012.
- 3.Schudel, Matt. Hal Schaefer, jazz piano virtuoso and onetime love of Marilyn Monroe, dies. The Washington Post. 18 December 2012.
- 4.The Tablet Magazine. Jazz pianist who was romantically linked to Marilyn Monroe.
- 5.Weber, Bruce. Hal Schaefer, Jazz Pianist and Marilyn Monroe Friend, Dies at 87. The New York Times. 12 December 2012.
- 6.Hal Schaefer. Hal Schaefer Official Website.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
MusicBrainz artist record for Hal SchaeferMetaBrainz Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q1570147: Hal SchaeferWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
(MusicBrainz artist record for Hal Schaefer) • Country: US (MusicBrainz artist record for Hal Schaefer) • Described As: jazz musician and vocal coach (MusicBrainz artist record for Hal Schaefer) • Kind Of Artist: person (MusicBrainz artist record for Hal Schaefer) • Born: Hal Schaefer was born in 1925 at New York City.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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