Helmy Kresa
Helmy Kresa (born in Meissen, Germany on November 7, 1904, died 1991, Long Island, New York) was a songwriter and the principal arranger and orchestrator for Irving Berlin. In 1926, Kresa began working for Berlin, where he transcribed what Berlin was playing into musical manuscript form as Berlin could neither read nor write music, eventually becoming the general professional manager of the Irving Berlin Music Company. In 1931, Kresa wrote "That's My Desire", which Frankie Laine, Louis Armstrong and a host of others recorded.
Helmy Kresa
- Name
- Helmy Kresa
- Born
- November 7, 1904
- Birthplace
- Meissen, Germany
- Died
- 1991
- Occupation
- Composer and the principal arranger and orchestrator for Irving Berlin
- Nationality
- United States
- Known for
- That's My Desire
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Kresa's was the first published arrangement of "All of Me", written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons. He also acted as the arranger for Berlin for some stage musicals, including Call Me Madam (1952), Miss Liberty (1950) and Annie Get Your Gun (1949). In 1953, Kresa, Sammy Gallop, and Michael Grace collaborated on the following songs: • Midnight in New York • Teeny, Weeny Martini • Cradled in the Arms of Love • Illustration — Kleinhans Music Hall In that same year (1953), the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, with Alfonso D'Artega as conductor, performed the musical composition co-written by Kresa, Michael Grace, and Maestro D'Artega, in the Summer Pops Concert at Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, New York. The composition, titled Space Taxi Selections, was described by the Buffalo Courier-Express as "musical impressionism with a jive tempo". The newspaper also reported how the selections "brought a burst of applause from the audience". In 1980, he had composed the instrumental music for Martin Scorsese's film Raging Bull. He died of pneumonia in Southampton Hospital, Southampton, Long Island, New York.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Helmy Kresa • Born — November 7, 1904 • Birthplace — Meissen, Germany • Died — 1991 • Occupation — Composer and the principal arranger and orchestrator for Irving Berlin • Children — Kent Kresa
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1904
Helmy Kresa born at Meissen.
1991
Helmy Kresa died at Long Island.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Meissen.
Birth place
Long Island.
Death place
Discography
• Title — Year — Words — Lyrics • Freddy the Rabbit: Opera in Four Minutes — 1948 — Lenny Ross — Helmy Kresa • Oscar the Octopus: Opera in Four Minutes — 1948 — Lenny Ross — Helmy Kresa • My O-HI-O Heaven — 1951 — Helmy Kresa & Al Lewis — Helmy Kresa & Al Lewis • Miracle of Fatima — 1952 — Michael Grace — Helmy Kresa • Midnight in New York — 1953 — Sammy Gallop — Hemly Kresa & Michael Grace • Love Waltz — 1953 — Michael Grace — Helmy Kresa & Michael Grace • I Will Follow Your Star — 1952 — Michael Grace — Helmy Kresa • Fourth Man Theme — 1953 — Helmy Kresa & Michael Grace • Teeny, Weeny Martini — 1953 — Sammy Gallop — Helmy Kresa & Michael Grace • Cradled in the Arms of Love — 1953 — Sammy Gallop — Helmy Kresa & Michael Grace
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Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Helmy Kresa, revision 1358695134 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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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 05 October 2026.
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