Albert Hay Malotte was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 19,
1895. The son of a choirmaster, he himself was a boy chorister, at the
St. James Episcopal Church in his native city. After his music studies
were completed in Paris and London, he served as organist in Chicago and
London. In 1927 he opened a school for organists in Los Angeles, but
when sound came to the screen he gave up the school to write music for
the films. He subsequently joined the music staff at the Walt Disney
studio, creating music for several of Disney’s animated cartoons,
including _Ferdinand the Bull_. He has written ballets, choral music,
and songs, besides scores for motion pictures, having received early in
his career as composer important advice, guidance and encouragement from
Victor Herbert.
Malotte is most famous for his song, “The Lord’s Prayer,” published in
1935, and since become a favorite of concert singers everywhere. Its
deep religious sentiment, and the exciting dramatic thrust of its
concluding measures, have an inescapable impact on audiences.