David Rose was born in London, England, on June 15, 1910. His family
came to the United States in 1914, settling in Chicago where Rose
received his musical training at the Chicago Musical College. After
working for radio and as pianist of the Ted Fiorito Orchestra, Rose came
to Hollywood in 1938 where he became music director of the Mutual
Broadcasting network. During World War II he served as musical director
of, and composer for, _Winged Victory_, the Air Corps production by Moss
Hart. After the war, Rose became outstandingly successful as musical
director for leading radio and television programs (including the first
Fred Astaire television show for which he received an “Emmy” Award), and
as a composer of background music for many motion pictures. He has also
appeared extensively in America and Europe as guest conductor of
symphony orchestras.
Rose is the composer of several instrumental compositions in a popular
style that have achieved considerable popularity. Indeed, it was with
one of these that he first became famous as a composer. This was the
_Holiday for Strings_, written and published in 1943, a three-part
composition in which the flanking sections make effective use of plucked
strings while the middle part is of lyrical character. _Holiday for
Strings_ received over a dozen different recordings and sold several
million records. Fifteen years later, Rose wrote another charming
composition in a similar vein, _Holiday for Trombones_ in which
virtuosity is contrasted with lyricism. Other instrumental works by Rose
outstanding for either melodic or rhythmic interest are _Big Ben_,
_Dance of the Spanish Onion_, _Escapade_, and _Our Waltz_.