Eiger, Walter, 1907-1991

Polish-Canadian musician Walter Eiger was born in Lodz, Poland. He studied at the Warsaw Conservatory, then at the École normale de musique de Paris and the Université de Grenoble. At the end of 1929 he was hired by Syrena-Rekord in Warsaw as an arranger for dance orchestras, including those of Henryk Gold and Henryk Wars. He spent 1931 and 1932 as the head of Lonora-Electro, also in Warsaw. In 1932-1933 he was head of the house orchestra for the Polish Lindstrom Society and worked with the Odeon and Parlophon companies, then becoming music director for the “Wesoy Wiecer” and “8:15” theaters. He also wrote revues and some hits. In 1934, began arranging music for the Polish film industry for films such as “Slulag u’askie.” In 1938, he headed to Paris and played the piano there, but with the Nazi occupation, it was time for the Jewish musician to leave. He went to the United States, where he composed for films. In the late 1940s he was in Montreal accompanying Charles Trenet and Patachou, and conducting and arranging music for such CBC television programs as “Feux de joie” and “Music Hall.” He also collaborated with Trenet on the song “I Live For You” (originally “En avril à Paris”). In 1955 he became a naturalized Canadian citizen, but in the 1960s he also was active south of the border, orchestrating for such Broadway shows as “The Music Man” and doing arrangements for Radio City Music Hall. He composed the overture for their Canadian Centennial show, based on a piece he had written earlier using Canadian folk tunes; it was also performed by the Vancouver, Toronto and Quebec symphony orchestras. He also taught at various universities, including Concordia University in Montreal in the late 1970s.