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Howard Dietz
Vintage sheet music for
"Haunted Heart"
music chiefly by Arthur Schwartz
words chiefly by Howard Dietz
from the Show Inside USA (1948)
Basic Information
Born: September 8, 1896, New York City
Died: July 30, 1983 (age 86), New York City
Primary songwriting role: lyricist; also book and screen writer, and Hollywood movie studio executive (publicity director for MGM)
Howard Dietz did not write exclusively with Arthur Schwartz, but nearly so. In fact, the only song in the
Cafe SongbookCatalog of The Great American Songbookwith lyrics by Howard Dietz but not having music by Arthur Schwartz is "Moanin' Low," a song Dietz wrote with Ralph Rainger for the revue, The Little Show in 1929. All of the other songs in that show with Dietz lyrics have music by Schwartz.
In his autobiography Dietz mentions a noteworthy occasion on which he wrote some songs with another composer, George Gershwin. He explains how he came to help write the lyrics for several of the songs from the 1926 George and Ira Gershwin show, Oh, Kay! Dietz writes that help was needed when Ira had to undergo an appendectomy, and he was called to fill in. Dietz wrote the lyrics for the songs "Oh, Kay!" and "Heaven on Earth," for which he received credit, as well as the
versefor "Clap Yo' Hands" and the title for "the best song in the show, 'Someone to Watch Over Me'" for which he didn't receive credit. According to Dietz, who had not yet partnered up with Arthur Schwartz and become a famous lyricist himself, was chosen by George over the more obvious possibilities of Oh, Kay!'s book-writers, P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton, because he would work more cheaply and was willing to accept less credit, which George wanted to go solely to his brother. Dietz adds, I was very proud to work with the great Gershwin and I would have done it for nothing, which I did." (Dancing in the Dark, p. 74 Hardcover Ed.)
David Ewen. American Songwriters, An H. W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary. New York: The H. W. Wilson Co., 1987 (includes 146 bios of composers and lyricists). -- a wide selection of used copies is available at abebooks.com (entry for Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, pp. 349-354).
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Cafe Songbook
Master List of Great American Songbook Songwriters
Names of songwriters who have written at least one song included in the Cafe Songbook Catalog of The Great American Songbook are listed below.
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(books by and about, recordings, videos, etc.)
, An H. W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary. New York: The H. W. Wilson Co., 1987 (includes 146 bios of composers and lyricists). -- a wide selection of used copies is available at