However, on his return to the States he could only find employment playing in dance bands; fate placed in his hands a commission to orchestrate some songs of Cole Porter.

They were such a success that he became acknowledged as the orchestrator for all the major Broadway musicals, over the next 40 years producing around 300 scores.

They included Show Boat, Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific, The King and I, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and Camelot.

Never in the history of music has there been such a successful orchestrator and arranger.

From 1930 he was equally active working in Hollywood on film scores, and enjoying a career as a conductor.

Yet he still managed to write a considerable amount of "classical" music, including opera, symphonic, chamber and instrumental music.