Come Over Here

Abstract

Steiner’s promising career in Vienna was dealt a major blow when his father, Gabor, declared bankruptcy in 1908. With the family now hounded by creditors, 20-year-old Max embarked on a new life in London. This chapter follows Steiner from 1908 to 1914, charting another swift professional rise—his time as an orchestrator and musical director—that was again marred by events beyond his control. In 1912, Steiner’s return to Vienna to manage the Ronacher Theater, a failing venture of Gabor’s, ended in Max’s brief imprisonment. (Financial mismanagement would be a recurring motif in his life.) And in 1914, World War I changed the Austro-Hungarian composer’s status in Britain to that of “enemy alien.” But before he moved to yet another country, Steiner’s work in British theater would refine his ability to write supportive “underscore” for stage performers, which would serve him well years later in Hollywood.