Most large movie theaters in the U.S. had their own orchestras for silent film accompaniment, with smaller theaters having just a theatre organ, photoplayer or piano. The musicians often relied on an already existing repertoire of opera and excerpts from other compositions. Riesenfeld began as one of the first to write original compositions for films. As an example, the "Brother's Theme" was a mainstay of the 1926 release of
Beau Geste (published by Robbins-Engel Inc.). Next to
Albert William Ketèlbey and
Ernö Rapée, Riesenfeld was a pioneer of modern, high-quality production of music. He also co-founded the cinema library music—topical collections of music for silent film orchestra and musicians also. "Mr. Riesenfeld puts much emphasis on the music in the movies", in an article about Riesenfeld and film music. "Orchestra with organ varies in its two large theatres. His organist gets $250 a week, 70 orchestra musicians are well-paid because the lowest wage is 70 dollars a week. [...] Of course, the business costs in America are quite different than ours. Mr. Riesenfeld explains that he must have a dose of 50,000 dollars per week to reach its expenses and to this purpose otherwise it zahle weekly 120,000 spectators as he. [...] News always appear in the first week in its theatres. [...] "Mr. Riesenfeld paid up to 6000 dollars a week for the presentation rights for a good movie." When he wrote the music for the
Western movie
The Covered Wagon (1923), Riesenfeld was one of the most frequently employed
film composers in Hollywood. From 1928 to 1930, he was General Music Director of
United Artists. After that time, Riesenfeld worked mostly for independent productions. Away from the film industry, he was orchestra conductor of the
Los Angeles Symphony and as a composer in the classical sector. He composed the ballet ''Chopin's Dances
(1905), the comic opera Merry Martyr
(1913), the musical Betty Be Good
(1921), Children's Suite'' (1928) and overtures, orchestral music, and songs. During the years of 1924 and 1926, he conducted the
Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, in the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, in the summer series. == Illness and death ==