Helmy Kresa

Who was Helmy Kresa?

Helmy Kresa, was a songwriter and the principal arranger and orchestrator for Irving Berlin.

Kresa wrote "That's My Desire," which Frankie Laine and Louis Armstrong recorded. He also composed the instrumental music for Martin Scorsese's film "Raging Bull".

Kresa's was the first published arrangement of "All of Me," written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons. He also acted as the arranger for Berlin for some stage musicals, including Call Me Madam, Miss Liberty and Annie Get Your Gun.

In 1926, Kresa began working for Berlin, where he transcribed what Berlin was playing into musical manuscript form as Berlin could neither read nor write music, eventually becoming the general professional manager of the Irving Berlin Music Company.

He died of pneumonia.

His son is Kent Kresa.