Arnold Schönberg at UCLA

Harold Halma studied with Arnold Schönberg at UCLA from 1941 to 1943 and occasionally substituted for him in classes. Despite his auspicious musical talent, he eventually devoted himself to photography exclusively; his 1947 portrait of novelist Truman Capote became famous. “The pictures which I took before I left turned out quite well. Numerous people to whom I have shown these have remarked about how hale and hearty you look.” (Harold Halma to Arnold Schönberg, 19 August 1943) “I am now working in a portrait photography studio, Ira Hill on Fifth avenue. It is a kind of apprentice position since I haven’t had much experience in such phases as developing, printing, retouching etc., and in this way, can learn from the ground up.” (Harold Halma to Arnold Schönberg, 12 September 1943)