Ervin Litkei; Composer of Marches

Ervin Litkei, 78, composer of marches for presidents and music for motion pictures. A native of Budapest trained at the Music Conservatory of Hungary, Litkei was still living in Hungary when he composed the first of his tributes to chiefs of state titled “The Franklin D. Roosevelt March.” Roosevelt, he said years later, “was more than a god to me.” Litkei immigrated to Los Angeles in 1948 and spent several years composing songs and soundtracks for films and translating the lyrics from motion pictures into Hungarian. He later composed music for A&E; cable channel biographies of Gen. Omar Bradley, Norman Rockwell, Admiral Bull Halsey and chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey. Over the years, the composer owned and operated several businesses in the music and recording industries. But he always relished composing patriotic music and wrote a march for every president from Roosevelt on. For Bill Clinton’s inauguration, Litkei provided both “The President Bill Clinton March” and “A Salute to the First Lady March,” believed to be the first for a president’s wife. Litkei also wrote large orchestral scores including “Peace and Remembrance” and “The Atlantic and Pacific Suite.” He marked 1976 celebrations with “The Bicentennial March” and the historic 1959 meeting of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev with “The Common Ground.” On Feb. 8 in New York City of a pulmonary embolism.