Peter Howard

Broadway arranger Peter Howard dies at 80

Peter Howard, who arranged the dance music for many of Broadway's greatest hits over the past half-century, has died. He was 80.

Howard died April 18 in Englewood, according to an administrative manager at the Lillian Booth Actors' Home, where Howard had been living in recent years.

Between 1949 to 2000, Howard was involved in 38 Broadway shows. Sometimes he composed the incidental music or conducted the orchestra.

But Howard made his greatest mark in the 23 shows where he arranged dance music. Those shows included such hits as "1776," "Chicago," "Annie," "The Roar of the Greasepaint -- The Smell of the Crowd," "The Tap Dance Kid," "Carnival" and "Hello, Dolly!"