Erwin Lendvai
Encyclopedia
Erwin Lendvai was a Hungarian
composer and choral conductor. He was an uncle of the composer Kamilló Lendvay
.
Lendvai was born in Budapest
. He graduated from National Music Academy of Budapest
studying with Hans von Koessler
. He also studied with Gioachino Rossini (impressive! Rossini died in 1863. Giacomo Puccini
is the right one) in Milano. From 1906, he lived in Germany starting his teaching career. From 1913 to 1914, he taught at the J.-Dalcroze Institute in Hellerau
where he married a photographer Erna Lendvai-Dircksen
. From 1914 to 1920, he taught composition at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory
in Berlin
and in 1923 choral singing at the Volksmusikschule in Hamburg
.
He was also director of a musical society in Koblenz
and director of the popular choir of Munich
. In 1929, he premiered Arnold Schoenberg
's choral work Glück Op. 35, No. 4.
In 1933, he emigrated from Germany due to the Nazi regime and since then he worked as a music teacher in Kenninghall
, England. After the war, he led the Györ Conservatory of Music. He became interested in Béla Bartók
's music there. He died in Epsom
.
Lendvai wrote one opera Elga (1916, on text by Gerhart Hauptmann
), festival music Völkerfreiheit (1930), a symphony, Archaic dances, Scherzo for orchestra, 3 Pieces for organ Op. 4, chamber music, choral works and songs. Lendvai's choral music influenced many other choral composers.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
composer and choral conductor. He was an uncle of the composer Kamilló Lendvay
Kamilló Lendvay
Kamilló Lendvay is a Hungarian composer.Born in Budapest, he studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music with János Viski. After graduation, in 1957 he undertook a conducting post with the Szeged Opera....
.
Lendvai was born in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. He graduated from National Music Academy of Budapest
Franz Liszt Academy of Music
The Franz Liszt Academy of Music is a concert hall and music conservatory in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875...
studying with Hans von Koessler
Hans von Koessler
Hans von Koessler was a German composer, conductor and music teacher. In Hungary, where he worked for 26 years, he was known as János Koessler....
. He also studied with Gioachino Rossini (impressive! Rossini died in 1863. Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
is the right one) in Milano. From 1906, he lived in Germany starting his teaching career. From 1913 to 1914, he taught at the J.-Dalcroze Institute in Hellerau
Hellerau
Hellerau is a quarter in the City of Dresden, Germany. It was the first garden city in Germany.Based on the ideas of Ebenezer Howard, businessman Karl Schmidt-Hellerau founded Hellerau near Dresden in 1909. The idea was to create an organic, planned community...
where he married a photographer Erna Lendvai-Dircksen
Erna Lendvai-Dircksen
Erna Lendvai-Dircksen born 1883 Wetterburg - died 1962 Coburg, was German photographer who was a member of the Nazi party and worked to commission for the Fascist regime led by Adolf Hitler. Erna Dircksen studied painting in the Cassel. In 1916 she opened a portrait studio in Berlin. Dirchsen...
. From 1914 to 1920, he taught composition at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory
Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory
The Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory was a music institute in Berlin, established in 1893, which for decades was one of the most internationally renowned schools of music. It was formed from the existing schools of music of Xaver Scharwenka and Karl Klindworth, the Scharwenka-Konservatorium and...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and in 1923 choral singing at the Volksmusikschule in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
He was also director of a musical society in Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
and director of the popular choir of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. In 1929, he premiered Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
's choral work Glück Op. 35, No. 4.
In 1933, he emigrated from Germany due to the Nazi regime and since then he worked as a music teacher in Kenninghall
Kenninghall
Kenninghall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 878 in 369 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
, England. After the war, he led the Györ Conservatory of Music. He became interested in Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
's music there. He died in Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
.
Lendvai wrote one opera Elga (1916, on text by Gerhart Hauptmann
Gerhart Hauptmann
Gerhart Hauptmann was a German dramatist and novelist who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1912.-Life and work:...
), festival music Völkerfreiheit (1930), a symphony, Archaic dances, Scherzo for orchestra, 3 Pieces for organ Op. 4, chamber music, choral works and songs. Lendvai's choral music influenced many other choral composers.
Sources
- Erwin Lendvai
- German Wikipedia article
- Italian Wikipedia article
Further reading
- Hugo LeichtentrittHugo LeichtentrittHugo Leichtentritt was a German-Jewish musicologist and composer who spent much of his life in the USA. Composer Erich Walter Sternberg was one of his pupils.-Literary works:*R...
, E. Lendvai. Berlin 1912. - Gesine Schröder, Zum Streit der Männerchöre in den Zwanziger Jahren: Eine Erinnerung an Erwin Lendvai", in: 4. Tagung AIM Gender in Stuttgart-Hohenheim, 2.-4.2.2006 (pdf)