Tibor Serly
Encyclopedia
Tibor Serly (ˈtibor ˈʃɛrli; Losonc
, Kingdom of Hungary
, 25 November 1901 – London
, 8 October 1978) was a Hungarian violist
, violin
ist and composer
.
He was one of the students of Zoltán Kodály
. He greatly admired and became a young apprentice of Béla Bartók
. His association with Bartók was for him both a blessing and a curse. He made great efforts to make Bartók's music more accessible, by arranging selected works for combinations of instruments, but this brought him more attention than did his own compositions.
For the most part his efforts were highly praised, both by Bartók and by colleagues. Bartók's Viola Concerto
took two or three years of Serly's efforts to compile from sketches into a performable piece. It is now one of the most widely performed viola pieces.
One of Serly's most famous original works is Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra. His work bringing Bartók's work to fruition has paid off in the sense that his works are often paired with those of his better known teacher, on recordings and in live performance.
Serly taught composition at the Manhattan School of Music
in New York City (among other institutions) and was also a featured composer/conductor with the Danish radio orchestra. A number of his students went on to have notable careers, including composers Manny Albam
, Jerry Bilik
, and Mark Bucci
. Serly also taught orchestration to Carlyle W. Hall Sr, a trumpet player and arranger for Tommy Tucker's band, who went on to orchestrate the Broadway hit musical Man of La Mancha
, as well as Cry for Us All
(a musical version of Hogan's Goat
), Come Summer, and several others.
The American objectivist poet, Louis Zukofsky, wrote a dedicatory poem to Serly, published in the avant-garde magazine, Blues, in February 1929.
As a violist, Serly was chosen to be part of the NBC Symphony Orchestra
for its debut season, 1937-1938. He left after the first season to concentrate on compositional activities.
In the course of rethinking the major developments in harmony found in the work of Stravinsky
, Milhaud
, Prokofiev
, and Vaughan Williams
as well as Bartók and other composers, Serly developed what he referred to as an enharmonic
ist musical language. In his book Modus Lacscivus (1975) he explored a set of 82 basic tertian
chords. Serly titled several of his later works as being "in modus lascivus," including sonatas for violin, viola, and piano. (The 1973 edition of his piano sonata misspells the term "modus lascivus" on the cover, copyright, and title pages, putting the "s" and "c" in reverse order.) His Concertino 3 X 3 uses this compositional system, but is most memorable for its formal structure: it consists of nine movements, the first three for piano solo, the second set of three movements for orchestra without piano, and the final set combining the previous sets, played simultaneously.
Lucenec
Lučenec is a town in the Banská Bystrica Region of south-central Slovakia. Historically, it was part, and in the 18th century the capital, of the Nógrád county of the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1918, as a result of the Treaty of Trianon, it became a part of Czechoslovakia...
, Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, 25 November 1901 – London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 8 October 1978) was a Hungarian violist
Violist
-Notable violists:A* Julia Rebekka Adler * Sir Hugh Allen , conductor* Kris Allen * Johann Andreas Amon * Paul Angerer , composer* Steven Ansell * Atar Arad * Cecil Aronowitz...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
He was one of the students of Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method.-Life:Born in Kecskemét, Kodály learned to play the violin as a child....
. He greatly admired and became a young apprentice of 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...
. His association with Bartók was for him both a blessing and a curse. He made great efforts to make Bartók's music more accessible, by arranging selected works for combinations of instruments, but this brought him more attention than did his own compositions.
For the most part his efforts were highly praised, both by Bartók and by colleagues. Bartók's Viola Concerto
Viola Concerto (Bartók)
Béla Bartók's Viola Concerto, Sz. 120, BB 128 was written in July – August 1945, in Saranac Lake, New York, while he was suffering from the terminal stages of leukemia. It was commissioned by William Primrose. Along with the Piano Concerto No. 3, it is his last work, and he left it incomplete at...
took two or three years of Serly's efforts to compile from sketches into a performable piece. It is now one of the most widely performed viola pieces.
One of Serly's most famous original works is Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra. His work bringing Bartók's work to fruition has paid off in the sense that his works are often paired with those of his better known teacher, on recordings and in live performance.
Serly taught composition at the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
in New York City (among other institutions) and was also a featured composer/conductor with the Danish radio orchestra. A number of his students went on to have notable careers, including composers Manny Albam
Manny Albam
Manny Albam was a jazz baritone saxophone player who eventually put the instrument down in favour of a long and respected career as an arranger, writer, and teacher.-Biography:The son of Lithuanian immigrants, who was born in the Dominican Republic when his mother went into labour en route...
, Jerry Bilik
Jerry Bilik
Jerry Bilik is an American composer, arranger, songwriter, conductor, and director of stage productions.Bilik studied with Tibor Serly who had been a student of Béla Bartók...
, and Mark Bucci
Mark Bucci
Mark Bucci was an American composer, lyricist, and dramatist. Influenced by Giacomo Puccini, his work is composed in a contemporary yet lyrical style which frequently employs marked rhythms and memorable harmonies and melodies.-Career:Bucci studied music composition with Tibor Serly in New York...
. Serly also taught orchestration to Carlyle W. Hall Sr, a trumpet player and arranger for Tommy Tucker's band, who went on to orchestrate the Broadway hit musical Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote...
, as well as Cry for Us All
Cry for Us All
Cry for Us All is a musical with a book by William Alfred and Albert Marre, lyrics by Alfred and Phyllis Robinson, and music by Mitch Leigh. In response to poor advance sales, the title was...
(a musical version of Hogan's Goat
Hogan's Goat
Hogan's Goat is an award-winning 1965 play by William Alfred.The blank-verse drama concerns a mayoral contest between Irish Americans in Brooklyn, New York in 1890. The play's focus is on the personal life of Matthew Stanton, the dynamic leader of the Sixth Ward, who hopes to unseat corrupt...
), Come Summer, and several others.
The American objectivist poet, Louis Zukofsky, wrote a dedicatory poem to Serly, published in the avant-garde magazine, Blues, in February 1929.
As a violist, Serly was chosen to be part of the NBC Symphony Orchestra
NBC Symphony Orchestra
The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo Toscanini...
for its debut season, 1937-1938. He left after the first season to concentrate on compositional activities.
In the course of rethinking the major developments in harmony found in the work of Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
, Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
, and Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
as well as Bartók and other composers, Serly developed what he referred to as an enharmonic
Enharmonic
In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note , interval , or key signature which is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature, but "spelled", or named, differently...
ist musical language. In his book Modus Lacscivus (1975) he explored a set of 82 basic tertian
Tertian
In music theory, tertian describes any piece, chord, counterpoint etc. constructed from the interval of a third...
chords. Serly titled several of his later works as being "in modus lascivus," including sonatas for violin, viola, and piano. (The 1973 edition of his piano sonata misspells the term "modus lascivus" on the cover, copyright, and title pages, putting the "s" and "c" in reverse order.) His Concertino 3 X 3 uses this compositional system, but is most memorable for its formal structure: it consists of nine movements, the first three for piano solo, the second set of three movements for orchestra without piano, and the final set combining the previous sets, played simultaneously.
Works
- Symphony No. 2 in Two Movements for Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion
- Rhapsody on Folk Songs Harmonized by Béla Bartók for Viola and Orchestra (1946–48)
- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1929)
- Concerto for Violin and Wind Symphony (1955-58)
- Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1958)
- Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra (1951)
- Piano Sonata No. 1 in "Modus Lascivus" (1946)