Alfred Szendrei, also ''Alfred Sendrey'' and ''Aladár Szendrei'' (29 February 1884 – 3 March 1976) was an American
musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...
, organist, conductor, composer of
Hungarian origin. He was one of the leading conductors and pioneers of German radio. In exile he changed his Hungarian surname "Szendrei" to the Americanized spelling "Sendrey".
Life and career
Szendrei was born in 1884 to a Hungarian middle class family in Budapest (
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
); his father was a civil servant. From the age of six he learned to play the piano.
[Robert Strassburg: ''Alfred Sendrey. In Memoriam.'' In ''Journal of Synagogue Music.'' Volume 06, 4 (July 1976), .] At the request of his parents, he first studied
jurisprudence
Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...
at the
Corvinus University of Budapest
Corvinus University of Budapest ( hu, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem) is a university in Budapest, Hungary. The university currently has an enrolment of approximately 9,600 students, with a primary focus on business administration, economics, and so ...
.
From 1900 to 1905 he studied music with
Hans Koessler
Hans von Koessler (1 January 1853 – 23 May 1926) was a German composer, conductor and music teacher. In Hungary, where he worked for 26 years, he was known as János Koessler.
Biography
Koessler, a cousin of Max Reger, was born in Waldeck, Fic ...
at the university and
Franz Liszt Academy of Music
The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music ( hu, Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Egyetem, often abbreviated as ''Zeneakadémia'', "Liszt Academy") is a music university and a concert hall in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875. It is home to the ...
in Budapest. Afterwards he worked as
Kapellmeister and
répétiteur
A (from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. A feminine form, , also appears but is comparatively rare.
Opera
In opera, a is the perso ...
at the
Cologne Opera
The Cologne Opera (German language, German: Oper der Stadt Köln or Oper Köln) refers both to the main opera house in Cologne, Germany and to its resident opera company. History of the company
From the mid 18th century, opera was performed in th ...
(1905–07), in
Mulhouse
Mulhouse (; Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning '' mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region, eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. It is the largest city in Haut-Rhin and second largest in Alsace a ...
(1907–09),
Brünn
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
(1908–11), Philadelphia and Chicago (1911–12), at the
Hamburg State Opera (1912–13), New York City (1913–14), Berlin (1914–16) and Vienna (1916–18). During the First World War he served in the Austro-Hungarian army. In 1931 he received his doctorate from the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
with his dissertation "Rundfunk und Musikpflege" (Radio and Music Studies) and graduated as
phil.
Rodolfo Amando (or Rudolph Amandus) Philippi (14 September 1808 – 23 July 1904) was a German–Chilean paleontologist and zoologist. Philippi contributed primarily to malacology and paleontology. His grandson, Rodulfo Amando Philippi Bañados ( ...
in
musicology.
From 1918 onwards he worked in Leipzig, from 1924 as
Kapellmeister at the
Leipzig Opera
The Leipzig Opera (in German: ) is an opera house and opera company located at the Augustusplatz and the Inner City Ring Road at its east side in Leipzig's district Mitte, Germany.
History
Performances of opera in Leipzig trace back to Sing ...
. In the same year he became music director of the . He was also first conductor of the
MDR Sinfonieorchester
The MDR-Sinfonieorchester (in English, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra) is a German radio orchestra based in Leipzig. It is the radio orchestra of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the public broadcaster for the German states of Thuringia, Saxony a ...
. Due to the growing anti-Semitism he lost this position in 1931 because of his Jewish descent. He had previously been denounced by the musicologists
Herbert Gerigk
Herbert Gerigk (2 March 1905, Mannheim – 20 June 1996, Dortmund) was a German musicologist, notable for his co-authoring of the Nazi '' Lexicon of Jews in Music''.
After graduation in 1928, Herbert Gerigk published in 1932 a thesis on Giuseppe V ...
and
Theophil Stengel
Karl Theophil Stengel (12 July 1905 – 9 October 1995) was a German chorus master, composer and Nazi musicologist, notable for his co-authoring of the antisemitic ''Encyclopedia of Jews in Music''. He was born in Bodersweier, Kehl and died in ...
among others. From 1931 to 1933 he was music director of the
Berliner Rundfunk
The Berliner Rundfunk (BERU) was a radio station set in East Germany. It had a political focus and discussed events in East Berlin. Today it is a commercial radio station broadcast with the name "Berliner Rundfunk 91.4".
History
The Berliner ...
and teacher at the
Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory The Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory (german: Klindworth-Scharwenka-Konservatorium) was a music institute in Berlin, established in 1893, which for decades (until 1960) was one of the most internationally renowned schools of music. It was formed f ...
in Berlin. After his emigration to France, he worked from 1933 to 1940 as program director at
Radiodiffusion nationale in Paris.
When the Germans attacked France in May and June 1939, he fled to the United States. There he changed his name to "Sendrey". He first worked as a translator for the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
. Later he was invited by
Abraham Binder
Abraham Wolf Binder (January 13, 1895 – October 10, 1966 in New York City) was an American composer.
Binder was born in New York City on the Lower East Side. He studied at Columbia University. His father was a synagogue worship leader who learne ...
to the Jewish community center 92nd Street YMCA in New York City. From 1944 to 1952 he was a professor at Westlake College of Music
[Robert Strassburg: ''Alfred Sendrey. In Memoriam.'' In ''Journal of Synagogue Music.'' Volume 06, 4 July 1976, .] in Los Angeles. From 1952 to 1956 he was
music director of the Fairfax Synogogue and from 1950 to 1963 music director and organist of the
Sinai Temple (Los Angeles)
Sinai Temple in the Westwood district of Los Angeles, California is the oldest and largest Conservative Jewish congregation in the greater Los Angeles area. Architect Sidney Eisenshtat designed the current synagogue building, constructed in 1 ...
.
[Robert Strassburg: ''Alfred Sendrey. In Memoriam.'' In ''Journal of Synagogue Music.'' Volume 06, 4 (July 1976), .] From 1961 he was professor of musicology (
Jewish music
Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish people. There exist both traditions of religious music, as sung at the synagogue and domestic prayers, and of secular music, such as klezmer. While some elements of Jewish music may originate ...
) at the Jewish Theological Seminary of the School of Fine Arts of the
American Jewish University
American Jewish University (AJU), formerly the separate institutions University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute, is a Jewish institution in Los Angeles, California.
Its largest component is its Whizin Center for Continuing Education in ...
in Los Angeles.
In 1967 he was awarded the title of
Honorary Doctor
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
(Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa).
Sendrey died in 1976 in Los Angeles New Hospital at age 92. The funeral service took place with the participation of the Jewish community in the Sinai Temple in
Westwood, Los Angeles
Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bordering the campus on the south ...
.
Family
Szendrei was married to the soprano singer
Eugenie Weisz, who performed at the Vienna State Opera during
Gustav Mahlers tenure as director. The American composer and conductor
Albert Richard Sendrey
Albert Richard Sendrey, also Albert Richard Szendrei, (26 December 1911The Riemann Musiklexikon (1972) incorrectly gives the date of birth of Albert Richard Sendrey as 26 December 1922. – 18 May 2003) was an American composer, conductor and arra ...
is the son of the couple.
Lillian Fawcett Szendrei is the daughter of Alfred & Eugenie. Lillian was also an opera soprano who performed with the San Francisco Opera Co., the New York City Opera Co., The Paris Opera and performed at the Hollywood Bowl & Pasadena Playhouse.
Compositions
Sendrey composed several works, including
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
s, pieces for orchestra and
chamber music,
Lieder as well as
liturgical
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
songs.
Academic work
* ''Tonkünstler und Rundfunk.'' Wegner & Flemming, Berlin 1927
* ''Rundfunk und Musikpflege.'' Kistner & Siegel, Leipzig 1931
* ''Dirigierkunde.''
Breitkopf & Härtel
Breitkopf & Härtel is the world's oldest music publishing house. The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf.
The catalogue currently contains over 1,000 composers, 8,000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on ...
, Leipzig 1932 (3. Auflage 1956)
* ''Bibliography of Jewish Music.'' Columbia University Press, New York 1951
* ''Music in Ancient Israel.'' Philosophical Library, New York 1969; in German: ''Musik in Alt-Israel''. Leipzig 1970
* ''The Music of the Jews in the Diaspora (up to 1800).'' T. Yoseloff, New York 1970
* ''Music in the Social and Religious Life of Antiquity.'' Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, Rutherford 1974
Students
*
Johnny Green
*
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
*
Lyn Murray
Lyn Murray (born Lionel Breeze, August 13, 1909 – May 20, 1989) was a composer, conductor, and arranger of music for radio, film and television.
Early years
Born in London, Murray was the son of a violinist. Before entering a career in music, ...
*
Nelson Riddle
*
Leo Shuken Leo Shuken (born December 8, 1906, Los Angeles, California - d. July 24, 1976, Santa Monica, California) was an American film music composer, arranger, and musical director.
Shuken composed for the music industry from the end of the 1930s until ...
*Philip Moddel
Further reading
* Jörg Clemen,
Steffen Lieberwirth
Steffen Lieberwirth (born 10 March 1952) is a German musicologist, dramaturge and journalist.
Life
Born in Leipzig, Lieberwirth studied musicology and German literature at the Karl-Marx-University Leipzig and the Martin Luther University of H ...
: ''Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. Die Geschichte des Sinfonieorchesters.''
Klaus-Jürgen Kamprad publishing house, Altenburg 1999, .
*
Sendrey, Alfred (Aladár)on
Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon
The ''Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon'Oesterreichisch'' with ''Oe'' is the spelling of the print and online output. is a five-volume music encyclopedia founded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences' Commission for Music Research. It was officiall ...
*
Max Pommer
Max Pommer (born 9 February 1936) is a German musicologist and conductor, a director of the Leipziger Universitätschor and the founder and conductor of the Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum.
Career
Born in Leipzig, Pommer was a student of th ...
(publisher): ''Im türkisenblauen Garten. Der Weg des Kapellmeisters A.
fred
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...
S.
endreivon Leipzig in die Emigration, erzählt von ihm selbst.'' Verlag J. G. Seume, Leipzig, Frankfurt 2014, .
*
Fred K. Prieberg: ''Handbuch Deutsche Musiker 1933–1945.'' CD-ROM-Lexikon, Kiel 2004, .
* Werner Röder,
Herbert A. Strauss (editor): ''International Biographical Dictionary of Central European Emigrés 1933-1945'', Vol II, 2, Saur, München 1983, , . (s.v. ''Alfred Sendrey'')
* Thomas Schinköth: ''Jüdische Musiker in Leipzig. 1855–1945.'' Verlag Klaus-Jürgen Kamprad, Altenburg 1994,
References
External links
*
*
Israel_J._Katz.html" ;"title="zendrei">Israel J. Katz">Sendrey
Alfred [Aladaron Grove Music Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szendrei, Alfred
20th-century American musicologists">zendrei
Alfred [Aladaron Grove Music Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szendrei, Alfred
20th-century American musicologists
Jewish musicologists
American conductors (music)
20th-century classical composers
20th-century American composers
Classical organists
California State University, Los Angeles faculty
Hungarian male composers
1884 births
1976 deaths
Musicians from Budapest
20th-century American male musicians