Erzsébet Szőnyi (25 April 1924 – 28 December 2019), also Erzsébet Szilágyi, was a Hungarian composer and music teacher. Her works encompass symphonic compositions, chamber music works, art songs, and oratorios. She also wrote numerous stage works including eight operas.Opera Glass
''opera.stanford.edu'', accessed 26 December 2018

Biography

Born in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

on 25 April 1924, Erzsébet Szőnyi studied composition and piano at the

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 with János Viski. She received a secondary school music teaching diploma. In Paris, she attended courses by

Tony Aubin Tony Louis Alexandre Aubin (8 December 1907 – 21 September 1981) was a French composer. Career Aubin was born in Paris. From 1925 to 1930, he studied at the Paris Conservatory under Samuel Rousseau (music theory), Noel Gallon (counterpoint) ...

and Olivier Messiaen at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

, obtained a prize for composition, and worked in private with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

in 1947 and 1948. She was also a pupil of

Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (; hu, Kodály Zoltán, ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music edu ...

, with whom she worked in close collaboration. Later, she taught at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, providing classes in musical education and directing choirs. From 1964 onwards, Szőnyi was a member directing the

International Society for Music Education The International Society for Music Education (ISME) is a professional organization of persons involved with music education. It was founded in Brussels in 1953 during the UNESCO-sponsored conference on "The Role and Place of Music in the Educat ...

(ISME). She was vice-president of ISME from 1970 to 1974.Jerry L. Jaccard: A Tear in the Curtain: The Musical Diplomacy of Erzsébet Szőnyi: Musician, Composer, Teacher of Teachers
''iks.hu'', accessed 26 December 2018 She died on 28 December 2019 in Budapest.

Prizes

* 1947: Liszt-Preis * 1959: Erkel Ferenc-díj * 1995 and 2004: Bartók-Pásztory prize (Bartók Béla-Pásztory Ditta-díj) * 2001: Kodály-Preis 2001. * 2003:

Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize ( hu, Kossuth-díj) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 (on occasion of the centenary of the March 15th revolution, the ...

Szőnyi had an honorary doctorate from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Since 1992 she was a member of the Széchenyi Academy of Arts ("Széchenyi Irodalmi és Művészeti Akadémia").

Principal works

Piano: * Little Chamber Music, for piano 4 mains (1950) * La Princesse récalcitrante, suite for piano (1956) * Toccatina, for piano (1965) Organ: * 6 pieces (1957) * Concerto for organ (1958) * Introduction, passacaille and fugue (1964) * 5 Preludes (1965) Chamber music: * Serenade and danse, for violin and piano (1954) * Sonatine, for violin and piano (1965) * Duo, for violin and alto (1955) Orchestral: * Parlando and giusto (1947) * Divertimento (1951) * Intermezzo (1955) * Musica festiva, suite (1965) Vocal music: * Songs, choral works, and oratorios Operas: * Dalma (1952) * A makrancos királylány (1955) * Firenzei tragédie (1957) * Az aranyszárnyú méhecske (1974) * A Gay Lament (1979) * The Truth-telling Shepherd (1979) * Break of Transmission (1980) * Elfrida (1985)

References

Sources

* Marc Honegger, ''Dictionnaire de la musique. Vol. 2, Les hommes et leurs œuvres'', Bordas, p. 1224 * Werks of Erzsébet Szőnyi listed in the Catalogue of the

Deutschen Nationalbibliothek The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

Curriculum vitae of Erzsébet Szönyi
at klassika.info 1924 births 2019 deaths Women classical composers Hungarian classical composers Hungarian opera composers Women opera composers Franz Liszt Academy of Music alumni 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Hungarian musicians 20th-century women composers Musicians from Budapest {{hungary-composer-stub