Franz von Vecsey (born Ferenc Vecsey; 23 March 18935 April 1935) was a Hungarian

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regula ...

ist and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

, who became a well-known virtuoso in Europe through the early 20th century.

Early life and career

He was 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 ...

and began his violin studies with his father, Lajos Vecsey. At the age of 8 he entered the studio of Jenő Hubay. Two years later, aged 10, he played for

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of ...

in Berlin (making his début at "Beethoven Halle" on 17 May 1903) and subsequently became known as a stellar child prodigy virtuoso. He became one of the pre-eminent violinists in Europe in the 1910s and 1920s, at one point touring with

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hu ...

as his piano accompanist. Aged only 12, he became the re-dedicatee of

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...

' Violin Concerto in D minor in 1905, when the original dedicatee, Willy Burmester, refused to play the work after he was unable to appear at the premiere of the revised version, which was premiered by

Karel Halíř Karel Halíř (1 February 1859 – 21 December 1909) was a Czech violinist who lived mainly in Germany. "Karel" is also given as Karol, Karl or Carl; "Halíř" is also given as Halir or Haliř. Life Karel Halíř was born in Hohenelbe, Bohem ...

instead. Vecsey championed the Sibelius concerto, first performing it when he was only 13. He was the dedicatee of Hubay's Violin Concerto No.3. IMSLP - Violin Concerto No.3, Op.99 (Hubay, Jenö) He also spent time composing, and wrote a number of virtuosic salon pieces for the violin.

Later life and career

From 1926 until his death, he lived with his wife in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isl ...

, at the "

Palazzo Giustinian The Palazzo Giustinian is a palace in Venice, northern Italy, situated in the Dorsoduro district and overlooking the Grand Canal next to Ca' Foscari. It is among the best examples of the late Venetian Gothic and was the final residence of Pr ...

de'Vescovi" on '' Canal Grande''. His career steadily faltered after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, as he grew tired of constant touring and wanted to concentrate more on conducting.

Illness and death

By the 1930s, he was about to embark on that dream, but it suddenly curtailed in 1935, when he became seriously ill with a

pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...

that grew through much of his life. He sought medical care in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where he received surgery. The operation was unsuccessful, and Vecsey succumbed to the disease at the age of 42.

Selected compositions

Violin solo * in C minor (1914); dedicated to Jenő Hubay Violin and piano * (1934); transcription based on the ''Rondo'' from Violin Concerto No. 2 by

Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices fo ...

* ''Caprice'' in F major (1913) * (1933) * ''Caprice No. 1 "'"'' in A minor (1916) * ''Caprice No. 2 "'"'' in F major (1916) * ''Caprice No. 3 "'"'' * ''Caprice No. 4 "'"'' * ''Caprice No. 5 "'"'' (1917) * ''Caprice No. 6 "'"'' * ''Caprice No. 7 "'"'' * ''Caprice No. 8 "'"'' * ''Caprice No. 9 "'"'' * ''Caprice No. 10 "'"'' * * (1933) * (1913) * in G major (1913) * (1921) :: No. 1 – * ''Mariä Wiegenlied'' (1934); transcription of

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, as a musical director at the Leipzig University Church, as a professor a ...

's Op. 76, No. 52 * (1912) :: No. 1 – (A minor) :: No. 2 – (E minor) :: No. 3 – (E major) * * * in G minor (1924) * (1921); Nos. 3~5 also for 2 violins and piano :: No. 1 – :: No. 2 – :: No. 3 – :: No. 4 – :: No. 5 – ... :: No. 6 – :: No. 7 – :: No. 8 – * (1913) * (1933) * in C minor (1913)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vecsey, Franz von 1893 births 1935 deaths Hungarian classical musicians Hungarian classical violinists Male classical violinists Hungarian composers Hungarian male composers Fonotipia Records artists 20th-century composers 20th-century classical violinists Deaths from pulmonary embolism 20th-century Hungarian male musicians