Kálmán Mihalik (21 February 1896 – 6 September 1922) was a Hungarian physician and composer, best known for setting the music of the

Székely Himnusz Székely may refer to: *Székelys, Hungarian people from the historical region of Transylvania, Romania **Székely Land, historic and ethnographic area in Transylvania, Romania *Székely (village), a village in northeastern Hungary *Székely (surn ...

Early life and studies

Mihalik was born in Oravicabánya (now Oravița) to a

Székely Székely may refer to: *Székelys, Hungarian people from the historical region of Transylvania, Romania **Székely Land, historic and ethnographic area in Transylvania, Romania * Székely (village), a village in northeastern Hungary *Székely (sur ...

woman from

Csík County Csík (Hungarian, in Romanian: ''Ciuc'') was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in central Romania (eastern Transylvania). The capital of the county was Csíkszereda (now Miercurea Ciuc). Geograp ...

and a burgess from Kassa (now Košice). He absolved his high school studies in the Piarist and the Unitarian grammar school of

Kolozsvár ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Status , subdivision_name2 = County seat , settlement_type = City , le ...

(now Cluj-Napoca), making his matura in 1915. Subsequently, Mihalik was enrolled at the

Franz Joseph University Royal Hungarian Franz Joseph University ( hu, Magyar Királyi Ferenc József Tudományegyetem) was the second modern university in the Hungarian realm of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Founded in 1872, its seat was initially in Kolozsvár (Cluj ...

, however, his studies were interrupted by the World War I, forcing him to spend several years on the front. In the final period of the war, after the Romanian forces took over Kolozsvár, the university moved first to

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 later to

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

, where Mihalik followed them. After finishing his studies he remained in the university, became the assistant lecturer of Béla Reinbold and worked as a medical researcher.

Composer of the Székely Himnusz

In 1920, together with four others, György Csanády founded the Association of Székely University and College Students (Székely Egyetemista és Főiskolai Hallgatók Egyesülete; SZEFHE), a self-help organization that aimed to create a sense of belonging of those who had to fled their home after the war, and whose homeland was ceded to Romania by the

Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...

. In 1921, Csanády wrote a poem for students in exile, for which Mihalik, a long-term friend of Csanády, composed the music. The song written for girls choir was first performed on 22 May 1922 at the annual meeting of SZEFHE, under the title ''Kantáté''. Mihalik died in the autumn of 1922. In his obituary, presumably written by Csanády, the song was already called ''Székely Himnusz'', under which name it became well known later. Although after the World War II it was banned both in the Communist Hungary and Romania, the song remained popular and turned into a symbol of resistance and togetherness, and on 5 September 2009 it was adopted as the anthem of

Székely Land The Székely Land or Szeklerland ( hu, Székelyföld, ; ro, Ținutul Secuiesc and sometimes ; german: Szeklerland; la, Terra Siculorum) is a historic and ethnographic area in Romania, inhabited mainly by Székelys, a subgroup of Hungarians. ...

Death and legacy

Mihalik died of

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

on 6 September 1922 and was buried in the Inner City Cemetery of Szeged. His resting place was forgotten for 70 years and was only revealed after the transition in Hungary. In 2009 he got an honorary grave near the entrance of the cemetery, consecrated by Most Reverend Endre Gyulai, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Szeged.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihalik, Kalman 1896 births 1922 deaths People from Oravița Hungarian composers Hungarian male composers Hungarian medical researchers Székely people Franz Joseph University alumni Deaths from typhus 20th-century composers 20th-century Hungarian male musicians