László Lajtha (; 30 June 1892 – 16 February 1963) was a Hungarian

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 Defi ...

ethnomusicologist Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

and conductor.

Career

Born to Ida Wiesel, a Transsylvanian-Hungarian and Pál Lajtha, an owner of a leather factory. The father Pál had ambitions to become a conductor, played the violin well and also composed. Lajtha studied with Viktor Herzfeld in the Academy of Music 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 then in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

and finally

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

where he was a pupil of

Vincent d'Indy Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy (; 27 March 18512 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher. His influence as a teacher, in particular, was considerable. He was a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum de Paris and also taught at the Par ...

. Before the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in collaboration 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 H ...

and

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 ed ...

, he undertook the study and transcription of Hungarian

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

, heading up a project to produce a series of folk music recordings. Throughout the war he served at the front as an artillery officer, an experience recalled in his sombre Second Symphony (1938) – a work that remained unperformed until 1988. In 1919 he married Róza Hollós, and began teaching at the Budapest National Conservator
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(Among his pupils was the conductor

János Ferencsik János Ferencsik (18 January 190712 June 1984) was a Hungarian conductor. Ferencsik was born in Budapest; he actively played music even as a very young boy. He took violin lessons and taught himself to play the organ. He studied at the Nati ...

, who was later one of the principal champions of his music.) From 1928 he was a member of the International Commission of Popular Arts and Traditions of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

. He was also a member of the

International Folk Music Council The International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) is a scholarly non-governmental organization which focuses on the study, practice, documentation, preservation, and dissemination of traditional music and dance of all countries. Founded in Lo ...

based in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Lajtha was appointed Director of Music for

Hungarian Radio Hungarian may refer to: * Hungary, a country in Central Europe * Kingdom of Hungary, state of Hungary, existing between 1000 and 1946 * Hungarians, ethnic groups in Hungary * Hungarian algorithm, a polynomial time algorithm for solving the assignme ...

, director of the Museum of Ethnography and of the Budapest National Conservatory. His symphonic piece ''In Memoriam'' was the first new work to be premiered in Budapest when concerts could be given there again. In 1947–48 Lajtha spent a year in London, having been asked by the film director

Georg Hoellering Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 *Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also * George (disambiguation) George may refer to: People * George (given name) * ...

to compose music for his film of T. S. Eliot's verse drama ''

Murder in the Cathedral ''Murder in the Cathedral'' is a verse drama by T. S. Eliot, first performed in 1935, that portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral during the reign of Henry II in 1170. Eliot drew heavily on the wri ...

''. Rather than providing a dedicated film score, Lajtha wrote three important concert works – his Third Symphony, Orchestral Variations and Harp Quintet No.2 – extracts from which were used in the film. On his return to Hungary his passport was confiscated for having stayed too long in the West and he was removed from all the aforementioned posts. In 1951 he was awarded the

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 ...

for his activities in folk-music research. Between 1923 and 1963, Lajtha lived at 79 Váci Utca (street) in the Inner City of Budapest, where a

commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

has been placed. With his wife Rózsa Hollós he had two sons:

László Lajtha László Lajtha (; 30 June 1892 – 16 February 1963) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist and conductor. Career Born to Ida Wiesel, a Transsylvanian-Hungarian and Pál Lajtha, an owner of a leather factory. The father Pál had ambit ...

Dreifus, C
The matriarch of modern cancer genetics.
''New York Times'' February 7, 2011. (d. 1995) who was a world-renowned cancer researcher and Ábel Lajtha who is an internationally renowned neurologist and brain researcher living in the US.

Reputation

Lajtha's international recognition as a composer began in 1929 with his String Quartet No.3, which was awarded the Coolidge Prize. From his time in Paris before the First World War Lajtha had many friends among French artists, such as the novelist

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and Mysticism, mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary pro ...

and the composer Henri Barraud, and from 1930 he had some of his works published by the Paris publisher Alphonse Leduc. He was the only Hungarian composer since

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

to be elected a corresponding member of the French

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

. Lajtha's works include * nine

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

* ten

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

s * three

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

s: ''Lysistrata'' (1933), ''The Grove of the Four Gods'' (1943) and ''Capriccio'' (1944) * an

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

: ''The Blue Hat'' (1950) along with many other orchestral, chamber and solo instrumental works, church music and film music. His works display an intriguing synthesis of French and Hungarian national elements with musical

neo-classicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes these objects pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, ...

, very clearly seen for example in his Fourth Symphony (1951), entitled ''Le Printemps''. His later works are more radical in their construction and employ some extreme dissonance, for example the Seventh Symphony, ''Autumn'' (1957), conceived as a lament for the 1956 uprising. Awareness of his music has however suffered, both in Hungary and abroad, as a result of its suppression under the Communist regime due to his support for the 1956 uprising. In addition a ban on Lajtha travelling abroad denied him performance opportunities, and it is only in recent years that his reputation has begun to be established as one of Hungary's most important composers.

Selected list of works

Piano

* ''Egy muzsikus írásaiból'' (''Writings of a Musician''), 9 fantasies op. 1 (1913) * ''Contes'' * 11 pieces op. 2 (dedicated to Béla Bartók, 1914) * Sonata op. 3 (1914) * ''Prelude'' (1918) * 6 pieces op. 14 (1930) * ''Erdélyi induló'' (''Transylvanian March'') (1945) * ''3 berceuses'' (for piano with or without voice, 1957)

Chamber music

String quartets

* no. 1 ''Double fugue and rondo'' op. 5 (1923) * no. 2 op. 7 (1926) * no. 3 ''Játékország'' op. 11 (1929) * no. 4 op. 12 (1930) * no. 5 ''5 études'' op. 20 (1934) * no. 6 ''4 études'' op. 36 (1942) * no. 7 op. 49 (1950) * no. 8 op. 53 (1951) * no. 9 op. 57 (1953) * no. 10 ''Suite transylvaine'' in 3 parts op. 58 (1953)

Other

* Piano quintet op. 4 (1922) * Piano quartet op. 6 (1925) * String trio (no. 1) ''Serenade'' op. 9 (1927) * Trio concertante with piano op. 10 (1928) * Sonate for violoncelle et piano op. 17 (1932) * String trio no. 2 op. 18 (dedicated to Romain Rolland, 1932) * Trio for flute, cello and harp op. 22 (1935) * ''Marionnettes'', suite of 4 pieces for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp op. 26 (1937) * Sonata for violin and piano op. 28 (reportedly lost, 1938) * ''Concert'' (sonate) for cello and piano op. 31 (dedicated to André Navarra, interpreter of several of his chamber works, 1940) * ''Serenade'' for 3 wind instruments op. 40 (reportedly lost, 1944) * String trio no. 3 ''Soirs transylvains'', 4 sketches op. 41 (1945) * ''4 hommages'' for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon op. 42 (1946) * Quintet no. 2 for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp op. 46 (1948) * Trio no. 2 for flute, cello and harp op. 47 (1949) * ''Intermezzo'' for alto saxophone and piano op. 59 (1954) * Concert sonata for flute and piano op. 64 (1958) * 3 pieces for solo flute op. 69 (1958) * Concert sonata for violin and piano op. 68 (1962)

Orchestral works

Symphonies

* no. 1 op. 24 (1936) * no. 2 op. 27 (1938) * no. 3 op. 45a (from the film ''Murder in the Cathedral'', 1948) * no. 4 ''Le Printemps'' op. 52 (1951) * no. 5 op. 55 (dedicated to Henry Barraud, 1952) * no. 6 op. 61 (1955) * no. 7 ''Révolution'' op. 63 (1957) (also called ''Autumn'') * no. 8 op. 66 (1959) * no. 9 op. 67 (1961)

Ballets

* ''Lysistrata'' op. 19a, from the eponymous Aristophanes play (1933, + reduction for 2 pianos, + 2 orchestral suites op. 19b and 19c, same year) * (''The Grove of the Four Gods'') op. 38a (1943, + reduction for piano 4 hands, + orchestral suite op. 38b, Suite no. 2, same year) * ''Capriccio'' op. 39 (1944, + reduction for piano 4 hands, same year)

Film music

* ''Hortobágy'', 2 symphonic pictures derived from music to the film by Georg Hoellering, op. 21 (1934) * ''Murder in the Cathedral'' op. 45b (1948), music for the British film of the same name by George Hoellering released in 1952, adaptation of T.S. Eliot work of the same name * ''Alakok és formák'' (''Shapes and Forms'') op. 48 (score reported lost, 1949), music for the British film of the same name by George Hoellering * ''Kövek, várak, emberek'' (1956), music for the Hungarian film of the same name by István Szőts

Other Orchestral works

* Concerto for violin op. 15 (reportedly lost, 1931) * ''Divertissement'' op. 25 (1936) * Symphony (unnumbered) ''Les Soli'' for string orchestra, harp and percussion op. 33 (dedicated to

Florent Schmitt Florent Schmitt (; 28 September 187017 August 1958) was a French composer. He was part of the group known as Les Apaches. His most famous pieces are ''La tragédie de Salome'' and ''Psaume XLVII'' (Psalm 47). He has been described as "one of the ...

, 1941) * ''In Memoriam'' op. 35 (1941) * ''Sinfonietta'' (no. 1) for string orchestra op. 43 (1946) * Variations, op. 44 (''11 variations for orchestra on a Simple Theme, 'Temptations’'', from the film ''Murder in the Cathedral'') (1947–8) * Suite no. 3 op. 56 (1952, written for the 100th anniversary of the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra) * ''Sinfonietta'' no. 2 for string orchestra op. 62 (1956)

Works for voices

* ''19 Magyar népdal'' (''19 Hungarian Folksongs'') for mezzo-soprano, tenor, and piano (1924) * ''Motet'' for mezzo-soprano, contralto (or baritone) and piano (or organ) op. 8 (1926) * ''Vocalise-étude'' for high voice and piano (1931) * ''3 nocturnes'' for soprano, flute, harp and string quartet op. 34 (1941)

Opera

* ''Le Chapeau bleu'', opera buffa in two acts for soloists and orchestra op. 51 (1950)

Choral works

* ''Esti párbeszéd - A hegylakók'' (''Evening Conversation - The Mountains'') for mixed a cappella choir op. 16 (1932) * ''2 chœurs'' on poems of Charles d'Orléans for mixed a cappella choir op. 23 (1936) * ''4 madrigals'' for voice on poems of Charles d'Orléans for mixed a cappella choir op. 29 (1939) * ''Hol járt a dal?'' for mixed a cappella choir op. 32 (1940) * ''Missa in tono phrygio'' or ''Missa in diebus tribulationis'' for choir and orchestra op. 50 (1950) * ''Missa'' for mixed choir and organ op. 54 (1952) * ''Magnificat'' for female choirs and organ op. 60 (1954) * ''3 hymnes for la Sainte Vierge'' (3 Hymns for the Blessed Virgin), for female chorus and organ op. 65 (dedicated to Nadia Boulanger, 1958).

References

External links

* lajtha.heritagehouse.hu *
Short biography and list of selected works from Classical Composers Database

Documentary film commemorating Lajtha's work on folk music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lajtha, Laszlo 1892 births 1963 deaths 20th-century classical composers Hungarian ethnomusicologists Hungarian classical composers Hungarian male classical composers Hungarian classical musicians Hungarian conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Hungarian film score composers Male film score composers Hungarian folk-song collectors Hungarian opera composers Male opera composers 20th-century conductors (music) Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery 20th-century musicologists 20th-century Hungarian male musicians