Zoltán Gárdonyi (; 25 April 1906 – 27 June 1986) 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 ...

and

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 mu ...

. He taught 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 ...

for 26 years.

Life and work

Gárdonyi 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 ...

. His mother, the pianist Maria Weigl, studied at the

with

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 ...

's pupil,

István Thomán István Thomán (; 4 November 186222 September 1940) was a Hungarian piano virtuoso and music educator. He was a notable piano teacher, with students including Béla Bartók, Ernő Dohnányi, Paul de Marky who later taught Oscar Peterson in Quebe ...

, at the same time and in the same class as

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 ...

. At the age of 17, Gárdonyi began his studies in composition with

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 ...

at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. After studying with

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''Ne ...

and

Arnold Schering Arnold Schering (2 April 1877 in Breslau, German Empire – 7 March 1941 in Berlin) was a German musicologist. He grew up in Dresden as the son of an art publisher. He learned violin at the from which he graduated in 1896. Thereafter he studied v ...

in Berlin, he taught as a professor at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest from 1941 until 1967. He also led the faculty for Protestant sacred music until it was closed by the communists in 1949. His oeuvre includes sacred music, orchestral works and chamber music. Three of his motets for choir

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

were published in German by Schott, "Finnisches Busslied", "Der Herr ist mein Hirte" (

Psalm 23 Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The Lord is my shepherd". In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a boo ...

) and "Singet dem Herren" (

Psalm 96 Psalm 96 is the 96th psalm of the Book of Psalms, a hymn. The first verse of the psalm calls to praise in singing, in English in the King James Version: "O sing a new song unto the Lord". Similar to Psalm 98 ("Cantate Domino") and Psalm 149, th ...

). Gárdonyi's musicological research yielded findings related to

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

and

. His works were published in Germany, Hungary, Sweden and the United States. Gárdonyi lived in Germany with his family beginning in 1972. He died in Westfalian

Herford Herford (; nds, Hiarwede) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford (district), Herford. Geography ...

a few weeks after his 80th birthday. His son is the composer and concert

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

Zsolt Gárdonyi Zsolt Gárdonyi (21 March 1946) is a German-Hungarian composer, organist and music theorist. He is the son of Zoltán Gárdonyi. Career Gárdonyi was born in Budapest, Hungary. He studied composition, organ, sacred music and theory. At the ag ...

Performances and recordings

Some of Gárdonyi's works were recorded, including his three organ sonatas and the ''Partita sopra Veni Creator Spiritus'', played by Dezső Karasszon, as well as several further organ works and German motets. The ''Partita'' is a symphonic organ composition, consisting of the following mouvements: introduction (Largo), theme (Lento), four variations and finale (Allegro maestoso), based on

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

for

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

"".

Publications

*''Elemző formatan'' (1949, 1963, 1979, 1990), Publisher: Editio Musica Budapest, ISMN: M080039953 *''J.S.Bach ellenpont-művészetének alapjai'' (1967), Publisher: Editio Musica Budapest *''J.S.Bach kánon- és fúgaszerkesztö művészete'' (1972), Publisher: Editio Musica Budapest

Editions

Zoltán Gárdonyi edited the '' Etudes'' and the ''

Hungarian Rhapsodies The Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244, R.106 (french: Rhapsodies hongroises, german: Ungarische Rhapsodien, hu, Magyar rapszódiák), is a set of 19 piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes, composed by Franz Liszt during 1846–1853, and late ...

'' by

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 ...

for the Editio Musica Budapest.

Selected works

Orchestral * ''Serenade No. 2'' for string orchestra (1957) Concertante * Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (1942, 1982) * ''Drei Bilder zur Karwoche'' (Three Images of Holy Week) for organ and string orchestra (1966) :# Der Gang an den Ölberg (Walk to the

Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...

) :#

Gethsemane Gethsemane () is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus underwent the agony in the garden and was arrested before his crucifixion. It is a place of great resona ...

Golgatha Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early mediev ...

Chamber music * ''Rondo capriccioso'' for violin and piano (1941) * Sonata for cello and piano (1944) * Sonata for tuba and piano (1948–1951) * Sonata No. 2 for viola and piano (1950) * ''Zwei leichte Stücke'' (Two Easy Pieces) for violin and piano (1954, 1956) :# Reigen (Körtánc) :# Mädchentanz (Leánytánc) * Two Little Rhapsodies (Zwei kleine Rhapsodien) for cello and piano (1954) * String Quartet No. 3 (1954) * Third Little Rhapsodie (Dritte kleine Rhapsodie) for violin, cello and piano (1955) * ''Fantasie'' for oboe and piano (1956) * Sonata ''"Il serioso ed il giocoso"'' for double bass and piano (1957) * Sonatina for clarinet and piano (1959) * Sonata for flute and piano (1960) * Woodwind Quintet (1961) * ''Fantasie über ein ungarisches geistliches Lied'' (Fantasy on a Hungarian Hymn) for violin and organ (1968) Organ * ''Weihnachtswiegenlied'' (Christmas

Lullaby A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...

; Christmas Cradle Song; Karácsonyi bölcsődal) (1937) * ''Tanulmányok harmóniumra'' (Studies for Harmonium) (1944) * ''Partita sopra

Veni creator spiritus "Veni Creator Spiritus" (Come, Creator Spirit) is a traditional Christian hymn believed to have been written by Rabanus Maurus, a ninth-century German monk, teacher, and archbishop. When the original Latin text is used, it is normally sung in Greg ...

'' (1958) * ''Psalm-Fantasie über die französische Melodie des 107. Psalmes'' (Fantasy on

Psalm 107 Psalm 107 is the 107th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bi ...

, Geneva Psalter) (1976) * ''Sonata tertia'' (1983) * ''Drei Choralbearbeitungen'' (Three

Chorale prelude In music, a chorale prelude or chorale setting is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works of J.S. Bach, who wrote 46 ...

s) :#

Ein feste Burg "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (originally written in the German language with the title ) is one of the best known hymns by the Protestant Reformers, Protestant Reformer Martin Luther, a prolific hymnwriter. Luther wrote the words and composed ...

:# Mit Freuden zart :# Finnisches Bußlied * ''Zwei Präludien'' (Two Preludes) * ''Meditatio in memoriam

'' (Meditation in Memory of Zoltán Kodály) * ''Postludium'' Piano * ''Könnyű szonatina'' (Easy Sonatina; Leichte Sonatine) (1952) * ''Fünf Klavierstücke nach ungarischen Volksliedern'' (Five Pieces after Hungarian Folk Songs) for piano 4-hands * ''Fünfzehn ungarische Volkslieder'' (15 Hungarian Folk Songs) for piano 4-hands Vocal * ''Fünf Lieder nach Gedichten von Rilke'' (Five Songs on Poems by

Rainer Maria Rilke René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), shortened to Rainer Maria Rilke (), was an Austrian poet and novelist. He has been acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, and is widely recogni ...

) for soprano and piano (1941) Choral * ''Lobgesang nach Psalm 45'' (Dicsérő ének; Song of Praise:

Psalm 45 Psalm 45 is the 45th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "My heart is inditing a good matter". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the ...

) for mixed chorus, string orchestra and organ (1960) or for mixed chorus and organ (1981) * ''Adeste fideles'' for mixed chorus and organ (1974) * ''Drei Motetten'' (Three Motets) for mixed chorus

:# Finnisches Bußlied :#

* ''Drei biblische Kanons'' (Three Biblical

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

s) for equal voices * ''Du schöner Lebensbaum'' (You beautiful tree of life) for mixed chorus a cappella * ''Danklied der Erlösten (

)'' (Song of praise of the saved ones) for mixed chorus a cappella * ''Ende September'' (End of September) for mixed chorus a cappella on a poem by

Sándor Petőfi Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; sk, Alexander Petrovič; sr, Александар Петровић; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet of Serbian origin and liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary's ...

, German words by Walter Radetz * ''God Is Our Refuge'' (

Psalm 46 Psalm 46 is the 46th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin V ...

Isten a mi oltalmunk: 46. Zsoltár) for mixed chorus a cappella

Literature

* Lavonne Harris: "A biography of Zoltán Gárdonyi and analyses of organ, string, and choral works", 356 pages, University of Oklahoma, 1992 * Dezső Karasszon: "Zoltán Gárdonyi", 32 pages with complete work list, Budapest 2001, Mágus Publishing

References

External links

* Works edited b
Zoltán Gárdonyi
at the

International Music Score Library Project The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public-domain music scores. The project, which uses MediaWiki software ...

Zoltán Gárdonyi
official website by his son

Gárdonyi Zoltán:
Works and books by Zoltán Gárdonyi, Editio Musica Budapest {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardonyi, Zoltan Hungarian composers Hungarian male composers Hungarian musicologists Academic staff of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music Composers for piano 1906 births 1986 deaths Musicians from Budapest 20th-century composers 20th-century musicologists 20th-century Hungarian male musicians