Aladár Tóth
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Aladár Tóth (4 February 189828 October 1968) was a Hungarian musicologist and opera manager, regarded as a leading music critic in Hungary between the world wars, writing for '' Nyugat'', among others. He was instrumental in the recognition of composers such as
Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (, ; , ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music education. ...
and
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 Hunga ...
. He was general manager of the Hungarian State Opera from 1946 to 1956.


Life and career

Tóth was born in
Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...
on 4 February 1898. He received instruction in piano and composition in his hometown. He then studied at the University of Budapest, earning a Ph.D. in 1925 with a dissertation about the aesthetics of Mozart's dramatic music. Tóth worked as a music critic for the journal ''Új nemzedék'' from 1920 to 1923 and ''Pesti napló'' until 1939. He wrote for '' Nyugat'' (''West''), a progressive journal, from 1923 to 1940. He played a role in the reception of
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 Hunga ...
's music; in a yearly commentary in ''Nyugat'' about the concert season, he regularly emphasized Bartók's importance for Hungarian culture and criticized the lack of performances by major music institutions. During World War II, Tóth's family went to exile in Sweden and then lived in Switzerland. They returned to Budapest after the war, and Tóth served as director of the Hungarian State Opera from 1946 to 1956. He received the Kossuth Prize in 1952.


Personal life

In 1937 Tóth married the pianist Annie Fischer. He died in Budapest on 28 October 1968.


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Toth, Aladar 1898 births 1968 deaths Hungarian musicologists Hungarian music critics Opera managers Recipients of the Kossuth Prize Bartók scholars