Béni Egressy (; born Galambos Benjámin; 21 April 1814 – 17 July 1851 in Sajókazinc) was a Hungarian composer, librettist, translator and actor. He created a number of popular melodic compositions, including the one to

Mihály Vörösmarty Mihály Vörösmarty (archaically English: Michael Vorosmarthy 1 December 180019 November 1855) was an important Hungarian poet and dramatist. Biography He was born at Puszta-Nyék (now Kápolnásnyék), of a noble Roman Catholic family. ...

's patriotic poem ''

Szózat The "Szózat" (in English: "Appeal" or "Summons") is a Hungarian patriotic song. It is considered as a second national anthem of Hungary, beside the Himnusz. Usually only its first two stanzas are sung at national celebrations. The official ant ...

.'' He also authored the librettos of the operas '' Hunyadi László'' and ''

Bánk bán ''Bánk bán'' is an opera in 3 acts by composer Ferenc Erkel. The work uses a Hungarian-language libretto by Béni Egressy which is based on a stage play of the same name by József Katona. (''Bán'' is ban in English, similar to a viceroy, a ...

'' by

Ferenc Erkel Ferenc Erkel ( hu, Erkel Ferenc , german: link=no, Franz Erkel; November 7, 1810June 15, 1893) was a Hungarian composer, conductor and pianist. He was the father of Hungarian grand opera, written mainly on historical themes, which are still o ...

Biography

Egressy was born in 1814 in Sajókazinc, today a part of

Kazincbarcika Kazincbarcika is an industrial town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It lies in the valley of the river Sajó, away from the county capital, Miskolc. History Kazincbarcika was created during the Socialist industrialization ...

Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén ( hu, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén megye, ; sk, Boršodsko-abovsko-zemplínska) is an administrative county ( comitatus or ''megye)'' in north-eastern Hungary (commonly called "Northern Hungary"), on the border with Slovakia (Ko ...

, Hungary, to a Protestant pastor. He entered the stage in 1834, like his older brother Gábor Egressy, and in 1837 became a member of the national theatre in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. During the

Revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europ ...

, he took part in the fighting and became a member of the Hungarian Honvéd resistance. He was wounded in the Battle of Kápolna and was present during the defense of Komárom under

György Klapka György (Móric) Klapka (german: Georg Klapka; 7 April 182017 May 1892) was a Hungarian general. He was one of the most important Hungarian generals of the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848–1849, politician, member of the Hungarian Parli ...

, where he wrote the Klapka March. After the rebellion, he received

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offic ...

and returned to the stage.

Works

Egressy was more notable for his acting rather than his compositions. Nevertheless, he composed music for "The Szózat", a famous poem by Hungarian poet

. The song later became the unofficial "second Hungarian national anthem", besides the ''

Himnusz "" (; "Hymn" or "Anthem") is the national anthem of Hungary. The lyrics were written by Ferenc Kölcsey, a nationally renowned poet, in 1823, and its currently official musical setting was composed by the romantic composer Ferenc Erkel in 1844, ...

.'' His musical works are characterised by a wealth of melodies, having many of the attained great popularity in his homeland.

Gallery

Image:Béni Egressy by Miklós Barabás.jpg, Béni Egressy File:Egressy Béni sírja.jpg, Tombstone

References

1814 births 1851 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century Hungarian male actors 19th-century Hungarian writers 19th-century Hungarian male writers 19th-century male musicians Burials at Kerepesi Cemetery Hungarian classical composers Hungarian expatriates in the Czech lands Hungarian male classical composers Hungarian male stage actors Hungarian Romantic composers Opera librettists People from Kazincbarcika {{Hungary-composer-stub

Biography

Works

See also

Gallery

References