Pál Kalmár () (September 5, 1900 – November 21, 1988) was a

Hungarian pop Hungarian pop is the pop music scene of Hungary. It is often associated with Rezső Seress's song "Gloomy Sunday" which was covered by numerous artists. The most notable artists include Zsuzsa Koncz, Kati Kovács, János Bródy, Zorán Sztevanovit ...

singer who is noted as being the first singer to perform "

Gloomy Sunday "Gloomy Sunday" ( Hungarian: ''Szomorú Vasárnap''), also known as the "Hungarian Suicide Song", is a song composed by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress and published in 1933. The original lyrics were titled "Vége a világnak" (' ...

". He was at the height of his fame in the 1930s and 1940s but continued singing into the 1960s. Pál Kalmár's musical history is also well documented in Saly Noemi's book ''A Tangókirály'' (The Tango King).

Biography

Pál Kalmár was born in Budapest on September 5, 1900, his father was from Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok county district court and his mother a descendant of the historic Czebe family. He was schooled in the

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa * Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...

and eventually obtained a military career in the

Royal Hungarian Army The Royal Hungarian Army (, ) was the name given to the land forces of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary in the period from 1922 to 1945. Its name was inherited from the Royal Hungarian Honvéd which went under the same Hu ...

. Later, at 19, he became part of the Hungarian comedy theater. In 1935, he worked on the film '' St. Peter's Umbrella''. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

his career was interrupted but he resumed singing as a full-time job after the war. After a major throat operation in 1968, he permanently lost his voice.

Discography

* Szomorú vasárnap/Gloomy Sunday. (

Rezső Seress Rezső Seress (Hungarian: ''Seress Rezső,'' ; 3 November 1889 – 12 January 1968) was a Hungarian pianist and composer. Some sources give his birth name as Rudolf ("Rudi") Spitzer. Biography Rezső Seress lived most of his life in poverty ...

László Jávor László Jávor (Budapest, May 4, 1903 – Cannes, December 2, 1992) was a Hungarian poet and painter who wrote the poem that was the basis for the song "Gloomy Sunday", composed by Rezső Seress, later also notably recorded by Billie Holiday ...

) *Szeressük egymást gyerekek. (Seress Rezső) *Ha minden véget ér. (Seress Rezső) *Az egyiknek sikerül, a másiknak nem. ( Béla Zerkovitz) *Már megettem a kenyerem javát. (Dr. Sándor Jenő- Dezső Kellér) *Drágám, néha téved az ember. ( Buday Dénes- László Vadnai) *Az nem lehet. (Kola József- Andor Szenes) *Emlékszik még kislány? (Zách István-Cz. Nemes Gyula) *Az ember egy léha, könnyelmű senki. (

Mihály Erdélyi Mihály Erdélyi (28 May 1895 – 27 January 1979) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian composer, lyricist, actor, and producer, particularly prolific in the interwar period. Erdélyi was born in Szeged in 1895 and began a career as an actor then a s ...

) *Szívbajok ellen, kisasszony, szedjen tangót! (Rozsnyai Sándor- Imre Harmath) *Balalajka sír az éjben. ( Szabolcs Fényes-Mihály István) *Szép vagy, gyönyörű vagy, Magyarország. (Vincze Zsigmond-Kulinyi Ernő) *Maga az első bűnös asszony. (

László Imre László () is a Hungarian male given name and surname after the King-Knight Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary (1077–1095). It derives from Ladislav, a variant of Vladislav. The name has a history of being frequently anglicized as Leslie. It is the m ...

-Seress Rezső)

Selected filmography

* ''St. Peter's Umbrella'' (1935)

Biography

Discography

Selected filmography

See also