Endre Szervánszky

Updated on Dec 22, 2023

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Name Endre Szervanszky Role Composer		Nieces Valeria Szervanszky

Died June 25, 1977, Budapest, Hungary Siblings Jeno Szervanszky, Peter Szervanszky Music director Be Good All Your Life, For Whom the Larks Sing Similar People Mihaly Morell, Laszlo Ranody, Jozsef Darvas

Endre szerv nszky trio flute violin and viola

Endre Szervánszky (b. Kistétény, December 27, 1911 - d. Budapest, June 25, 1977) was a Hungarian composer.

Azahar ensemble endre szerv nszky woodwind quintet no 1

Biography

Szervánszky studied the clarinet at the Budapest Academy of Music (1922–7). He played in various orchestras before returning to the academy to study composition with Albert Siklós (1931–6). He then worked as an orchestrator for the Hungarian Radio and taught musical theory. He was appointed professor of composition at the Budapest Academy in 1948.

Szervánszky first came to public attention with his First String Quartet (1936–8) and his works of this period were influenced by his compatriots, Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók. Works for this time include the Clarinet Serenade (1950) and the Flute Concerto (1952–3).

From the early 1950s Szervánszky embarked on a series of larger compositions, one of the longest being the Concerto for Orchestra in memory of Attila József. Each of the concerto’s five movements is based on a quotation from József. The fourth has folk music elements and the whole demonstrates the influence of Bartók. Both the String Quartet no.2 (1956–7) and the Wind Quintet no.2 (1957) also demonstrate the composer’s increasing interest in serialism.

For his Six Orchestra Pieces, composed in 1959, Szervánszky employed 12-note serialism and the piece is particular in its use of percussion. Szervánszky did not compose another major work until 1963 – the oratorio Requiem, based on a text by János Pilinszky which takes the concentration camp of Auschwitz as its theme. Works which followed include the Variations (1964) and the Clarinet Concerto (1965).

Endre Szervánszky was given the "Righteous among the Nations" award by the State of Israel to honour non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis.

He is the brother of artist, Jenö Szervánszky, violinist, Peter Szervánszky and the uncle of Valeria Szervánszky.

Notable students

Ákos Rózmann

Works

Stage and vocal works

Napkeleti mese – “Oriental Tale”, (a "dance play") 1948–9

Népdalszvit – “Folksong Suite”, 1949

Honvédkantáta – “Soldier’s Cantata”, 1949

Tavaszi Szél – “Spring Breeze” (cantata), 1950

8 Petőfi Songs, 1951

3 Petőfi Choruses, 1953

3 Songs, 1956–7

3 Male Choruses (ancient China), 1958

Requiem – “Dark Heaven” to words by János Pilinszky (oratorio), 1963

Az éj – “The Night” (cantata), 1974–5

Orchestra

3 divertimentos, 1939, 1942, 1943

Serenade, strings, 1947–8

Rhapsody, 1950

Serenade for clarinet and orchestra, 1950

Flute Concerts, 1952–3

Concerts for Orchestra, 1954

6 Orchestral Pieces, 1959

Variations, 1964

Clarinet Concerto, 1965

Chamber

String Quartet no.1, 1936–8

20 Little Duos for 2 violins, 1941

Sonata for violin and piano, 1945

25 Duos for 2 violins, 1946

Trio for flute, violin and viola, 1951

Sonatina for flute, and piano, 1952

Wind Quintet no.1, 1953

5 Koncert etűd – “5 Concert Etudes” for flute, 1956

Suite for 2 flutes, 1956

String Quartet No.2, 1956–7

Wind Quintet no.2, 1957

2 Duos for 2 flutes, 1972

7 Studies for flute, 1974–5

Piano

Folksong Suite, 4 hands, 1935

Little Suite, 1939

Sonatina, 1941

Sonatina, 4 hands, 1950

References

Endre Szervánszky Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA