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 a Hungarians, Hungarian poet and dramatist who lived and worked in the Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867), Kingdom of Hungary. Biography He was ...

's patriotic poem ''

Szózat The Szózat (; in English: "The Appeal") is a Hungarian patriotic song. De facto, it is regarded as "the second national anthem" of Hungary, beside the Himnusz, which is a constitutionally defined state symbol. The lyrics were written in 1836 ...

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

Bánk bán Bánk is a village and municipality in the comitat of Nógrád, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the nor ...

'' by

Ferenc Erkel Ferenc 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 often performed in Hungary. He also composed t ...

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 is the district seat of Kazincbarcika District. It lies in the valley of the Sajó river, from the county capital, Miskolc. History Kazincbarcika ...

, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, 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 ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. 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 revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

, he took part in the fighting and became a member of the Hungarian Honvéd resistance. He was wounded in the

Battle of Kápolna A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and forc ...

and was present during the defense of Komárom under

György Klapka György (Móric) 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 National Assembly (Hungary), Hungaria ...

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

amnesty Amnesty () 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 officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...

and returned to the stage.

Works

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

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

Himnusz The "" () 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, although other ...

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

's first three operas (

Bátori Mária ''Bátori Mária'' is an opera in two acts by Ferenc Erkel, to a Hungarian libretto by Béni Egressy. It was Erkel's first opera, premiering in 1840. The opera is a rendition of a homonymous stage play in prose by András Dugonics (1793). The Hung ...

, Hunyadi László,

Gallery

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

References

1814 births 1851 deaths 19th-century Hungarian classical composers Male actors from the Austrian Empire Writers from the Austrian Empire Composers from the Austrian Empire Burials at Kerepesi Cemetery Romantic composers Opera librettists People from Kazincbarcika {{Hungary-composer-stub

Biography

Works

See also

Gallery

References