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Ferenc Erkel ( , ; November 7, 1810June 15, 1893) was a Hungarian composer, conductor and pianist. He was the father of Hungarian
* '' Bátori Mária'' (1840, two acts; Mária Bátori is the lover of László, son of Coloman of Hungary)
* '' Hunyadi László'' (1844, four acts)
* ''Erzsébet'' (1857, three acts, only the second is by Erkel)
* '' Bánk bán'' (1861, three acts; Bánk bán is a
Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra
Opera.hu
Erkel playing chess
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erkel, Ferenc 1810 births 1893 deaths 19th-century Hungarian classical composers 19th-century classical pianists Composers from the Austrian Empire Composers from Austria-Hungary 19th-century conductors (music) Burials at Kerepesi Cemetery Danube-Swabian people Hungarian classical pianists Romantic composers National anthem writers People from Gyula Chief conductors of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra
grand opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and Orchestra, orchestras. The original productions consisted of spectacular design and stage effects with plots normally based on o ...
, written mainly on historical themes, which are still often performed in Hungary. He also composed the music of "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 ...
", the national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
of 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 northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, which was adopted in 1844. He died in Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
.
Biography
Erkel was born in Gyula to an originallyDanube Swabian
The Danube Swabians ( ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary in east-central Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in greater numbers in the 17 ...
Erkel family, a son of Joseph Erkel who was a musician. His mother was the Hungarian Klára Ruttkay. The libretti of his first three operas were written by Béni Egressy. Beside his operas, for which he is best known, he wrote pieces for piano and chorus, and a majestic ''Festival Overture''. He acquainted Hector Berlioz
Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...
with the tune of the Rákóczi March, which Berlioz used in '' The Damnation of Faust''.
He headed the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra (founded in 1853). He was also the director and piano teacher of the Hungarian Academy of Music until 1886. The Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest was opened in 1884, of which he was the musical director.
In 1839, he married Adél Adlers. Four of his sons participated in the composing of his later operas: Gyula (July 4, 1842, PestMarch 22, 1909, Újpest
Újpest (; , ) is the 4th District in Budapest, Hungary. It is located on the left bank of the Danube River. The name Újpest means "New Pest" because the city was formed on the border of the city of Pest, Hungary in 1838. Újpest was a village ...
), Elek (November 2, 1843, PestJune 10, 1893, Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
), László
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
Vladislav ( (', '); , ; Russian language, Russian, Ukrainian language, ...
(April 9, 1844, PestDecember 3, 1896, Pozsony / Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
) and Sándor (January 2, 1846, PestOctober 14, 1900, Békéscsaba
Békéscsaba (; ; see also #Name, other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, the capital of Békés County.
Geography
Békéscsaba is located in the Great Hungarian Plain, southeast from Budapest. Highway 44, 47 ...
).
In popular culture
*Erkel was an internationally acknowledgedchess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
player as well, and a founder of Pesti Sakk-kör (Budapest Chess Club).
*A department of the Opera House was established in 1911 in Budapest which also performs operas, named ''Erkel SzÃnház'' ( Erkel Theatre) since 1953.
*He was commemorated on gold and silver coins issued by the Hungarian National Bank
The Hungarian National Bank ( , MNB) is the central bank of Hungary and as such part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). It was established in 1924 as a successor entity of the Austro-Hungarian Bank, under the economic assistance ...
for the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Operas
* '' Bátori Mária'' (1840, two acts; Mária Bátori is the lover of László, son of Coloman of Hungary)
* '' Hunyadi László'' (1844, four acts)
* ''Erzsébet'' (1857, three acts, only the second is by Erkel)
* '' Bánk bán'' (1861, three acts; Bánk bán is a palatine
A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.
of Andrew II) – this opera is often thought of as the national opera of Hungary
* ''Sarolta'' (1862, three acts)
* '' Dózsa György'' (1867, five acts)
* '' Brankovics György'' (1874, four acts)
* '' Névtelen hősök'' (1880, "Nameless heroes", four acts)
* '' István király'' (1885, "King Stephen", four acts)
* ''Kemény Simon'' (remained in fragments; planned to be of three acts)
See also
* Hungarian operaReferences
External links
*Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra
Opera.hu
Erkel playing chess
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erkel, Ferenc 1810 births 1893 deaths 19th-century Hungarian classical composers 19th-century classical pianists Composers from the Austrian Empire Composers from Austria-Hungary 19th-century conductors (music) Burials at Kerepesi Cemetery Danube-Swabian people Hungarian classical pianists Romantic composers National anthem writers People from Gyula Chief conductors of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra