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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 
* ''
Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra
Opera.hu
Erkel playing chess
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erkel, Ferenc 1810 births 1893 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century Hungarian musicians 19th-century conductors (music) Burials at Kerepesi Cemetery Danube-Swabian people Hungarian classical composers Hungarian classical pianists Hungarian conductors (music) Hungarian-German people Hungarian male classical composers Hungarian music educators Hungarian opera composers Hungarian Romantic composers Male classical pianists Male conductors (music) Male opera composers National anthem writers People from Gyula
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
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and orchestras, and (in their original productions) lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on o ...
, written mainly on historical themes, which are still often performed in Hungary. He also composed the music of "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, ...
", 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 Europe ...
of Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
, which was adopted in 1844. He died in Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
.
Biography
Erkel was born in Gyula to a Danube Swabian 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 acquaintedHector Berlioz
In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
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, Pest
Pest or The Pest may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns
** Weed, a plant considered undesirable
* Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection
** ...
March 22, 1909, Újpest
Újpest (; german: Neu-Pest, en, New Pest) 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 i ...
), Elek (November 2, 1843, PestJune 10, 1893, Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
), 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. Other versions are Lessl or Laszly. The name has a history of being fre ...
(April 9, 1844, PestDecember 3, 1896, Pozsony / Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% o ...
) and Sándor
Sándor is a Hungarian given name and surname. It is the Hungarian form of Alexander.
It may refer to:
People Given name
* Sándor Apponyi (1844–1925) was a Hungarian diplomat, bibliophile, bibliographer and great book collector
* Sándor B ...
(January 2, 1846, PestOctober 14, 1900, Békéscsaba).
In popular culture
*Erkel was an internationally acknowledgedchess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
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 Színház'' ( Erkel Theatre) since 1953.
*He was commemorated on gold and silver coins issued by the Hungarian National Bank for the 200th anniversary of his birth.
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 ...
'' (1840, two acts; Mária Bátori
Mária is a Hungarian and Slovak form of Maria (given name) or Mary (given name).
* The name is found in the Mária Valéria Bridge between Hungary and Slovakia on the middle of the bridge named after Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria and ma ...
is the lover of László, son of Coloman of Hungary)
* '' Hunyadi László'' (1844, three 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 (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since 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
''István király '' is an 1886 Hungarian opera by Ferenc Erkel on King Stephen I of Hungary.
References
''The following sources were given:''
* Till Géza: ''Opera'', Zeneműkiadó, Budapest, 1985,
* Winkler Gábor: ''Barangolás az operák vi ...
'' (1885, "King Stephen", four acts)
* ''Kemény Simon'' (remained in fragments; planned to be of three acts)
See also
*Hungarian opera
The origins of Hungarian opera can be traced to the late 18th century, with the rise of imported opera and other concert styles in cities like Pozsony (now Bratislava), Kismarton, Nagyszeben and Budapest. Operas at the time were in either the Ger ...
References
External links
*Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra
Opera.hu
Erkel playing chess
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erkel, Ferenc 1810 births 1893 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century Hungarian musicians 19th-century conductors (music) Burials at Kerepesi Cemetery Danube-Swabian people Hungarian classical composers Hungarian classical pianists Hungarian conductors (music) Hungarian-German people Hungarian male classical composers Hungarian music educators Hungarian opera composers Hungarian Romantic composers Male classical pianists Male conductors (music) Male opera composers National anthem writers People from Gyula