Maros Rudolf
Composer
Place of Birth
Stachy (Csehország)
Date of Birth
1917
1917 - 1982
At the age of sixty, on the occasion of his first "composer's evening", Rudolf Maros supplemented the programme notes with the following brief biographical details: "Born in 1917. Zoltán Kodály's pupil at the Music Academy. Studied with Alois Hába in Prague. Since 1958 has repeatedly participated in the lectures of the Darmstadt Ferienkurse. 1939-1942: viola player in the Budapest Municipal Orchestra; 1942-1949: teacher at the Pécs Municipal Music School; 1949-1977: teacher at the Music Academy." This laconic, almost self-ironically brief account provides data as regards Maros's composition studies and his teaching career, but makes no mention of the works which made him one of the most significant composers in the generation after Bartók and Kodály.
Maros was born in Stachy in Czechoslovakia. After graduating from the Győr conservatory, in 1939 he entered the Budapest Music Academy, where, besides having composition studies with Kodály, he learned viola playing from János Temesváry. During his Pécs period he played an all-purpose musical role in the town, teaching, conducting choir and orchestra, composing choir pieces, string works and music to accompany theatrical performances, as well as playing in a quartet. After 1945, he played a part in bringing Kodály's concept of music teaching to Pécs, as well as assisting Kodály in the orchestration of Cinka Panna. Many of his musical, literary and theatrical connections dated from Pécs, including his friendship with the poet, Sándor Weöres. He composed an early work, the Nyúlfark Cantata, and several songs to Weöres poems. On the composer's death, Weöres wrote a little poem commemorating his spirit. Maros retained his connection with Pécs even after moving to Budapest: Imre Eck's Pécs Ballet inspired him to write three pieces for the ensemble; the ballets were performed all over the world.
In the enclosed political and spiritual world of the post-1945 decade, Rudolf Maros followed the path set out by Kodály with complete naturalness; his horizons as a composer were widened only by his 1949 grant-assisted studies with Hába. Later on, as a mature composer with his own voice, he still considered himself to be a member of the Kodály school. "My early chamber pieces and String Symphonies were composed very much under the influence of the master. I have him to thank for the careful arrangement of the musical material and the development of a sense of form. Naturally, I followed Zoltán Kodály in the arrangement of folksongs as well, as, for example, in the Ecseri Lakodalmas (Ecser wedding feast music), which was performed by the State Folk Ensemble thousands of times." (1976) "The strict formal requirements are the greatest strength of the Kodály school, and it is this skill that protects the composer from being carried away by the ecstasy of his discoveries and from loosing his sense of proportion for the sake of certain effects." (1968) Rudolf Maros was protected from mistakes in proportion also by the inner harmony of his personality and his instinctive sense of style. While he was among the first Hungarian composers in the fifties to become open to the results of the music of the Viennese school, Webern and the serialists, he immediately selected and shaped the accumulating new knowledge. Thus his new-style music preserved sureness of taste, elegance of expression and economy of form – in that sense, with all the changes and transformations in style, his life's work is unified and harmonious.
In the first phase of his search for his own path, when, at the age of forty, he began to learn from the experiences of the Warsaw and Darmstadt festivals, he made use, besides the influence of Webern, that of Bartók as well (Ricercare 1959, Cinque studi 1960, Musica da ballo 1961). In the years to follow he came to find his own individual style through tone studies of particular beauty (three euphonies 1963, 1964, 1965). From the second half of the sixties, the magical tone production was complemented by a richer content, an organic inner dramaturgy, and melodic-rhythmic characterisation, creating a synthesis of modern and traditional elements (Gemma, 1968, Monumentum 1945 1969, Consort 1970, Landscapes /Tájképek/ 1974, Kaleidoszkóp 1976). In the two Sirató (Lament) (1963) he combined the new technique with the human voice, and in the Magyar Sirató (Hungarian Lament) (1969) produced a shattering reinterpretation of the ancient Hungarian folk style.
Rudolf Maros utilised the new results of Western music not only in his own workshop, but mediated it also for the multitude of his pupils and friends. At the Music Academy he taught, besides wind chamber music, music theory and orchestration, the techniques of twentieth century composition. His culture, open and honest demeanour, cheerful and tolerant personality made him widely liked, and he also carried out his work as a radio lector to general satisfaction. He was awarded the Erkel Prize three times, and was given the titles, Meritorious Artist and Outstanding Artist, in recognition of his work. He was a founding member, and a member of the presidium, of the Hungarian Musicians' Association, besides which, as a member of the presidium of the New Music International Society, he worthily represented Hungarian music abroad for decades. He died painfully early, at the age of sixty-six.
In 1991 he was awarded posthumous with Béla Bartók-Ditta Pásztory Prize.
At the age of sixty, on the occasion of his first "composer's evening", Rudolf Maros supplemented the programme notes with the following brief biographical details: "Born in 1917. Zoltán Kodály's pupil at the Music Academy. Studied with Alois Hába in Prague. Since 1958 has repeatedly participated in the lectures of the Darmstadt Ferienkurse. 1939-1942: viola player in the Budapest Municipal Orchestra; 1942-1949: teacher at the Pécs Municipal Music School; 1949-1977: teacher at the Music Academy." This laconic, almost self-ironically brief account provides data as regards Maros's composition studies and his teaching career, but makes no mention of the works which made him one of the most significant composers in the generation after Bartók and Kodály.
Maros was born in Stachy in Czechoslovakia. After graduating from the Győr conservatory, in 1939 he entered the Budapest Music Academy, where, besides having composition studies with Kodály, he learned viola playing from János Temesváry. During his Pécs period he played an all-purpose musical role in the town, teaching, conducting choir and orchestra, composing choir pieces, string works and music to accompany theatrical performances, as well as playing in a quartet. After 1945, he played a part in bringing Kodály's concept of music teaching to Pécs, as well as assisting Kodály in the orchestration of Cinka Panna. Many of his musical, literary and theatrical connections dated from Pécs, including his friendship with the poet, Sándor Weöres. He composed an early work, the Nyúlfark Cantata, and several songs to Weöres poems. On the composer's death, Weöres wrote a little poem commemorating his spirit. Maros retained his connection with Pécs even after moving to Budapest: Imre Eck's Pécs Ballet inspired him to write three pieces for the ensemble; the ballets were performed all over the world.
In the enclosed political and spiritual world of the post-1945 decade, Rudolf Maros followed the path set out by Kodály with complete naturalness; his horizons as a composer were widened only by his 1949 grant-assisted studies with Hába. Later on, as a mature composer with his own voice, he still considered himself to be a member of the Kodály school. "My early chamber pieces and String Symphonies were composed very much under the influence of the master. I have him to thank for the careful arrangement of the musical material and the development of a sense of form. Naturally, I followed Zoltán Kodály in the arrangement of folksongs as well, as, for example, in the Ecseri Lakodalmas (Ecser wedding feast music), which was performed by the State Folk Ensemble thousands of times." (1976) "The strict formal requirements are the greatest strength of the Kodály school, and it is this skill that protects the composer from being carried away by the ecstasy of his discoveries and from loosing his sense of proportion for the sake of certain effects." (1968) Rudolf Maros was protected from mistakes in proportion also by the inner harmony of his personality and his instinctive sense of style. While he was among the first Hungarian composers in the fifties to become open to the results of the music of the Viennese school, Webern and the serialists, he immediately selected and shaped the accumulating new knowledge. Thus his new-style music preserved sureness of taste, elegance of expression and economy of form – in that sense, with all the changes and transformations in style, his life's work is unified and harmonious.
In the first phase of his search for his own path, when, at the age of forty, he began to learn from the experiences of the Warsaw and Darmstadt festivals, he made use, besides the influence of Webern, that of Bartók as well (Ricercare 1959, Cinque studi 1960, Musica da ballo 1961). In the years to follow he came to find his own individual style through tone studies of particular beauty (three euphonies 1963, 1964, 1965). From the second half of the sixties, the magical tone production was complemented by a richer content, an organic inner dramaturgy, and melodic-rhythmic characterisation, creating a synthesis of modern and traditional elements (Gemma, 1968, Monumentum 1945 1969, Consort 1970, Landscapes /Tájképek/ 1974, Kaleidoszkóp 1976). In the two Sirató (Lament) (1963) he combined the new technique with the human voice, and in the Magyar Sirató (Hungarian Lament) (1969) produced a shattering reinterpretation of the ancient Hungarian folk style.
Rudolf Maros utilised the new results of Western music not only in his own workshop, but mediated it also for the multitude of his pupils and friends. At the Music Academy he taught, besides wind chamber music, music theory and orchestration, the techniques of twentieth century composition. His culture, open and honest demeanour, cheerful and tolerant personality made him widely liked, and he also carried out his work as a radio lector to general satisfaction. He was awarded the Erkel Prize three times, and was given the titles, Meritorious Artist and Outstanding Artist, in recognition of his work. He was a founding member, and a member of the presidium, of the Hungarian Musicians' Association, besides which, as a member of the presidium of the New Music International Society, he worthily represented Hungarian music abroad for decades. He died painfully early, at the age of sixty-six.
In 1991 he was awarded posthumous with Béla Bartók-Ditta Pásztory Prize.
| Year | Title | Publisher | Code | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Mihály András, Maros Rudolf, Székely Endre, Láng István, Balassa Sándor, Lendvay Kamilló művei | Hungaroton | LPX 11494 | LP |
| 1976 |
Csendes éj
(Silent Night) |
Hungaroton | SLPX 16598 | Reissue on CD: HCD 16598 (1994) |
| 1994 |
Csendes éj
(Silent Night) |
Hungaroton | HCD 16598 | Reissue of Hungaroton SLPX 16598 (1976) |
| 1998 |
Kórusművek Debrecennek
(Vocal Works to Debrecen) |
Magánkiadás | BR 0109 | |
| 2001 | Harpa Hungarica | Magánkiadás | B0006M4N4Q | |
| 2005 |
Magyar zenei mozaik
(Hungarian Music Mosaic) |
Hungaroton | HCD 32330 |
| Title | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Studies for 4 Percussion-Players | Chamber Music | 1975 |
| The Goose baker | Children's choir | 0 |
| The Chain Bridge in a Day | Incidental music | 1952 |
| Moustache | Incidental music | 1951 |
| Soldier´s of Peace | Choir and orchestra | 1950 |
| Wonderful Gum Shoes | Incidental music | 1963 |
| The Piggy Duckling | Incidental music | 1959 |
| The Pleiad | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| Hammer of the Locality | Incidental music | 1951 |
| The Seven-Headed Fairy | Incidental music | 0 |
| The Pirate | Incidental music | 1945 |
| Songs of the Hungarian History and Revolution | Solo voice(s) with chamber orchestra | 0 |
| A piacere | Film music | 1976 |
| The Cricket´s Pennies | Incidental music | 1959 |
| The Turkish and Cows | Children's choir | 0 |
| Africa (Stamps are talking about Africa) | Film music | 1962 |
| Wattle | Incidental music | 1951 |
| Albumblätter für Kontrabass / Album-Leaves for Contrabass | Instrumental solo | 1973 |
| Anonymi Zagrabiensis: Sequentia de Virgine Maria | Mixed choir | 1947 |
| Golden Village | Incidental music | 1951 |
| Table Music | Chamber Music | 1948 |
| Poet of the Clay: Margit Kovács | Film music | 1958 |
| The Comedy of Man | Incidental music | 1957 |
| Bagatelles - For Organ | Instrumental solo | 1960 |
| Balkan Suite (or Albanian Suite) | Chamber Music | 1950 |
| Tobias Left Hand | Incidental music | 1952 |
| Clown Parade | Incidental music | 1954 |
| Mary´s Litany | Mixed choir | 0 |
| Puppetplay Overture | Orchestral work | 1944 |
| Miner´s Ballad - Dance Play | Ballet / Choreographic work | 1961 |
| Miners Song | Incidental music | 1950 |
| Miner´s Song | Male choir | 1950 |
| Cinque studi per orchestra | Orchestral work | 1960 |
| Concertino per fagotto et orchestra | Concerto | 1953 |
| Concerto grosso | String orchestra | 1948 |
| Consort | Chamber Music | 1970 |
| Csacsa - For Piano | Instrumental solo | 0 |
| Mari Folk Songs | Mixed choir | 1977 |
| Star on the Bale Fire | Incidental music | 1975 |
| My Star - Four Folk Songs | Mixed choir | 1950 |
| Thorn Rose | Stage work | 1953 |
| Song about the Liberation | Choir and solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| Our Singing Neighbors - Folk Song-Suite | Mixed choir | 1950 |
| Divertimento - Violin-Viola Duos | Chamber Music | 1940 |
| Divertimento - For Three Violins | Chamber Music | 1956 |
| South Slavic Folk Songs | Solo voice(s) with ensemble | 0 |
| Wedding in Ecser | Stage work | 1951 |
| The Diary of a Model | Incidental music | 1959 |
| The Story of a Second | Film music | 1957 |
| Egypt - For Piano | Instrumental solo | 0 |
| Come with Us, Comrade! | Choir and solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| In the Evening | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| Euphony No. 1. | Orchestral work | 1963 |
| Euphony No. 2 | Orchestral work | 1964 |
| Euphony No. 3 | Orchestral work | 1965 |
| This Earth Doesn´t Belong to Others - Two Chinese Folk Songs | Choir and solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| In Eighteen Hundred and Forty-Eight | Mixed choir | 0 |
| Resurrection on Makucska | Incidental music | 1945 |
| Flute | Incidental music | 1950 |
| Our Earth´s Fellow Traveler | Film music | 1957 |
| Gemma. In memoriam Zoltán Kodály | Orchestral work | 1968 |
| Children´s Songs | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 1943 |
| Turtledoves - For Piano | Instrumental solo | 0 |
| Death-dance Ballad | Incidental music | 0 |
| Cinderella | Incidental music | 1954 |
| I Want to Go Home | Incidental music | 1950 |
| Let God Arise: Psalm 68 | Mixed choir | 1979 |
| Suite for Harp | Instrumental solo | 1966 |
| Three Csango-Hungarian Folk Songs | !to be determined | 1954 |
| Three Songs - For Soprano and Piano | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 1952 |
| Three Short Choirs | Mixed choir | 0 |
| From Háros - Four Folk Songs | Stage work | 1951 |
| Everyday´s Requiem - Dance Play | Ballet / Choreographic work | 1962 |
| Signal for the TV-News | Incidental music | 1953 |
| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Incidental music | 1959 |
| Sinfonietta No. 1 | Orchestral work | 1947 |
| String Quartet No. 1 | Ensemble | 1947 |
| Sinfonietta No. 2 (in tempore belli...) | Orchestral work | 1948 |
| I Knew Your Father | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| Hansel and Gretel | Incidental music | 1959 |
| Notices | String orchestra | 1972 |
| Game for Life | Film music | 1960 |
| Playful Animals | Film music | 1960 |
| Kaleidoscope - For Chamber Orchestra | Chamber orchestra | 1976 |
| Christmas Songs | Choral music | 0 |
| Caucasian Chalk Circle | Incidental music | 1960 |
| Duos for Two Violins or Violin Ensemble | Chamber Music | 1945 |
| Salute to Kodály (Variations on a theme by Kodály) | Symphony orchestra | 1962 |
| Greeting Kodály, Variation No. 17 | Symphony orchestra | 1962 |
| Contrasts | Chamber orchestra | 1979 |
| Christ is Risen | Choir and solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| Canon to the Five-Year Plan | Mixed choir | 0 |
| Two Folk Songs from Baranya-County | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 1947 |
| Two Little Songs on a Poem by Sándor Weöres | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 1944 |
| Two Little Pinguins - Puppet Music | Music for the theater | 1976 |
| Two Russian Folk Songs | Mixed choir | 0 |
| Two Laments | Solo voice(s) with ensemble | 1963 |
| Toast | Stage work | 1954 |
| Toast | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| MINSZ March | Choir and solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| Muki Bear | Incidental music | 1952 |
| Hungarian Applied Artists | Film music | 1973 |
| I Walked on the Roads of War | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 1947 |
| The Sheperds Arrived | Solo voice(s) with ensemble | 0 |
| Tale Box | Incidental music | 1952 |
| Distances | Mixed choir | 1975 |
| Like the Sea in a Drop | Film music | 1961 |
| Squirrel Mike | Incidental music | 1961 |
| Monumentum (In memoriam 1945) | Orchestral work | 1968 |
| Musica da ballo - Suite | Orchestral work | 1961 |
| Musica da camera per 11 | Chamber Music | 1966 |
| Musica leggiera | Chamber Music | 1956 |
| May. Overture for Orchestra | Orchestral work | 1954 |
| Squirrels | Incidental music | 1952 |
| Works and Artists: Barcsay | Film music | 1959 |
| Works and Workshops | Film music | 1967 |
| Liar Lad | Incidental music | 1959 |
| Rhythms of the Day | Incidental music | 1965 |
| Eight Godly Songs | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 1948 |
| Rabbit-Tail Choirs | Mixed choir | 1951 |
| Rabbit-Tail Cantata - On the Poems by Sándor Weöres | Solo voice(s), choir & chamber orchestra | 1948 |
| Four Folk Songs | Mixed choir | 0 |
| Folk Songs and Taunting Songs | Choir, solo instrument(s) & orchestra | 1954 |
| Folk Song Suite for Mezzo Soprano and String Orchestra | Solo voice(s) with chamber orchestra | 0 |
| Folk Song Suite for Piano | Instrumental solo | 0 |
| Peasant-Ballad | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 1941 |
| Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf | Incidental music | 1950 |
| Documentary of Béla Kondor | Film music | 1978 |
| Prairie ball | Stage work | 1955 |
| Quartettino per archi | Chamber Music | 0 |
| Quartetto per archi / String Quartet | Ensemble | 1948 |
| Predacious plants, live traps | Film music | 1959 |
| Mrs. Rapó | Incidental music | 1952 |
| Reflexionen / Reflections | Ballet / Choreographic work | 1970 |
| Ricercare - In memoriam 1919 | Orchestral work | 1959 |
| Reportage from Wax City | Film music | 1958 |
| Romanian Folk Songs | Solo voice(s) with ensemble | 0 |
| Serenata / Serenade | Chamber Music | 1951 |
| Sinfonia per archi / Symphony for Strings | String orchestra | 1956 |
| Lament | Solo voice(s) with ensemble | 1969 |
| Stanzas | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 1977 |
| Szatmárköritó | Incidental music | 1951 |
| To Saint Cicely | Mixed choir | 0 |
| Concerto grosso for New Year´s Eve, or the Entry of the Clowns | Orchestral work | 1952 |
| Slovakian Folk Songs | Solo voice(s) with ensemble | 0 |
| Sonatina for Piano | Instrumental solo | 0 |
| Beautiful Young Lady | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| Leaping Legs, Gliding Shadows. Running, Flying | Film music | 1965 |
| Farm | Incidental music | 1950 |
| Toldi | Incidental music | 1950 |
| Trucker Song | Mixed choir | 1951 |
| Trio - For Violin, Viola and Cimbalom | Chamber Music | 1974 |
| Trio - For Violin, Viola and Harp | Chamber Music | 1967 |
| Joke | Chamber Music | 1973 |
| Landscapes | String orchestra | 1974 |
| Dance Song - My Rose Comes from the Farm | Mixed choir | 0 |
| Fragment | Orchestral work | 1977 |
| Tüsköm-Dance - For Piano Four hands | Chamber Music | 1952 |
| Baptism of Fire | Incidental music | 1951 |
| Our Guests | Incidental music | 1951 |
| Joyful Overture | Orchestral work | 1953 |
| László Gallant | Incidental music | 1952 |
| Variations - For Piano Four Hands | Chamber Music | 0 |
| Blood Donation (What you have given is life) | Film music | 1963 |
| Chant it! | Mixed choir | 0 |
| Piano Pieces | Instrumental solo | 0 |
| Pansy | Film music | 1975 |
| Transcription - Bartók Béla: Ten Easy Pieces | String orchestra | 0 |
| Transcription - Fr. Schubert: Three Little Pieces | String orchestra | 0 |
| Transcription - G. F. Händel: Little Suite | String orchestra | 0 |
| Transcription - J. Chr. Bach: Quintetto | Ensemble | 0 |
| Transcription - J. Haydn: Three Little Pieces | !to be determined | 0 |
| Transription - J.S. Bach-W.A. Mozart: Adagio and Fugue | Ensemble | 0 |
| Transcription - W.A. Mozart: Divertimento (K.V. 270) | Ensemble | 0 |
| Transcription - W.A. Mozart: Three Dances | String orchestra | 0 |
| Eve´s Songs - Children-Cantata | Choir and orchestra | 0 |
| Eternal Renewal | Film music | 1965 |
| Pioneer Song | Choir and solo instrument(s) | 0 |
| Pioneer Inviting | Children's choir | 0 |
| Pioneers Campfire | Choir and solo instrument(s) | 0 |