Artist database

1912 - 2008

Imre Sulyok studied at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest under Zoltán Kodály (composition) and Aladár Zalánfy (the organ).

He qualified as a composer and conductor, as a secondary school music teacher, as an organist, and as a Protestant church musician. Between 1939 and 1950 he was ont the staff of Hungarian Radio, late working for Editio Musica, where he was Editor in Chief between 1967 and 1972. Since 1972 he has been a Schriftleiter at the Neue Liszt Ausgabe. He has been the Kantor of the Lutheran Church at Budapest-Kelenföld since 1951, holding the same post earlier (1936-1951) at the Lutheran Church in Budapest-Óbuda. He was awarded the Liszt Prize and won prizes at a number of competitions at home and abroad. His works include: Suite; Ode; Five Miniatures, Chaconne (for orchestra); Concerto for Organ, Concertino da Camera, Clarinet Quintet; String Quartet; Trio for Flute, Violin and Violoncello; pieces for the violin and the piano; Organ Sonata; Prelude adagio and Fugue; choral preludes, songs , choruses, cantatas, folksong arrangements and incidental music.

The Te Deum fantasy for organ was composed in 1938. The theme is taken from the first tune of the plainsong Te Deum laudamus, which is freely adapted, with a somewhat more mouvementé counter counter subject in the central section.

The partita (1975) is a twelve part series of variations. Its theme is taken from a sixteenth century prayer “Let me never be put to confusion” by Mátyás Nagybánkai which was based on Psalm 71. It first appeared in the Kolozsvár Hymn Book published in 1744.

Supplication is the first of Two pieces for organ. I wrote it in 1946, in a soviet camp for prisoners of war, far from an instrument of any sort, without any hope of performance. I composed Thanksgiving in 1948, after my return. It was awarded Firs Prize in the National Bethlen Association competition. Mountains, (11957) a choral cycle, is a setting to music of verses by wo Hungarian poets from Transylvania, Lajos Áprily (1887-1967) and Sándor Reményik (1890-1941). The message of the music precisely included in the words’ – writes Imre Sulyok.


see also: Sulyok Imre - organist