Bozay Attila
Composer
11 August 1939 Balatonfűzfő – 14 September 1999 Budapest
He started his music studies in the State Secondary School for Music of Békéstarhos in 1953 as pupil of Zoltán Pongrácz. After the school was shut down, he continued his studies from 1954 in the Béla Bartók Secondary School for Music (Budapest) and learned composing with István Szelényi. In 1957 he graduated with honor and the same year he was accepted to the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy, where he studied composing from Ferenc Farkas. He graduated as composer and music theory teacher with honor in 1962.
He taught composing and music theory from 1962 to 1963 in the State Vocational School for Music of Szeged. Between 1963 and 1966 he was chamber music editor at the Hungarian Radio, and from 1967 to 1979 he worked as independent music composer. In 1967 he received a half-year scholarship from the UNESCO and thanks to this opportunity he participated at many lectures held in Paris about latter-day music, besides he also visited the composing classes of André Jolivet. From 1979 until his death he taught instrumentation, and then composing at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music.
His activity in the public life is significant, too. In 1988 he became board member of the Hungarian Society of Music. He worked as chairman of the Association of Hungarian Composers until his resignation in 1991. From 1991 until 1992 he was vice president, between 1992 and 1996 president of the Hungarian Chamber of Music. In 1992 he took part in the foundation of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. He also worked as director of the National Philharmony between 1990 and 1993.
A number of his compositions were introduced at prestigious international festivals, like the Biennial of Zagreb, the Warsaw Autumn Festival, the festivals of ISCM (International Society For Contemporary Music) in London, Brussels and Grenoble. With own compositions he regularly gave concerts in Europe and Canada, where he mostly played the flute and the zither. He received many requests from foreign countries: his oboe-piano piece Double theme was a request from Heinz Hollinger, and he wrote the symphonic composition Variations for Portuguese, while the Improvisation no. 2 for Canadian order.
His major works are: Csongor and Tünde; The last five scenes; Trapeze and barrier; Pezzo sinfonico No. 1, 2, 3; Pezzo concertato No. 1, 2, 3; Piano sonata No. 1 and 2; Sonata for violin and piano; Sonata for cello and piano; Series; Mill; Improvisations No. 1, 2, 3; Wind quintet; String quartet No. 1, 2, 3; Song cycles for the poems of Miklós Radnóti, Attila József, András Fodor and István Kormos; 24 choruses for the poems of Mihály Vörösmarty, Sándor Petőfi, János Arany and János Vajda; mixed choruses for the poems of Amy Károlyi, Bálint Balassi and István Gyöngyösi.
His performance as artist was honored several times: he won the Erkel Prize (1968 and 1979), the title Merited Artist (1985), the Bartók-Pásztory Prize (1988), the Beautiful Hungarian Score Award (1989), the Kossuth Prize (1990), the Award for Hungarian Art (1992) and the posthumous Artisjus Prize. His opera, The last five scenes, came in first place at the Millennial Opera Competition in 2000.
see also: Bozay Attila - musician
He started his music studies in the State Secondary School for Music of Békéstarhos in 1953 as pupil of Zoltán Pongrácz. After the school was shut down, he continued his studies from 1954 in the Béla Bartók Secondary School for Music (Budapest) and learned composing with István Szelényi. In 1957 he graduated with honor and the same year he was accepted to the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy, where he studied composing from Ferenc Farkas. He graduated as composer and music theory teacher with honor in 1962.
He taught composing and music theory from 1962 to 1963 in the State Vocational School for Music of Szeged. Between 1963 and 1966 he was chamber music editor at the Hungarian Radio, and from 1967 to 1979 he worked as independent music composer. In 1967 he received a half-year scholarship from the UNESCO and thanks to this opportunity he participated at many lectures held in Paris about latter-day music, besides he also visited the composing classes of André Jolivet. From 1979 until his death he taught instrumentation, and then composing at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music.
His activity in the public life is significant, too. In 1988 he became board member of the Hungarian Society of Music. He worked as chairman of the Association of Hungarian Composers until his resignation in 1991. From 1991 until 1992 he was vice president, between 1992 and 1996 president of the Hungarian Chamber of Music. In 1992 he took part in the foundation of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. He also worked as director of the National Philharmony between 1990 and 1993.
A number of his compositions were introduced at prestigious international festivals, like the Biennial of Zagreb, the Warsaw Autumn Festival, the festivals of ISCM (International Society For Contemporary Music) in London, Brussels and Grenoble. With own compositions he regularly gave concerts in Europe and Canada, where he mostly played the flute and the zither. He received many requests from foreign countries: his oboe-piano piece Double theme was a request from Heinz Hollinger, and he wrote the symphonic composition Variations for Portuguese, while the Improvisation no. 2 for Canadian order.
His major works are: Csongor and Tünde; The last five scenes; Trapeze and barrier; Pezzo sinfonico No. 1, 2, 3; Pezzo concertato No. 1, 2, 3; Piano sonata No. 1 and 2; Sonata for violin and piano; Sonata for cello and piano; Series; Mill; Improvisations No. 1, 2, 3; Wind quintet; String quartet No. 1, 2, 3; Song cycles for the poems of Miklós Radnóti, Attila József, András Fodor and István Kormos; 24 choruses for the poems of Mihály Vörösmarty, Sándor Petőfi, János Arany and János Vajda; mixed choruses for the poems of Amy Károlyi, Bálint Balassi and István Gyöngyösi.
His performance as artist was honored several times: he won the Erkel Prize (1968 and 1979), the title Merited Artist (1985), the Bartók-Pásztory Prize (1988), the Beautiful Hungarian Score Award (1989), the Kossuth Prize (1990), the Award for Hungarian Art (1992) and the posthumous Artisjus Prize. His opera, The last five scenes, came in first place at the Millennial Opera Competition in 2000.
see also: Bozay Attila - musician