Géza de Kresz

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Géza de Kresz (born June 11, 1882 in Budapest , † October 2, 1959 in Toronto ) was an Austro-Hungarian-Canadian violinist, music teacher and composer.

Life

De Kresz studied violin at the Budapest National Conservatory with Alois Gobbi , Frigyes Arányi and Jenő Hubay . He continued his education at the Prague Conservatory with Otakar Ševčík until 1902 , was a student of Eugène Ysaÿe in Brussels until 1905 and took violin lessons in Paris with Jacques Thibaud in Paris in 1905 . He also studied composition in Brussels with Théophile Ysaÿe and in Paris with Albert Lavignac .

In 1906 de Kresz made his debut as a violin soloist in Vienna. From 1909 he taught at the Bucharest Conservatory , was concertmaster of the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra and directed the Carmen Sylva String Quartet at the royal court. In 1915 he went to Berlin, where he taught at the Stern Conservatory (1919–1923) and from 1917 to 1921 he was concertmaster and solo violinist of the Berlin Philharmonic . In Berlin he also met the English pianist Norah Drewett , whom he married in 1918.

At the invitation of Boris Hambourg , whom he had met while studying in Belgium, de Kresz went to Toronto with his wife in 1923. There they gave duo concerts together and toured Canada until 1951. De Kresz played first violin in the Hart House String Quartet (until 1935), was a member of the Hambourg Trio in 1924/25 , founded the Little Symphony in 1930 , a chamber orchestra that he directed until 1934, and taught at the Hambourg Conservatory . His students included musicians such as Murray Adaskin , Hedy Aschermann , Arthur Garami , Flora Matheson Goulden , Betty-Jean Hagen , Clayton Hare , Adolf Koldofsky , Kayla Mitzel , Maurice Solway , Irene Diehl Thorolfson and Margaret Woodrow Wilson .

In the summertime, de Kresz stayed frequently in Europe, gave concerts there and taught at the University of Vienna and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. From 1935 to 1947 he lived in Budapest and taught at the Franz Liszt Music Academy and at the Hungarian National Conservatory , of which he was director from 1941. In 1947 he returned to Toronto. There he taught at the Royal Conservatory of Music , led courses in violin education and performed as a violin soloist until 1955.

Two strokes in 1956 finally ended de Kresz's musical career. On October 1, 1959, the Philharmonia Hungarica gave a concert in the Massey Hall under the direction of Antal Doráti , at which de Kresz was the guest of honor. During the concert he suffered another severe stroke, of which he died the next day. His music pedagogical writings, preserved in manuscript, were published in 1969 by Kenneth McRobbie of the University of Manitoba . In the same year the Géza de Kresz Memorial Scholarship Fund was founded.

swell

personal data
SURNAME Kresz, Géza de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian-Hungarian-Canadian violinist, music teacher and composer
DATE OF BIRTH June 11, 1882
PLACE OF BIRTH Budapest
DATE OF DEATH October 2, 1959
Place of death Toronto