Erwin Lendvai

Erwin Lendvai (also Lendvay, pseudonym in exile in England: Devinal, born June 4, 1882 in Budapest, † 21 March 1949 in Epsom ), was a Hungarian composer.

Life

Erwin Loewenfeld, since 1894 Magyarised Lendvai, completed in 1901, the grammar school and then attended the Conservatory, where he studied music theory with Hans Koessler. In 1905 he went on a scholarship to Puccini to Italy, his mother's country of origin, since 1906 he lived in Germany, first in Berlin.

From Berlin he went in 1913 to Hellerau near Dresden, where he teaches music theory with Émile Jaques- Dalcroze at the training college for music and rhythm. The following year (according Brusniak ) or after 1919 ( according Gappenach ), he returned to Berlin and taught there until 1920 composition at Klindworth - Scharwenka Conservatory. He spent the following years with varying activities in Weimar ( 1920 ), Jena (1922 ), Hamburg ( 1923 ) and San Remo (1925 ), after which he worked as a conductor of choral societies in Koblenz, Munich, Saarbrücken and Erfurt.

As a Jewish composer in Nazi Germany threatened by persecution and prohibition, he went in 1933 into exile, first in the League of Nations assumed Saar, after the plebiscite of 1935 the port of Saarland then to Switzerland in 1938 to England, where he under the pseudonym "Professor Devinal " in Kenninghall ( Norwich) led a retired life, and in 1949 in Epsom ( Surrey ) died of a stroke.

Work

In addition to an opera ( Elga by Gerhart Hauptmann, 1916) and the Festival Music Peoples Freedom (1930 ), he composed a symphony, archaic dances, a scherzo for orchestra, chamber music, 3 Pieces for Organ, Op 4 Of greatest importance are his more than 450 choral works, in which he strove for a synthesis of late medieval a cappella polyphony and contemporary style. When his most successful work he considered himself to be bells song "Deliver thee, consistent " (Op. 19, No. 16).

As editor, he published a collection of polyphonic male choir (1928, 6 books ) and participated with the later " Empire Sing ladder" Carl Hannemann and Walter Rein in the publication of Lobeda - Sing book for male choir (1931 /33). As a music writer, he wrote, among others posts to the Socialist Monatshefte

Others

Erwin Lendvai is the uncle of the Hungarian composer Kamilló Lendvai.