Leo Weiner

Leó Weiner ( born April 16, 1885 in Budapest, † September 13, 1960 ) was an influential Jewish- Hungarian music teacher and composer. In the 1920s he was hailed as " Hungary's Mendelssohn ". Some of his works - usually chamber music - are still listed.

Weiner studied from 1901 to 1906 with Hans Koessler. For his written while studying Serenade Op 3, he received several awards. More awards followed. After a short stint as a coach at the Budapest Opera and several funded study trips (Venice, Paris, Munich, Berlin), he was from 1908 ( until 1949 ) professor of composition and chamber music at the Budapest Academy of Music. Even after his retirement he continued to teach. His most important students were Géza Anda, Antal Doráti, Andor Foldes, György Kurtág, Georg Solti.

Weiner's preference that shaped his own work, was classical and romantic composers such as Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Bizet. Added to this was his tendency to Hungarian folk music, which often gives his supposedly " honest " pieces of a fiery and clownish touch. Weiner wrote, among other things, five Divertimenti, a symphonic poem, a passacaglia, two violin sonatas, a Concertino for piano and orchestra, three string quartets and piano music. In addition, he also wrote music didactic works. Among pianists to Weiner's pleased ( four hands played ) Fuchstanz, the second set of his Divertimento No.1 op.20 for strings, very popular.