Rezső Seress

Rezső Seress [ rɛʒø ʃɛrɛʃ ː ] (* November 3, 1899; † January 11, 1968 in Budapest) was a Hungarian pianist and composer.

Life

Rudi Spitzer was of Jewish origin. His name was Magyarised in Hungary. As a Jew, he was sentenced to hard labor in the occupied Ukraine during World War II by the Hungarians.

Seress taught himself the piano playing, even at 1933 and composed the song Szomorú Vasárnap (English: Gloomy Sunday, German: Sad Sunday or even Lonely Sunday), which gained notoriety as a number of suicide cases has been linked with him. Many American and European radio stations did not lead supposedly, in this context the song in their list. This is, however, to largely unacknowledged assumptions that are likely to be classified as a modern legend. The English translation of the song by Sam M. Lewis was often later adapted.

Seress committed suicide in January 1968.