Fraternity-Testvériség, 1959 (37. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1959-03-01 / 3. szám
2 FRATERNITY LÁSZLÓ L. ESZENYI: AMERICAN HUNGARIANS OF WHOM WE ARE PROUD If “music is the universal language of mankind” as Longfellow said, then the true spirit of brotherhood has been established by the great Hungarian composers such as Ferenc Liszt, Béla Bartók or Zoltán Kodály. Famous interpreters in this country, known to practically every listening American, are: Eugene (Jenő) Ormandy, Anthony (Antal) Dorati and Fritz (Frigyes) Reiner. Joseph Szigeti was once considered one of the best concert violinists, John (János) Starker is often mentioned as the new Pablo Casals. In our present article we try to enumerate the deeds of the “great old man” of the Hungarian musical world. ★ ★ ★ DR. ERNŐ von DOHNÁNYI Pianist, Composer, Conductor and Teacher Born in Pozsony, Hungary, on the 2nd day of July, 1877, his father — professor of mathematics and physics, and himself an enthusiastic amateur cellist —■ introduced him to music. He revealed unmistakable musical gifts from early childhood. According to family stories, as a very small boy he used to play conductor, standing on a stool and using his father’s walking stick as a baton, directing his little sister as an imaginary orchestra while rows of empty chairs behind his back served as his first audience. His musical education began at the age of eight, and in 1894 he enrolled in the Budapest Academy of Music. After finishing forma] academic education he was the pupil of the then celebrated pianist Eugene d’Albert for a short period of time until he made his debut as concert pianist in Berlin, German}', on October 1, 1897. The sensitivity of his touch, his wonderful musicianship and, above all, his poetic insight made him an immediate success. Recitals were given by him in Europe and in the United States where critics wrote with glowing praise “of his beautiful repose,
