Julius (Gyula) Beliczay (1835-1893)

[Alan Howe]

Does anyone know of the CD of Beliczay's Symphony in D minor and Serenade included on this list (scroll down)? >
http://www.nonaarola.com/mav_discografia.htm

[Mykulh]

Alan,
   That's a great find. There is some info on the web. Go here: http://www.momus.hu/article.php?artid=92.
This is quite a surprise and, hopefully, the beginning of a revival of interest in an entire "lost generation" of late-Romantic Hungarian composers.

Mike Herman

[jerfilm]

Where do you suppose we'll find this gem???

Jerry

[Mark Thomas]

If you are prepared to wait a little while, you may well find this recording re-released on a more easily obtainable label but for now "Mum's the word".

[Mark Thomas]

Here are the CD booklet notes, just to whet the appetite:

Several eminent composers are known to have started their careers as army officers, civil servants or even physicians. It is, however, rare that someone like Julius (Gyula) Beliczay should achieve outstanding results both in his civil post and in music. Beliczay was born on 15 August 1835 in the Hungarian town Komárom. His education started in his home town, then, from the age of twelve on, he continued his studies in Pozsony (Pressburg, the modern Bratislava, capital of Slovakia). Showing considerable talent in mathematics, he matriculated at his father's request at the Polytechnic of Vienna in 1851 from where he graduated as an engineer in 1857. From 1858 onwards he was working with the Theiss-Bahn as an engineer at its Vienna directorate. Founded in 1846, this private railway company was about to establish its large-scale railway network in Hungary. As a result, Beliczay moved to Pest (now Budapest, capital of Hungary) together with the directorate the next year. In 1872 the Hungarian Royal Ministry of Trade appointed him to chief engineer of the shop service department (D II) of the Hungarian Royal State Railways (MÁV) established four years before. In 1875 he made a tour of Germany, France, Holland and Belgium on government commission to study the European railway engineering services and, at the same time (!), the higher music education systems. Taking advantage of the reorganisation of the Hungarian railways, Beliczay abandoned his position as chief counsellor and chief of section in 1886 and retired to devote his life exclusively to music. In 1888 Ödön Mihalovich, a successor to Ferenc Erkel as director of the Academy of Music, founded by Ferenc Liszt invited Beliczay to be professor of composition there. He could not work long as he fell ill in 1892, resigned from his post and died on 30 April 1893.

Beliczay's musical talents manifested themselves early in his childhood. He studied piano with Gyula Csáder in his home town, Josef Kumlik and Christelly in Pozsony as well as with Karl Czerny and later Anton Halm in Vienna. His achievements as a pianist were spoken of later in terms of appreciation by Anton Rubinstein and also by Ferenc Liszt.

Though he tried his hand at composition in his childhood, he did not receive thorough instruction in music theory until his engineering studies in Vienna. His masters were the church composer Joachim Hoffmann, then Franz Krenn, a professor at the conservatory who offered him a diploma in chor conducting in 1856. Beliczay studied counterpoint between 1858 and 1860 under Martin Gustav Nottebohm who, on this part, was Mendelssohn's and Schumann's pupil in Leipzig, a friend of Brahms. His solid conservative background had a lasting effect on his musical style later on as well. His disarming professional knowledge was coupled with good taste and wit. All this made Beliczay internationally the most successful Hungarian composer of the last third of the nineteenth century. (Liszt's career should be considered, of course, as a matter apart.) For the edition of his works prestigious publishers (Haslinger, Kahnt, Breitkopf, Durdilly) vied. Beliczay's works were rendered by outstanding performers all over the world from St.Petersburg to New York. Of his works for piano - including the twenty-five pieces with opus numbers and several unnumbered items - his Sonata op.40 and the series of studies, Douze grandes études Op.52 deserve particular mention. The latter found its way even into the curriculum of the Conservatoire of Paris. Though he wrote songs and secular choruses as well, he achieved the greatest success with his chamber music and numerous church music compositions. For his Ave Maria, Op. 9 (1870) he was decorated with the gold medal Viribus unitis. His Mass in F Major, Op.50 has been steadily on the programme ever since its premiere and is performed regularly at the City Parish Church of Pest. He wrote only one suite for large orchestra (Op. 55, 1890) and two symphonies (Op.45, 1887 and Op.62, 1892)

Beliczay was invited to the Academy of Music in Pest as a renowned professor who had already taught music in Vienna while still a university student there. During his last Viennese years he was an engineer and a teacher at the Skiva conservatory at the same time. His pupils included, among others, the Wagner biographer Nicolaus Oesterlein, the composer and choir conductor Mór Vavrinecz and the church musician, music historian and titular bishop Mihály Bogisics. Even his wife came from among his pupils: in 1879 he married Anna Tarczalovich to whom he dedicated his Nocturne, Op.15. On occasion Ferenc Liszt would also play music gladly with these two excellent pianists at the home of the Beliczays'.

His reviews, articles and reports appeared in German, Austrian and Hungarian newspapers from his youth. He was author of several entries on music in the Pallas Lexicon. Of his planned five-volume tutor entitled Composing in Theory and Practice only the first part. The Rudiment of Music came out in print in 1891. Due to his early death this work has remained incomplete.

Beliczay's style as a composer was influenced - in addition to the classical masters, above all Beethoven – by Schubert in the first place. Through Nottebohm he may have got a deep insight into the working methods of Mendelssohn and Schumann later. The latter exerted a profound influence on him. In Vienna he might even have made the acquaintance of Brahms and Bruckner personally. In Pest, he was more influenced by personalities like Robert Volkmann, Ödön Mihalovich and Ferenc Liszt while Ferenc Erkel and Mihály Mosonyi had less impact on him. It was also in Pest that his creativity reached full blossoming which was then interrupted unfortunately by his untimely death.

The first work to be heard on the recording is the four-movement Serenade for String Orchestra in D Minor Op.36 which was probably written before 1875. The Moderato ma non troppo first movement has lied-form with return. Variants of the first (minor) theme displaying various characters are present in each movement of the work. The augmented second interval and the following dotted rhythm lend the movement Hungarian character. The second (major) espressivo theme reappears on essential points of the second and fourth movements as well, always with identical meaning. The second movement in Allegretto vivace in trio form with a dance-like main section and Hungarian middle section in minor. The Adagio cantabile third movement shows again lied-form with return. It is in this movement that the greatest number of romantic elements of the Serenade can be found. The Allegro con fuoco Finale is a monothematic rondo with fugue in the place of the second episode. In the Coda the espressivo theme of the first movement returns in the glory of the fifth pedal point of the bass and the first violins. The movement and the work end in virtuosic passages woven from the diminution of a section of the rondo theme.

The most remarkable feature of the work is the extremely concentrated form and motivic construction. Though the score, moreover, the piano arrangement for four hands of the work were printed by Durdilly of Paris, the present recording and the next one are based on the autograph manuscript.

The Symphony in D Minor Op.45 was composed in the 1880s and represents Beliczay's first attempt at composing for large orchestra. The first movement is Allegro, large-scale, dramatic sonata form. The Allegro molto second movement is a Scherzo of profound gaiety in trio form. Its scoring is, in agreement with the lighter message, less compact. After the return without repetition the composer suggests two options of the Coda ad libitum. According to one, the conclusion should follow the one-time repetition of the Trio material, like in Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. The performers have chosen the other, more effective solution. The third movement is an intimate Adagio cantabile, a sonata rondo. The fourth movement is Allegro con brio, again in sonata form, a Finale of whirling, moreover fast-train-verve.

The Symphony was premiered by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary, the Czech Republic) on 20 July 1888 and was given an enthusiastic reception by the audience and the press alike. Several performances followed and the year after Alois Janatschek published his biography of Beliczay, his work of appreciation there. At the premiere of Budapest given on 18 November 1891 the Orchestra of the Philharmonic Society was playing under the baton of Sándor Erkel with great success.

In the history of the Hungarian music Julius Beliczay and Ödön Mihalovich represents the continuity between Mihály Mosonyi, Robert Volkmann and Ernö Dohnányi. I believe that these works will win the approval of the fans of music internationally, just as they did at the time of their composition.

[eschiss1]

I don't suppose Istvan Kassai wrote those notes? see here and here. (Hrm. Yes, they did look familiar...

Some more of both composers - anything by Mihailovich, at that - would be welcome. I like the score, anyway, of the latter's first symphony...)

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, Eric, they're by Istvan Kassai.

[Alan Howe]

Having had time to digest Beliczay's Symphony No.1, I'd say it was one of the most exciting finds from the late-nineteenth century symphonic repertoire. It has a first movement of some range and variety - typically D minor, one might say, in its seriousness of purpose - followed by a relaxed, melodious intermezzo, a songful, and at its climax, intensely dramatic slow movement and a finale that starts and ends in triumphant high spirits, but with passages of quiet mystery in between. Throughout there is some glorious writing for the brass. The idiom? Well, there are hints of Beethoven 9 (first movement in Beliczay's opening movement) and Volkmann (in the emphatic motto-theme in the same movement), and I suppose Dvorak and Brahms are hinted at, but overall, the composer is no mere epigone, but has put his own stamp on the conservative-ish symphonic tradition. Its re-issue on CD is keenly awaited...

[Mark Thomas]

I usually try and avoid "I agree" posts, but Alan has described this fine Symphony so well that all I can contribute is "I agree"!

[Alan Howe]

The Serenade for Strings is also an absolutely gorgeous piece - chock full of instantly memorable melodic material and expertly written for the strings. It really should be a repertoire piece. Taken together with the Symphony, the CD was and would again be an absolute winner.

[Mark Thomas]

Beliczay was clearly a very accomplished composer, all the more surprising when you remember that he only took up music full time in middle age. There is a Second Symphony and a Suite for Orchestra and it would be fascinating to hear these pieces too.

[Alan Howe]

To give friends some idea of the attractiveness of this music, I played both pieces to my 85 year-old mother yesterday. Now, she knows what sort of music she likes - and this certainly fitted the bill. In fact we encored the Symphony's finale just in case and liked it even more the second time! So, a winner of a CD!

[Mark Thomas]

Indeed. But, until it is re-released (if it is re-released) sadly unavailable.

[eschiss1]

Haven't heard the first symphony yet but have seen the string quartet (or a string quartet) of his (in G minor, in parts, op.21 published 1878) and would like to hear that The serenade is, like the quartet, in published form at IMSLP. (LoC has only one item by Beliczay, I think, which seems to be no.3 of his op.27 set of piano pieces...)

[Alan Howe]

Indeed. But, until it is re-released (if it is re-released) sadly unavailable.

I managed to find one used at Amazon.com.