Joseph Szigeti

Joseph Szigeti (Hungarian: Szigeti József, [ˈsiɡɛti ˈjoːʒɛf ]; 5 September 1892 – 19 February 1973) was a Hungarian violinist.

Born into a musical family, he spent his early childhood in a small town in Transylvania. He quickly proved himself to be a child prodigy on the violin, and moved to Budapest with his father to study with the renowned pedagogue Jenő Hubay. After completing his studies with Hubay in his early teens, Szigeti began his international concert career. His performances at that time were primarily limited to salon-style recitals and the more overtly virtuosic repertoire; however, after making the acquaintance of pianist Ferruccio Busoni, he began to develop a much more thoughtful and intellectual approach to music that eventually earned him the nickname "The Scholarly Virtuoso".

Following a bout of tuberculosis that required a stay in a sanatorium in Switzerland, Szigeti settled in Geneva, where he became Professor of Violin at the local conservatory in 1917. It was in Geneva that he met his future wife, Wanda Ostrowska, and at roughly the same time he became friends with the composer Béla Bartók. Both relationships were to be lifelong.

From the 1920s until 1960, Szigeti performed regularly around the world and recorded extensively. He also distinguished himself as a strong advocate of new music, and was the dedicatee of many new works by contemporary composers. Among the more notable pieces written for him are Ernest Bloch's Violin Concerto, Bartók's Rhapsody No. 1, and Eugène Ysaÿe's Solo Sonata No. 1. After retiring from the concert stage in 1960, he worked at teaching and writing until his death in 1973, at the age of 80.

Birth and Death Data: Born September 5, 1892 (Budapest), Died February 19, 1973 (Lucerne)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1930

Roles Represented in DAHR: violin, arranger

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia (U.K.) WAX5322 12-in. between October 1929 and February 1930 Hungarian folk tunes Béla Bartók ; Joseph Szigeti Violin solo, with piano instrumentalist, violin, arranger  
Columbia (U.K.) WAX5323 12-in. between October 1929 and February 1930 Hungarian folk tunes Béla Bartók ; Joseph Szigeti Violin solo, with piano instrumentalist, violin, arranger  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Szigeti, Joseph," accessed April 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/360776.

Szigeti, Joseph. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/360776.

"Szigeti, Joseph." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/360776

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