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Theodor Szántó

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Hungarian pianist and composer (1878- 1934) The native form of this personal name is Szántó Tivadar. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Tivadar Szántó

Theodor Szántó, also seen as Tivadar Szántó (3 June 1877 – 7 January 1934) was a Hungarian Jewish pianist and composer.

Life and career

Szántó was born in Vienna, then the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His family name was originally Smulevic, of Jewish and Slavic origin. His musical studies were in Vienna and Budapest, and with Ferruccio Busoni in Berlin 1898-1901. He resided in Paris from 1905, Switzerland from 1914, and Budapest from 1921 until his death there in 1934.

Szántó contributed substantially to the rewriting of the piano part of the third and final version of Frederick Delius’s Piano Concerto in C minor, and he introduced this version at a Prom Concert in London on 22 October 1907 under Henry Wood. For these services, Delius dedicated the Concerto to Szántó. He also played the work at the Proms in 1912, 1913 and 1921. This final version has become the standard version, but Delius's original conception has also been recorded.

Theodor Szántó was an early champion of the music of Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók. It was his playing of Bartók's Romanian Dance in 1914 that introduced Arthur Hartmann to the music of that composer. For his part, however, Bartók had little respect for Szántó.

He exhibited an interest in the music of Japan by writing at least three works using Japanese influences (an opera, an orchestral suite, and a piano suite).

He also made some piano transcriptions of works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Igor Stravinsky, which reveal a virtuoso technique. His complete piano works are recorded by the composer and virtuoso pianist Artur Cimirro for the CD label Acte Préalable

Szanto was considered an important piano teacher. His students included Berta Alves de Sousa in Paris.

Szántó was awarded the Legion of Honour.

Compositions

Original works

Szántó's own original compositions include:

  • Violin Sonata, 1906
  • Land and Sea Symphony, 1909
  • Contrasts, piano suite, 1912
  • Variations on a Hungarian Folksong, piano, 1915
  • Symphonic Rhapsody, 1917
  • In Japan: Essays and Studies in Japanese Harmony based on Native Songs, piano, 1918-22 (This work has been recorded by Noriko Ogawa)
  • Taifun: A Japanese Tragedy in Three Acts an opera on a Japanese subject, set to a libretto by Menyhert Lengyel based on his play Typhoon; the opera was premiered in Mannheim on 29 November 1924, and had later productions in Antwerp, Budapest and Vienna
  • Japan Suite, orchestra, 1926
  • Magyarorszag: Concert Sonata in Hungarian style, violin and piano; dedicated to Eugène Ysaÿe

Transcriptions

Discography

  • 2017 : Acte Préalable AP0386 – Tivadar Szántó - Complete Piano Works 1 (Artur Cimirro)
  • 2017 : Acte Préalable AP0387 – Tivadar Szántó - Complete Piano Works 2 (Artur Cimirro)

References

  1. ^ Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed. (1954), Vol. VIII, p. 263
  2. IMSLP gives his date of birth as 3 March 1877
  3. IMSLP: Category:Szántó, Tivadar; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  4. ^ Ezra Mendelsohn, ed., Studies in Contemporary Jewry : Volume IX: Modern Jews and Their Musical ...; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  5. ^ Peter Laki, Bartok and His World, p. 18; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  6. Larry Sitsky, ed., Music of the Twentieth Century Avant Garde: A Biocritical Sourcebook, p. 85; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  7. Proms Archive: Prom 57; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  8. Proms Archive: Theodor Szántó; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  9. Hyperion Records Delius & Ireland: Piano Concertos; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  10. ^ Marc-André Hamelin, Program Notes, Chamber Music Society of Detroit; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  11. Arthur Hartmann, "Claude Debussy as I Knew Him" and Other Writings of Arthur Hartmann, p. 18; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  12. "AP0386".
  13. "AP0387".
  14. University of Utah; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  15. IMSLP: In Japan (Szántó, Tivadar); Retrieved 22 May 2013
  16. BIS: Japonisme; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  17. Google Books; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  18. Peter Revers, Das Fremde und das Vertraute: Studien zur Musiktheoretischen und ..., Issue 41; p. 152; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  19. IMSLP: Magyarorszag (Szántó, Tivadar); Retrieved 22 May 2013
  20. IMSLP: Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542 (Bach, Johann Sebastian); Retrieved 22 May 2013
  21. Discogs; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  22. Hamelin plays Bach/Szántó - Organ Fantasy and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542 on YouTube; Retrieved 22 May 2013
  23. IMSLP: Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543, 1912 (Bach, Johann Sebastian); Retrieved 22 May 2013
  24. IMSLP: Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546 (Bach, Johann Sebastian); Retrieved 22 May 2013
  25. IMSLP: Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582 (Bach, Johann Sebastian); Retrieved 22 May 2013
  26. IMSLP: 4 Orgel-Choralvorspiele von J.S. Bach (Szántó, Tivadar); Retrieved 22 May 2013
  27. IMSLP: Petrushka (Stravinsky, Igor); Retrieved 22 May 2013
  28. University of Rochester; Retrieved 22 May 2013
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