Thomán, István

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Thomán, István

Thomán, István, Hungarian pianist and pedagogue; b. Homonna, Nov. 4, 1862; d. Budapest, Sept. 22, 1940. He studied with Erkel and Volkmann in Budapest (1882-85); then was a pupil of Liszt there and in Weimar and Rome. He taught at the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest (1888-1906). He was greatly esteemed as a teacher; among his students were Dohnányi and Bartók. He publ. a collection of technical piano studies in 6 vols., and also composed songs and piano pieces. His wife, Valerie Thomán (b. Budapest, Aug. 16, 1878; d. there, Sept. 8, 1948), was a renowned concert singer, who gave early performances of works by Kodály and Bartók; their daughter Mária Thomán (b. Budapest, July 12, 1899; d. there, Feb. 25, 1948), a pupil of Hubay, Vecsey, and Flesch, was a fine violinist who toured throughout Europe..

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire