Weinet, Leó

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Weinet, Leó

Weinet, Leó, eminent Hungarian composer and pedagogue; b. Budapest, April 16, 1885; d. there, Sept. 13, 1960. He was a student of Koessler at the Budapest Academy of Music (1901-06). In 1908 he joined its faculty as a teacher of theory, becoming a prof. of composition in 1912 and of chamber music in 1920. He retired in 1957 but continued to teach there as prof, emeritus until his death. In 1907 he won the Franz-Josef-Jubiläumspreis, and in 1950 and 1960 the Kossuth Prize. In 1953 he was made an Eminent Artist by the Hungarian government. Weiner was particularly influential as a pedagogue. Many outstanding Hungarian composers and performers studied with him, among them Doráti, Foldes, Solti, Starker, and Varga. In his compositions, he generally remained faithful to the precepts of the Austro-German Romantic tradition.

Works

dramatic: A gondolás (The Gondolier), opera (n.d.; in collaboration with A. Szirmai; not extant); Csongor és Tunde, incidental music to M. Vörösmarty’s play (1913; Budapest, Dec. 6,1916; as a ballet, Budapest, Nov. 8,1930; orch. suite, 1937). ORCH.: Scherzo (1905); Serenade for Small Orch. (Budapest, Oct. 22, 1906); Farsang (Carnival) for Small Orch. (1907); Piano Concertino (1923); Katonásdi (Toy Soldiers; 1924); Suite (1931); Divertimento No. 1 for Strings (1934), No. 2 for Strings (1938), No. 3: Impressioni ungheresi (1949), No. 4 (1951), and No. 5 (1951); Pastorale, phantaisie et fugue for Strings (1934); Ballata for Clarinet and Orch. (1949); Romanze for Cello, Harp, and Strings (1949); Változatok egy magyar népdal fölött (Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song; 1949); Preludio, notturno e scherzo diabolico (1950); Három magyar népi tane (3 Hungarian Folk Dances) for Salon Orch. (1951); Ünnepi hangok (Festal Sounds; 1951); 2 violin concertos (1950, 1957; both arranged from the 2 violin sonatas, 1911, 1918); Toldi, symphonic poem (1952); Passacaglia (1955); Magyar gyermek-és népdalok (Hungarian Children’s Songs and Folk Songs) for Small Orch. (1955). CHAMBER: Scherzo for String Quintet (1905); Magyar ábránd (Hungarian Fantasy) for Tárogató and Cimbalom (1905-06); 3 string quartets (1906; 1921; Pastorale, phantaisie et fugue, 1938); String Trio (1908); Ballade for Clarinet or Viola and Piano (1911); 2 violin sonatas (1911, 1918; both arranged as violin concertos, 1950, 1957); Romanze for Cello and Piano (1921); Peregi verbunk (Pereg Recruiting Dance) for Violin or Viola or Clarinet and Piano (1951; also for Wind Quintet and String Quintet, 1957); Bevezetés és csürdöngölö (Introduction and Stamping Dance) for Wind Quintet and String Quintet (1957). Piano : Tarantella for 2 Pianos, 8-Hands (1905); Változatok (Variations; 1905); Caprice (1908); 2 passacaglias (n.d., 1936); Pra’ludieum, Nocturne und Scherzo (1911); Miniatur-Bilder (1918); Magyar parasztdalok (Hungarian Peasant Songs; 5 sets, 1932-50); Lakodalmas (Wedding Dance; 1936); Hamm magyar népi tane (3 Hungarian Folk Dances; 1941); Változatok egy magyar népdal fölött (Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song; 1950); Suite for 2 Pianos (1950); Farsang (Carnival) for 2 Pianos (1950); Magyar népi muzsika (Hungarian Folk Music; 1953); pieces for young people. VOCAL: Agnus Dei for Chorus (1906); Gloria for Chorus (1906). OTHER: Transcriptions for orch. of works by Bach, Schubert, Berlioz, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, and Bartók; cadenzas for Beethoven’s piano concertos Nos. 1-4 (Milan, 1950).

Writings

(all publ. in Budapest): Összhangzattanra elökeszitö jegyzetek (Notes in Preparation for a Harmony Treatise; 1910; 3^rd ed., 1917, as Az összhangzattan elökeszitö iskolája[Preparatory School in Harmony!; 6^th ed., 1955); A zenei formák vázlatos ismertetése (A General Sketch of Musical Forms; 1911); Elemzö összhanszattan: Funkciótan (Analytic Harmony: Function; 1944); A hangszeres zene formai (The Forms of Instrumental Music; 1955).