Frederic Balázs and Ernst von Dohnányi: From Budapest to the American Southwest

Type of Abstract (select): Paper presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Hungarian American musician Frederic Balázs (1920–2018) enjoyed early success, receiving the prestigious Reményi prize and becoming the youngest concertmaster in the history of the Budapest Symphony at age seventeen. He graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy with honors and later worked as a concert violinist, composer, conductor, and professor in the United States. Despite these achievements, however, Balázs’s life and work have yet to attract scholarly attention. This paper represents perhaps the first attempt to bring such attention by examining Balázs’s interactions with legendary Hungarian musician Ernst von Dohnányi (1877–1960). Their associations not only paint an introductory picture of Balázs but also provide insights into Dohnányi’s far-reaching influence and the emigration experiences of Hungarian musicians.
Balázs studied with Dohnányi in Budapest, observed his conducting of the Budapest Symphony, and felt that he possessed a spiritual kinship with Liszt. Dohnányi later helped Balazs emigrate to the United States at the advent of World War II. Once there, Balazs heard about Dohnányi’s courageous defense of Jewish musicians during the war and followed suit by collaborating with African American musicians during the Civil Rights Movement. Balázs also defended Dohnányi’s romantic compositional style. When Dohnányi left Europe at the war’s end, Balázs extended both empathy and a concert invitation to Texas, where they performed together. Despite the challenges of emigration, both musicians employed optimism and humor in their music and daily life.



Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Jackie Bodily Biggs is currently pursuing an MM in piano performance at Brigham Young University. As a graduate assistant, she teaches group piano classes and private piano lessons to undergraduate students. Since completing a one-year residency in Budapest in 2011, she has maintained a scholarly and pianistic interest in Hungarian music, including the relation between Hungary’s art music and its folk music, and emigration’s impact on twentieth-century Hungarian composers. Following graduate studies, Ms. Biggs plans to work in higher education and as a research associate in the business leadership industry.