Szigeti, Joseph

Szigeti, Joseph (sēgĕt`ē, Hung. sĭ`gĕtĭ), 1892–1973, Hungarian-American violinist. After his debut at 13, Szigeti made his first European tour in 1912. Thereafter he achieved worldwide recognition for his musicianship and his interest in the music of contemporary composers. Szigeti made his American debut in 1925 and became a United States citizen in 1951. He made more than 100 recordings; in 1960 he retired.

Bibliography

See his memoirs, With Strings Attached (1947).

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Szigeti, Joseph 

Born Sept. 5, 1892, in Budapest; died Feb. 19, 1973, in New York. Hungarian violinist.

Szigeti studied in Budapest under J. Hubay and made his debut in Berlin at the age of 13. He toured many countries and made several visits to the USSR, the first in 1924. From 1917 to 1924 he headed the classe de virtuosité at the Conservatory of Geneva. In 1940 he took up residence in the USA.

Szigeti achieved worldwide fame. His performances of the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms were distinguished by their depth of interpretation, as were his performances of works by such contemporary composers as Prokofiev, Bartók, and Casella. Szigeti also wrote transcriptions for violin and piano, including a transcription of Scriabin’s Study in Thirds, op. 8.

WORKS

The Ten Beethoven Sonatas for Piano and Violin. Urbana, III., 1965.
Szigeti on the Violin. London, 1969.
In Russian translation:
Vospominaniia: Zapiski skripacha. Moscow, 1969.

REFERENCE

Soroker, la. IosefSigeti. Moscow, 1968.