Personalities | Ferenc Erkel | High Romantic | Opera

1810–93, Hungarian

Ferenc Erkel, known as the ‘father’ of Hungarian national opera, was principally a pianist and conductor. In 1838, he became chief conductor of the National Theatre in Pest, and in 1853 founded the Budapest Philharmonic. He was also active as a composer, and his first opera, Bátori Mária (1840), was successfully staged in Pest, followed by Hunyadi László in 1844. In his efforts to establish a distinctively Hungarian opera, Erkel employed the inflections of Hungarian speech in his recitatives and also incorporated national dances into his works. These were, most notably, the vigorously rhythmic csárdás and the verbunko, which was used by recruiting sergeants to persuade young Hungarians to enlist in the army. Erkel was not immune, however, to foreign influences and included both Viennese and Italian elements in his operas. He also gave the English ballad opera a new, Hungarian guise. In 1861, he produced his greatest success, Bánk bán, making its content much more typically Hungarian and underlining this by using the cimbalom, the Hungarian box zither. This was the first opera in which this instrument was used and the work achieved considerable success. Erkel’s later operas never reached this peak, although his Brankovics György (1874) was considered to be his masterpiece in his lifetime.

Introduction | High Romantic | Opera
Major Operas | Bánk bán by Ferenc Erkel | High Romantic
Personalities | Jean-Baptiste Faure | High Romantic | Opera

AUTHORITATIVE

An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...

CURATED

Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and more. Flame Tree has been making encyclopaedias and guides about music for over 20 years. Now Flame Tree Pro brings together a huge canon of carefully curated information on genres, styles, artists and instruments. It's a perfect tool for study, and entertaining too, a great companion to our music books.

Rock, A Life Story

Rock, A Life Story

The ultimate story of a life of rock music, from the 1950s to the present day.

David Bowie

David Bowie

Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers his life, music, art and movies, with a sweep of incredible photographs.