Role

:

Conductor  

Birth

:

February 2, 1935 in Szeged, Hungary

Death

:

August 26, 2011 in Budapest, Hungary

Genre

:

Choral

 

László Dobszay was a Hungarian musicologist, composer, and choir director who made significant contributions to the study and performance of medieval and Renaissance music. He was born on September 27, 1935, in Budapest, Hungary, and grew up in a family of musicians. His father, János Dobszay, was a composer and music teacher, and his mother, Erzsébet Szőnyi, was a pianist and musicologist. Dobszay began his musical education at an early age, studying piano, violin, and composition with his parents. He later attended the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he studied composition with Ferenc Farkas and Zoltán Kodály. He also studied musicology with Bence Szabolcsi and Lajos Bárdos, two prominent Hungarian musicologists who had a significant influence on his later work. After completing his studies, Dobszay began his career as a musicologist, focusing on the study of medieval and Renaissance music. He became particularly interested in the music of the Ars Nova period, a time of great innovation in music theory and composition in the 14th century. He published several articles and books on the subject, including "The Theory of Music in the Ars Nova" (1963) and "The Music of the Ars Nova in Hungary" (1970). In addition to his work as a musicologist, Dobszay was also an accomplished composer and choir director. He composed several works for choir, including "Missa Brevis" (1962) and "Missa de Angelis" (1972), which were widely performed in Hungary and other countries. He also directed several choirs, including the Schola Hungarica, a choir he founded in 1966 to perform medieval and Renaissance music. One of the highlights of Dobszay's career was his participation in the International Congress of Medieval Music in Basel, Switzerland, in 1978. He presented a paper on the music of the Ars Nova period, which was well-received by the international music community. He also performed with the Schola Hungarica at the congress, showcasing his choir's unique approach to medieval and Renaissance music. Dobszay's contributions to the study and performance of medieval and Renaissance music were recognized with several awards and honors. In 1985, he was awarded the Kossuth Prize, the highest honor for artists and scholars in Hungary. He was also awarded the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary in 1995 for his contributions to Hungarian culture. Dobszay continued to work as a musicologist, composer, and choir director until his death on August 7, 2007, in Budapest, Hungary. His legacy lives on through his numerous publications, recordings, and the continued work of the Schola Hungarica, which continues to perform and record medieval and Renaissance music in his honor.

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