Role

:

Composer Conductor

Birth

:

November 25, 1901

Death

:

October 8, 1978

Period

:

Modern

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

 

Orchestral

 

Tibor Serly was a Hungarian-American composer and violist, born on November 25, 1901, in Szeged, Hungary. He was the son of a music teacher and began his musical education at a young age. He studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he was a student of Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók. Serly was a talented violist and performed with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra before moving to the United States in 1924. In the United States, Serly continued his musical education at the Juilliard School in New York City. He became a naturalized citizen in 1939 and served in the United States Army during World War II. After the war, Serly worked as a freelance composer and arranger, writing music for films, television, and radio. He also taught at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. Serly is best known for his work as an arranger and editor of the music of Béla Bartók. He was a close friend and collaborator of Bartók, and after Bartók's death in 1945, Serly was entrusted with completing some of his unfinished works. Serly's most famous completion is the Viola Concerto, which Bartók had begun but left unfinished at the time of his death. Serly completed the work in 1949, and it has since become a staple of the viola repertoire. Serly also arranged and edited many of Bartók's other works, including the Concerto for Orchestra and the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta. His arrangements and editions of Bartók's music are highly regarded for their accuracy and fidelity to the composer's intentions. In addition to his work with Bartók's music, Serly was a prolific composer in his own right. He wrote music in a variety of genres, including orchestral works, chamber music, and vocal music. His style is characterized by its use of folk melodies and rhythms, as well as its incorporation of elements of jazz and popular music. One of Serly's most famous works is his Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra, which he wrote in 1953. The piece is a virtuosic showcase for the viola, and it has become a popular work in the viola repertoire. Serly also wrote several other works for viola, including a Sonata for Viola and Piano and a Suite for Viola and Piano. Serly's other notable works include his Symphony No. 1, which he wrote in 1948, and his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, which he wrote in 1956. He also wrote several works for chamber ensembles, including a String Quartet and a Trio for Flute, Viola, and Harp. Throughout his career, Serly was recognized for his contributions to the world of music. He was awarded the Kossuth Prize, Hungary's highest cultural honor, in 1953. He also received the Ditson Conductor's Award in 1956 and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Music Award in 1960. Tibor Serly died on October 8, 1978, in New York City. He left behind a legacy as a talented composer, arranger, and editor, as well as a respected teacher and performer. His contributions to the music of Béla Bartók have ensured that Bartók's music will continue to be heard and appreciated for generations to come.

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