George Szell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Szell
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George Szell
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George Szell (born June 7, 1897 – died July 30, 1970) was a famous Hungarian-born American conductor and composer. His original name was György Széll. Many people think he was one of the greatest conductors of the 1900s.
He is best known for being the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra in Cleveland, Ohio, for a long time. He also made many recordings of classical music with the Cleveland Orchestra and other groups.
When Szell came to Cleveland in 1946, the orchestra was good but needed help after World War II. By the time he died, he had made it into one of the best orchestras in the world. Even today, his name is often linked with the Cleveland Orchestra.
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Life and Career of George Szell
Early Life and Musical Start
György Endre Szél was born in Budapest, Hungary, but grew up in Vienna, Austria. His family was Jewish but later became Catholic. He often went to church when he was a young boy.
Szell started learning music as a pianist. He studied with a teacher named Richard Robert. Another student of Robert's was Rudolf Serkin, who became Szell's lifelong friend and musical partner.
When he was only eleven, Szell began traveling around Europe as a pianist and composer. He played his first concert in London at that age. Newspapers even called him "the next Mozart." As a teenager, he performed with orchestras, sometimes as a composer, pianist, and conductor all at once. He even did this with the Berlin Philharmonic when he was seventeen.
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Becoming a Conductor
Szell soon realized he preferred leading an orchestra. He liked having artistic control as a conductor. He had his first unplanned public conducting job when he was seventeen. The conductor of the Vienna Symphony hurt his arm, and Szell was asked to step in.
After that, Szell decided to focus on conducting full-time. He stopped composing, but he still played the piano sometimes with small music groups. He was very good at it, even showing guest pianists how to play certain parts during his time in Cleveland.
In 1915, at age 18, Szell got a job at Berlin's Royal Court Opera. There, he became friends with the music director, Richard Strauss. Strauss quickly saw how talented Szell was, especially how well he conducted Strauss's own music. Strauss once said he could die happy knowing someone performed his music so perfectly.
Szell even conducted part of the first-ever recording of Strauss's piece Don Juan. Strauss was late, so Szell started the recording. When Strauss arrived, he said Szell's conducting was so good it could be released under his own name!
Szell said that Strauss greatly influenced his conducting style. Szell's way of using his baton, the clear sound of the Cleveland Orchestra, and his desire to build up an orchestra were all inspired by Strauss. They remained friends for many years.
For about fifteen years, Szell worked with opera houses and orchestras across Europe. He worked in Berlin, Strasbourg, Prague, Darmstadt, and Düsseldorf. In 1924, he became the main conductor of the Berlin State Opera.
Moving to the United States
When World War II began in Europe in 1939, Szell was returning from a tour in Australia through the U.S. He decided to stay and live with his family in New York City. From 1940 to 1945, he taught music at the Mannes College of Music in Manhattan.
Leading the Cleveland Orchestra: 1946 to 1970
In January 1946, George Szell was named the new Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra. He famously said, "A new leaf will be turned over with a bang!" He wanted people to talk about Cleveland's orchestra just like they talked about New York, Boston, and Philadelphia's.
Szell's time in Cleveland started during a difficult period. The previous music director had left for the army. Szell had filled in and received great reviews. After many talks, Szell was given full artistic control over the orchestra. This meant he could decide who played, what music they played, and when they recorded.
Szell promised to make The Cleveland Orchestra "second to none." He worked very hard to get the sound he wanted. He let some musicians go and hired new ones. He expected perfect playing and full dedication from everyone. His goals were very high, and he focused completely on making the orchestra excellent.
Soon, Szell and the Orchestra started performing in other cities, especially New York. The orchestra quickly became known as one of the world's best. By the early 1950s, Szell was worried about the "dry" sound in Severance Hall, where they played. Other conductors agreed that the hall made the music sound "half dead." Changes were made to the hall to improve the sound.
Szell also realized the orchestra needed a place for summer concerts. They started playing before Cleveland Indians baseball games! He also felt the orchestra needed to tour internationally. So, in 1957, they traveled to Europe, visiting places like Antwerp, Brussels, and even behind the Iron Curtain. The tour was a huge success, bringing the orchestra worldwide fame and making the people of Cleveland proud.
The next ten years were very busy and successful. By 1958, new acoustic changes were made to the stage, which helped the sound. In July 1968, the orchestra opened its new summer home, Blossom Music Center, outside Cleveland. This gave Szell and his musicians year-round work. In May 1970, the orchestra toured the Far East, including Japan and Korea, further boosting their reputation.
However, Szell's health began to get worse. During a concert in Anchorage, Alaska, he stopped conducting for a moment. A cellist remembered feeling a chill, knowing something was very wrong. This was Szell’s last performance. He died shortly after.
Szell's Conducting Style
Szell was known for being a perfectionist. He prepared very carefully for rehearsals and could play the entire musical score on the piano from memory. He focused on how the music flowed, how clear the sound was, and how all the parts fit together. He also demanded amazing rhythmic discipline from his musicians. This led to a level of precision usually only found in small, expert groups.
He knew a lot about all the different instruments in an orchestra.
Music He Conducted
Szell mainly conducted classical and romantic music from composers like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, and Strauss. He once said that as he got older, he chose to conduct the works he felt he was best at. He also wanted to keep alive the traditions of great conductors who came before him.
However, he also played modern music. He performed many world premieres in Cleveland. He was especially linked with composers like Henri Dutilleux, William Walton, Sergei Prokofiev, Paul Hindemith, and Béla Bartók. Szell also helped start the Cleveland Orchestra's long connection with the composer-conductor Pierre Boulez.
Other Orchestras Szell Worked With
After World War II, Szell often conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He also regularly appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, and at the Salzburg Festival. From 1942 to 1955, he was a regular guest conductor for the New York Philharmonic. In his last year, he was their Musical Advisor.
Personal Life
Szell was married twice. His first marriage ended in 1926. His second marriage, to Helene Schultz Teltsch in 1938, was very happy and lasted until he died.
When he wasn't making music, he loved to cook gourmet meals and was a big fan of cars. He often drove his own Cadillac to rehearsals, almost until the end of his life.
Death
George Szell died from bone-marrow cancer in Cleveland in 1970. His body was cremated, and his ashes were buried in Sandy Springs, Georgia. His wife was buried there too after she passed away.
In 1963, the British government made Szell an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Discography
Most of Szell's recordings were made with the Cleveland Orchestra for Sony Classical. He also recorded with the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. Many live recordings exist of music Szell conducted but never recorded in a studio.
Below are some of Szell's most famous recordings, all with the Cleveland Orchestra (unless noted):
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Images for kids
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George Szell with composer Jaroslav Křička in Prague, 1932.
See also
In Spanish: George Szell para niños
