György Cziffra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
György Cziffra
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Cziffra in 1962
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| Background information | |
| Born | 5 November 1921 Budapest, Hungary |
| Died | 15 January 1994 (aged 72) Senlis, Oise, France |
| Genres | Classical, Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, composer, arranger |
György Cziffra (born November 5, 1921 – died January 15, 1994) was a famous Hungarian-French pianist and composer. He was also known as Georges Cziffra. Many people think he was one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.
Cziffra was a true virtuoso, meaning he had amazing skill and technique on the piano. He was also a composer, someone who writes music, and an arranger, someone who changes existing music for different instruments or styles. He became a French citizen in 1968. Cziffra was especially famous for playing the music of Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, and Robert Schumann. He also made his own challenging arrangements of orchestral pieces for the piano, like Flight of the Bumblebee and The Blue Danube.
Cziffra made many recordings of his music. In recent years, many of his private recordings have appeared online, allowing more people to hear his incredible talent.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Cziffra was born into a poor family in Budapest, Hungary, in 1921. His father was a cabaret artist, which means he performed in clubs. Before World War I, his parents had lived in Paris but were sent back to Hungary.
György learned to play the piano by watching his older sister, Yolande. She had saved money to buy an upright piano and practiced often. Young György, who was not very strong as a child, would watch her and then try to copy what she did. He learned without reading music, instead listening to tunes his parents sang and then playing them by ear, adding his own ideas. Later, as a child, he even earned money by improvising (making up music on the spot) on popular songs at a local circus.
In 1930, when he was nine years old, Cziffra began studying at the famous Franz Liszt Academy of Music. He learned from a teacher named Ernő Dohnányi. He studied there until 1941.
Life During and After the War
During World War II, Hungary was allied with the Axis countries. Cziffra joined the Hungarian Army. He had just married his wife, Soleilka, who was expecting a baby. He was sent to the Russian front, where he was captured and held as a prisoner of war.
After the war, Cziffra played piano in bars and clubs in Budapest to make a living. From 1947 to 1950, he toured with a European jazz band and became known as a fantastic jazz pianist.
In 1950, he tried to leave Hungary, which was under communist rule at the time. Because of this, he was held captive and forced to do hard labor for three years, from 1950 to 1953. In 1956, Cziffra, his wife, and his son finally managed to escape to Vienna, Austria. His first concert there was very successful. The next year, he made his debut in Paris and then in London, where he played Liszt's first piano concerto. His career then took off, and he performed in many concerts across Europe and in famous places like Carnegie Hall in New York.
Cziffra often wore a large leather wristband when he played. This was to support his wrist ligaments, which were damaged because he had to carry heavy concrete during his time in the labor camp.
In 1966, Cziffra started a music festival called the Festival de musique de La Chaise-Dieu in France. A few years later, he started a piano competition named after him. In 1968, he became a French citizen and changed his first name to 'Georges'. In 1977, he created the Cziffra Foundation. He bought and restored an old chapel in Senlis, Oise, France, to house the foundation. Its goal was to help young musicians at the start of their careers.
Personal Challenges and Legacy
Cziffra's son, György Cziffra Jr., was a professional conductor. He performed and recorded with his father many times. Sadly, his son died in an apartment fire in 1981. After this terrible loss, Cziffra never performed or recorded with an orchestra again. Some people say that this sad event affected his playing.
György Cziffra died in France in 1994 at the age of 72. He passed away from a heart attack after facing some health problems.
Music He Wrote and Arranged
Cziffra wrote some original pieces of music, but he was also very famous for his amazing arrangements and transcriptions of other composers' works. This means he took existing pieces and rewrote them for the piano, often making them much more difficult and exciting to play.
Original Works
- Improvisation en forme de valse (1950)
- Ouverture Solennelle (Solemn Overture), for piano
- Pastorale pour Gerbert, for piano or organ (1976)
Arrangements and Transcriptions
- Johannes Brahms: 15 Hungarian Dances (he changed them from piano duets to piano solos)
- Manuel de Falla: Ritual Fire Dance
- Edvard Grieg: The Hall of the Mountain King
- Aram Khachaturian: Sabre Dance
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee
- Gioachino Rossini: La Danza
- Gioachino Rossini: Improvisations on Themes from Rossini's William Tell (also known as William Tell Fantasy)
- Johann Strauss II: An der schönen, blauen Donau (The Blue Danube)
- Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus (two versions)
- Johann Strauss II: Tritsch-Tratsch Polka
- Giuseppe Verdi: Concert Paraphrase on Themes from the Opera Il trovatore
- Traditional: Román cigányfantázia (Rumanian Gypsy Fantasy)
He also made many improvisations on classical and popular tunes throughout his career.
Recordings
Cziffra made many audio and video recordings. Some of his performances were filmed for BBC television in the 1960s, and these are available to watch online. There are also videos of him improvising at the piano in his home. These recordings help us remember his incredible talent and unique style.
See also
In Spanish: György Cziffra para niños
