Willi and Louis Thern facts for kids

Vilmos Thern (born June 22, 1847, died April 7, 1911) and Lajos Thern (born December 18, 1848, died March 12, 1920) were talented brothers from Hungary. They were famous pianists and teachers. Their father, Károly Thern, was a well-known composer and conductor who taught them music.

Early Lives and Musical Training

Vilmos was born in Pest, and Lajos was born in Buda. Both cities are now part of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. They learned to play the piano from their father. Lajos also studied music in Leipzig, Germany. There, he learned from two famous musicians, Ignaz Moscheles and Carl Reinecke. Lajos made his first public performance at the Gewandhaus, a famous concert hall in Leipzig.

The Thern Piano Duo

Starting in 1866, Vilmos and Lajos became a very popular piano duo. They played concerts together, often performing pieces for two pianos or one piano played by four hands. They traveled a lot, playing in many cities across Europe.

Touring Europe

The Thern brothers performed every year in London and Liverpool in England. They also toured Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. In Paris, France, they played in fancy homes and became friends with important people. These friends included Prince Metternich, Baron d'Erlanger, and famous composers like Gioachino Rossini and Hector Berlioz.

Their Musical Style

The Thern brothers played music by many great composers. Their concerts often featured works by Franz Liszt, a very famous Hungarian composer and pianist. Liszt even came to their concerts and sometimes played with them! They also performed music by other classical masters like Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Arranging Music for Piano

Besides performing, the Thern brothers were also skilled at arranging music. They took pieces written for other instruments and rewrote them for piano, especially for "piano 4-hands" (one piano played by two people).

Notable Arrangements

Some of their important arrangements included:

• Beethoven's First and Third Piano Concertos.
• Many works by Joseph Haydn, such as 15 string quartets, piano trios, and 24 symphonies.
• Several pieces by Felix Mendelssohn, including piano quartets, string quintets, and his Octet in E flat.

Later Careers and Students

Later in their lives, both Vilmos and Lajos became piano teachers in Vienna, Austria. They helped many young musicians learn to play the piano.

Famous Students

Vilmos Thern's most well-known student was Erwin Schulhoff, who became an important composer and pianist. Lajos Thern taught talented students like Lubka Kolessa and Leo Ascher.

Musical Tributes

The Thern brothers were respected by other musicians. For example, the composer Sergei Bortkiewicz dedicated his piece Russian Dance, Op. 18, for piano duet, to Lajos Thern. Also, Franz Liszt dedicated his own arrangements of four marches by Franz Schubert (S. 632) to both Vilmos and Lajos Thern. This shows how much their musical talents were admired.