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Gabriel Magyar Papers

By Scott Schwartz and Nolan Vallier

Collection Overview

Title: Gabriel Magyar Papers

ID: 12/5/23

Creator: Magyar, Gabriel (1914-2011)

Extent: 1.1 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: Materials are arranged in two series: Series 1) Personal Papers and Series 2) Digital Papers. Both series are arranged alphabetically by subject.

Date Acquired: 05/20/2011

Languages: English [eng], Hungarian [hun]

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of correspondence, publications, biographical sketches, funeral and memorial documents, awards, photographs, and negatives, documenting the career of Gabriel Magyar, who served as professor of cello at the University of Illinois (1972-1980) and cellist with the Hungarian String Quartet (1958-1972).

Biographical Note

Gabriel Magyar (December 5, 1914- June 8, 2011) was a world renowned cellist and Professor of Cello and Chamber Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1972-1980. Born in Budapest under the name Gabor Magyar, he studied at the Franz Liszt Royal School of Music, working with Zoltán Kodály, Leo Weiner, Antal Frisch, and Jeno Kerpely. Before the outbreak of WWII, Magyar gave the Hungarian priemere of Darius Milhaud's Cello Concerto. Magyar's career was interrupted when he was detained at a concentration camp during WWII.

After he was released in 1941, Magyar emigrated to Venezuela. In 1949, he moved to the United States, where he accepted a position at the State University of Oklahoma from 1951 to 1956. In 1956, Magyar became a member of the world famous Hungarian String Quartet, replacing Vilmos Palotai as cellist in the group. The Hungarian String Quartet toured internationally, performing and recording music by composers such as Béla Bartók. After the Quartet disbanded in 1972, Magyar joined the faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he inspired his colleagues and students well after his retirement.

Gabriel Magyar was also a talented artist, and his drawings were exhibited in the Urbana-Champaign area during the last ten years of his life. Magyar was a highly regarded musician, and he received numerous awards for his work as a cellist during his lifetime, including the Bartók Béla-Pásztory Ditta Award and the Grand Pris du Disque in Paris. Magyar retired from the University of Illinois in 1980, but gave performances until 1990. Magyar died in Urbana, Illinois on June 8, 2011.

Administrative Information

Accruals: Two paintings by Gabriel Magyar donated on Sept. 20, 2018 by Patricia Knowles. Digital Content was processed in 2026.

Alternate Extent Statement: .283 gigabytes

Acquisition Source: Barbara S. Hedlund

Acquisition Method: Gift

Related Materials: See also record series 35/3/68 and 35/3/81.

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Personal Papers, 1928-2011
Consists of obituary, funeral program, photographs, awards, publications, and drawings, documenting the life of Gabriel Magyar. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject. Of note are materials received by Magyar from Béla Bartók.
Box 1
Folder 1: Bartók Béla-Pásztori Ditta Prize, March 25, 1987
Folder 2: CD1 Magyar Files
Folder 3: "Chevalier du Violoncelle" Honor, October 1, 2000
Folder 4: Copy of Music Corrections Sent to the Hungarian String Quartet by Béla Bartók, undated
Folder 5: Correspondence with Dr. Yu Wang, 2001-03
Folder 6: Mass Program and Music for Magyar's Funeral, June 15, 2011
Folder 7: Obiturary and Memorial Tribute for Magyar, June, 2011
Folder 8: Personal Remembrance of Magyar and Obituary, 2010-11
Folder 9: Photographs-Album, ca. 1960-70
Folder 10: Photographs of Magyar with his Artwork, ca. 2003
Folder 11: Photographs and Negatives, ca. 2003
Box 2
Folder 1: Plaque for Gabriel Magyar as the Cellist of the Hungarian String Quartet, undated
Folder 2: Publications, 1953,1956, 1973, 1980
Item 1: "Attention, Cellists! What's Your Angle?" American String Teacher, ca. May, 1953
Item 2: "Cello Vibrato," Music Educator's Journal, ca. March 1956
Item 3: "Some Problems in String Playing," The Instrumentalist, May 1973
Item 4: Who's Who In America 41st Edition, 1980-81
Folder 3: Traveling with Gabriel and Julie Magyar and the Hungarian String Quartet, 2011
Box 3
Item 1: Painting by Gabriel Magyar, 1928
Done at age 14.
Item 2: Drawing by Gabriel Magyar, undated
Pencil and charcoal.
Series 2: Digital Papers, 2002-2011
Consists of digital surrogates of photographs, email correspondence, funeral presentation, and born-digital writings by Gabriel Magyar. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject. Of note are photographs of the Hungarian String Quartet with Zoltán Kodály and Pablo Casals.
Digital Folder 1: Awards, 2011
Digital Folder 2: Biographical Information, 2002-2011
Digital Folder 3: Bow and Cello Sale, 2002-2006
Digital Folder 4: Email and Correspondence, 2006-2011
Digital Folder 5: Funeral Service, 2011
Digital Folder 5A: Magyar Sound Files for PPT, 2011
Digital Folder 5B: Power Point, 2011
Digital Folder 6: Gabriel's Writing, 2011
Digital Folder 7: Interview and Video Files, 2009View associated digital content.
Digital Folder 8: Performances, 2011
Digital Folder 8A: Peace Concert Last Performance, 1990
Digital Folder 9: Photos, ca. 1940-2011
Digital Folder 9A: 95th Birthday, 2009-2010
Digital Folder 9B: Cheryll Melott VC Personal Photos, ca. 1972-2010
Digital Folder 9C: Family Photos, ca. 1940-2004View associated digital content.
Digital Folder 9D: Pat Knowles and Barbara Hedlund Visit, February 23, 2009
Digital Folder 9E: Frances Reedy Photos, 2011
Digital Folder 9F: Gabriel's Art Works, 2011
Digital Folder 9G: Hungarian String Quartet Photos, ca. 1962-1973View associated digital content.
Digital Folder 9H: Julie & Gabriel, ca. 1980-1997
Digital Folder 9I: Knowell Photos of Gabriels Birthday at Clark Lindsay Village, December 5, 2010
Digital Folder 9J: PR Photos, ca. 1960View associated digital content.
Digital Folder 9K: Recording Covers, ca. 1960-1990
Digital Folder 9L: Scrapbook, ca. 1970View associated digital content.