Finding Aid for Gabriel Magyar Papers, 1953-2010 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: Gabriel Magyar Papers, 1953-2010

ID: 12/5/23

Primary 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. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Cello Music, Faculty, Faculty Papers, Hungary, Instrumental music, Kodály, Zoltán, 1882-1967, Music - Instruction and study - Hungary, Music teachers, Painting, Quartets, violin (2), viola, cello, Stringed Instruments

Formats/Genres: Audio-Visual Material, Papers, Photographs

Languages: English, Hungarian

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).

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.

Cello Music
Faculty
Faculty Papers
Hungary
Instrumental music
Kodály, Zoltán, 1882-1967
Music - Instruction and study - Hungary
Music teachers
Painting
Quartets, violin (2), viola, cello
Stringed Instruments

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: Two paintings by Gabriel Magyar donated on Sept. 20, 2018 by Patricia Knowles.

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.