Delmar, Dezso

views updated

Delmar, Dezso

Delmar, Dezso , Hungarian- American composer; b.Timişoara, July 14, 1891; d. Contra Costa Co., Calif., Oct. 20, 1985. He studied piano with Bartok and theory with Kodaly at the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest, graduating in 1913; concurrently took courses in jurisprudence, obtaining a law degree. He served in the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I; after demobilization, he devoted himself entirely to music. He went to the U.S. in 1922; lived in N.Y. until 1929, then moved to Los Angeles; in 1946 he settled in Sacramento as a teacher of piano and theory. His WORKS include Hungarian Sketches for Orch. (1947), Sym. (1949), 3 string quartets, String Trio, Violin Sonata, choral music, many piano pieces, and songs. His WORKS reflect the melorhythmic modalities of Hungarian folk music.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire