Zoltán Kodály

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Biography

Born: December 16, 1882; Kecskemét, Hungary   Died: March 6, 1967; Budapest, Hungary  
Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály is today remembered as much for his contributions to the fields of ethnomusicology and music education as he is for his own musical creations. Born in 1881, Kodály was the son of a local railway station master and amateur violinist who provided a rich musical environment for his child. Young Zoltán's early exposure to the German classics was tempered by an interest in the folk heritage of his native land; in 1900, Read more after graduating from the Archiepiscopal Grammar School in Nagyszombat, he enrolled simultaneously at Budapest University (where he studied Germanic and Hungarian literature) and at the Budapest Academy of Music. Composition studies at the Academy were fruitful for Kodály, and he took a diploma in the subject in 1904. In 1905 he received a second diploma in music education, and in 1906 Kodály crowned his academic career with a Ph.D. earned for his thorough structural analysis of Hungarian folksong. During the preparation of this dissertation Kodály went on the first of many excursions into rural Hungary to record and transcribe authentic folk music, and in doing so built a strong and lasting friendship with Béla Bartók (who was engaged in the same practice at the time, and with whom Kodály would go on to publish several collections of Hungarian folk music).

Kodály's debut as a composer came in October 1906 with a successful performance of his orchestral poem Summer Evening (Nyári este) at the Academy of Music. Two months later Kodály left Hungary for the first time, having received funding from the Academy for a period of study in Berlin and Paris. Upon his return in 1907 he was appointed to the faculty of the Academy, eventually succeeding his teacher Koessler as professor of composition (and becoming Dohnányi's assistant when the latter was appointed director of the Academy in 1919). With the creation of the New Hungarian Music Society in 1911, Kodály firmly established himself alongside Bartók and Dohnányi as a powerful force in Hungary's developing musical culture.

Kodály produced a steady stream of music (his most famous works being the opera Háry János from 1927 and the orchestral suite from that opera) and important educational works (which have collectively become known to music educators as the Kodály method, and rank in significance alongside similar contributions by Orff and Dalcroze) until his death in 1967. In later years he made frequent concert tours during which he appeared as a conductor of his own music, though he never abandoned what he himself considered to be his primary work: the collection and systematization of Hungarian folk music and culture, and a corresponding assimilation of that body of work into a new Hungarian artistic aesthetic (a goal also shared by his friend Bartók). In the years after the Second World War he was honored by countless academic, musical, and political organizations around the globe; in 1961 he served as president of the International Folk Music Council, and, in 1964, as honorary president of the International Society of Music Educators. Read less

Composition Type: Orchestral

Browse 1-25 of 68 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    Mariss Jansons - The Oslo Years
    Mariss Jansons - The Oslo Years
    Label: Warner Classics   Catalog: 524247 Release Date: 11/06/2020   Number of Discs: 26
    Composer:  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Dmitri Shostakovich,  Johan Svendsen,  Sergei Prokofiev  ... 
    Performer:  Truls Otterbech Mork,  Hĺvard Norang,  Per Hannisdal,  Torkyll Bye  ... 
    Conductor:  Mariss Jansons
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 2.
    Fritz Reiner: Complete Columbia Album Collection
    Fritz Reiner: Complete Columbia Album Collection
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 19075936772 Release Date: 09/11/2020   Number of Discs: 14
    Composer:  Maurice Ravel,  Claude Debussy,  Hector Berlioz,  Richard Wagner  ... 
    Performer:  Rudolf Serkin,  Carol Brice,  Hugo Kolberg,  Samuel Thaviu  ... 
    Conductor:  Fritz Reiner,  Daniel Saidenberg
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,  Columbia Broadcasting Concert Orchestra,  Columbia String Ensemble  ... 
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  • 3.
    A Lifetime on Chandos / Jarvi
    A Lifetime on Chandos / Jarvi
    Label: Chandos   Catalog: 20088 Release Date: 08/31/2018   Number of Discs: 25
    Composer:  Sergei Prokofiev,  Igor Stravinsky,  Antonín Dvorák,  Richard Strauss  ... 
    Performer:  Felicity Lott,  Laurence Kaptain,  Vladimir Grishko,  Irina Mishura-Lekhtman  ... 
    Conductor:  Neeme Järvi
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Scottish National Orchestra,  Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,  Scottish National Orchestra members  ... 
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    CD: $132.99
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  • 4.
    Bartok & Kodaly: Concertos for Orchestra / Hrusa, Berlin Radio Symphony
    Bartok & Kodaly: Concertos for Orchestra / Hrusa, Berlin Radio Symphony
    Label: Pentatone   Catalog: 5186626 Release Date: 05/18/2018   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Zoltán Kodály,  Béla Bartók
    Conductor:  Jakub Hrusa
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
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  • 5.
    Kodaly: Orchestral Works / Falletta, Buffalo Philharmonic
    Kodaly: Orchestral Works / Falletta, Buffalo Philharmonic
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8573838 Release Date: 01/12/2018   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Zoltán Kodály
    Conductor:  JoAnn Falletta
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 6.
    Victor de Sabata: Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon & Decca
    Victor de Sabata: Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon & Decca
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 4798196 Release Date: 12/08/2017   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms,  Richard Strauss,  Jean Sibelius,  Giuseppe Verdi  ... 
    Performer:  Pia Tassinari,  Ebe Stignani,  Ferruccio Tagliavini,  Italo Tajo
    Conductor:  Victor de Sabata,  Victor De Sabata
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra  ... 
    CD: $48.99
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  • 7.
    DG 111: The Conductors / Various
    DG 111: The Conductors / Various
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 4797477 Release Date: 08/04/2017   Number of Discs: 40
    Composer:  Claude Debussy,  Maurice Ravel,  Alexander Scriabin,  Johannes Brahms  ... 
    Performer:  Gaston Litaize,  Alain Moglia,  Luben Yordanoff,  Christa Ludwig  ... 
    Conductor:  Claudio Abbado,  Daniel Barenboim,  Leonard Bernstein,  Karl Böhm  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Boston Symphony Orchestra,  New England Conservatory Chorus,  London Symphony Orchestra  ... 
    CD: $171.49
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  • 8.
    Toscanini: The Essential Recordings
    Toscanini: The Essential Recordings
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 537604 Release Date: 03/10/2017   Number of Discs: 20
    Composer:  Franz Joseph Haydn,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Franz Schubert  ... 
    Performer:  Edna Phillips,  Jon Garrison,  Gladys Swarthout,  Nicola Moscona  ... 
    Conductor:  Arturo Toscanini
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  NBC Symphony Orchestra,  New York Philharmonic,  Philadelphia Orchestra
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  • 9.
    Menahem Pressler: The Pianist
    Menahem Pressler: The Pianist
    Label: Euroarts   Catalog: 26161 Release Date: 07/29/2016   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Jean-Philippe Rameau,  Aram Khachaturian,  Antonín Dvorák  ... 
    Performer:  Menahem Pressler
    Conductor:  Simon Rattle
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
    On sale! $46.99
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  • 10.
    New Year's Eve Concert 2014 / Berlin Philharmonic | Menahem Pressler Documentary
    New Year's Eve Concert 2014 / Berlin Philharmonic | Menahem Pressler Documentary
    Label: Euroarts   Catalog: 26113 Release Date: 12/18/2015   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Jean-Philippe Rameau,  Aram Khachaturian,  Antonín Dvorák  ... 
    Performer:  Menahem Pressler
    Conductor:  Simon Rattle
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 11.
    New Year's Eve Concert 2014 / Berlin Philharmonic | Menahem Pressler Documentary [blu-ray]
    New Year's Eve Concert 2014 / Berlin Philharmonic | Menahem Pressler Documentary [blu-ray]
    Label: Euroarts   Catalog: 26113 Release Date: 12/18/2015   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Jean-Philippe Rameau,  Aram Khachaturian,  Antonín Dvorák  ... 
    Performer:  Menahem Pressler
    Conductor:  Simon Rattle
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
    On sale! $28.99
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  • 12.
    Martha Argerich: The Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon
    Martha Argerich: The Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 002364402 Release Date: 09/25/2015   Number of Discs: 48
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin,  Johannes Brahms,  Sergei Prokofiev,  Maurice Ravel  ... 
    Performer:  Martha Argerich,  Guy Touvron,  Gidon Kremer,  Alexandre Gurning  ... 
    Conductor:  Claudio Abbado,  Charles Dutoit,  Mstislav Rostropovich,  Jörg Faerber  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  London Symphony Orchestra,  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
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  • 13.
    Kodaly: Dances of Galanta; Bartok / Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
    Kodaly: Dances of Galanta; Bartok / Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
    Label: Linn Records   Catalog: 234 Release Date: 07/10/2015   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Zoltán Kodály,  Béla Bartók
    Conductor:  Sir Charles Mackerras
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Scottish Chamber Orchestra
    CD: $19.99
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  • 14.
    Seiji Ozawa: The Complete Warner Recordings
    Seiji Ozawa: The Complete Warner Recordings
    Label: Warner Classics   Catalog: 2564613951 Release Date: 05/26/2015   Number of Discs: 25
    Composer:  Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,  Alexander Borodin,  Béla Bartók,  Zoltán Kodály  ... 
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Alexis Weissenberg,  Michel Béroff,  Masuko Ushioda  ... 
    Conductor:  Seiji Ozawa
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Chicago Symphony Orchestra,  Paris Orchestra,  Japan Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
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  • 15.
    Decca Sound – Mono Years 1944 -1956
    Decca Sound – Mono Years 1944 -1956
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 002280602 Release Date: 04/07/2015   Number of Discs: 53
    Composer:  Igor Stravinsky,  Maurice Ravel,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Wilhelm Backhaus,  Clifford Curzon,  Alfredo Campoli,  Henry Datyner  ... 
    Conductor:  Ernest Ansermet,  Ataulfo Argenta,  Roger Desormičre,  Karl Münchinger  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Suisse Romande Orchestra,  Paris Conservatoire Orchestra,  Orchestre de la Société du Conservatoire Paris  ... 
    CD: $262.49
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  • 16.
    Kodaly: Concerto For Orchestra; Symphony; Summer Evening
    Kodaly: Concerto For Orchestra; Symphony; Summer Evening
    Label: Hungaroton   Catalog: 32723 Release Date: 11/11/2014   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Zoltán Kodály
    Conductor:  László Kovács
    CD: $19.99
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  • 17.
    Phase 4 Stereo - Stereo Concert Series
    Phase 4 Stereo - Stereo Concert Series
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 002188302 Release Date: 10/27/2014   Number of Discs: 41
    Composer:  John Philip Sousa,  Charles A. Zimmerman,  Francis S. Van Boskerck,  George Norton  ... 
    Performer:  Stanley Black,  David Parkhouse,  Alan Loveday,  Robert Merrill  ... 
    Conductor:  Rodney Bashford,  Stanley Black,  Bernard Herrmann,  Edward Downes  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Grenadier Guards Band,  London Festival Orchestra,  London Festival Recording Ensemble  ... 
    CD: $207.49
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  • 18.
    Istvan Kertesz: The London Years
    Istvan Kertesz: The London Years
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 002033602 Release Date: 04/15/2014   Number of Discs: 12
    Composer:  Béla Bartók,  Johannes Brahms,  Anton Bruckner,  Antonín Dvorák  ... 
    Performer:  Walter Berry,  Christa Ludwig,  Pilar Lorengar,  Erzsébet Komlossy  ... 
    Conductor:  István Kertész
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  Ambrosian Singers,  Brighton Festival Chorus  ... 
    Recommendation
    CD: $78.99
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  • 19.
    Dances From Hungary
    Dances From Hungary
    Label: Apex   Catalog: 44434 Release Date: 10/29/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ferenc Erkel,  Ernö von Dohnányi,  Leó Weiner,  Béla Bartók  ... 
    Conductor:  Domonkos Héja
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Danubia Orchestra Óbuda
    CD: $8.99
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  • 20.
    Hungarian Horizon / Valentina Toth
    Hungarian Horizon / Valentina Toth
    Label: Challenge   Catalog: 72522 Release Date: 07/09/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Béla Bartók,  Zoltán Kodály
    Performer:  Valentina Tóth
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  • 21.
    Liszt: Mazeppa, Mephisto Waltz; Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite / Kurt Masur
    Liszt: Mazeppa, Mephisto Waltz; Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite / Kurt Masur
    Label: Apex   Catalog: 2564659418 Release Date: 10/30/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Liszt,  Zoltán Kodály
    Performer:  Myron Romanul
    Conductor:  Kurt Masur
    CD: $18.99
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  • 22.
    Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite, Dances of Galanta; Dohnanyi / Schwarz, Seattle
    Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite, Dances of Galanta; Dohnanyi / Schwarz, Seattle
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572749 Release Date: 07/31/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Zoltán Kodály,  Ernö von Dohnányi
    Performer:  Christopher Sereque,  János Starker
    Conductor:  Gerard Schwarz
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Seattle Symphony Orchestra,  Seattle Symphony Chorus
    CD: $11.99
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  • 23.
    Neeme Jarvi - Highlights From A Remarkable 30 Year Recording Career
    Neeme Jarvi - Highlights From A Remarkable 30 Year Recording Career
    Label: Chandos   Catalog: 24144 Release Date: 07/31/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Antonín Dvorák,  Johan Halvorsen,  Gustav Mahler,  Johannes Brahms  ... 
    Performer:  Melina Madozzi,  Linda Finnie,  Felicity Lott,  Boris Berman  ... 
    Conductor:  Neeme Järvi
    CD: $18.99
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  • 24.
    The Martha Argerich Collection 4 [6-CD Set]
    The Martha Argerich Collection 4 [6-CD Set]
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001566002 Release Date: 06/14/2011   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Camille Saint-Saëns,  Alan Ridout  ... 
    Performer:  Martha Argerich,  Mischa Maisky,  Isabelle van Keulen,  Nelson Freire  ... 
    Conductor:  Riccardo Chailly,  Kiril Kondrashin,  David Zinman
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
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    CD: $52.49
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  • 25.
    Invitation To The Dance / Barenboim, Berlin Philharmonic
    Invitation To The Dance / Barenboim, Berlin Philharmonic
    Label: Euroarts   Catalog: 2051849 Release Date: 01/25/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Giuseppe Verdi,  Antonín Dvorák  ... 
    Conductor:  Daniel Barenboim
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
    DVD: $24.99
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