Béni Egressy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The native form of this personal name is Egressy Béni. This article uses the Western name order.

Béni Egressy (April 21, 1814 – July 17, 1851) was a Hungarian composer, librettist, translator and actor.

[edit] Biography

Béni Egressy was born in 1814, the younger brother of Gábor Egressy. He entered the stage in 1834, like his brother, and in 1837 became a member of the national theatre in Prague. During the revolution of 1848 he took part in the fighting and became a member of the Hungarian Honvéd resistance. After the rebellion, he received amnesty and returned to the stage.

[edit] Works

Egressy was more notable for his acting rather than his compositions. Nevertheless, he composed music for "The Szózat", a famous poem by Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty. The song later became the unofficial "second Hungarian national anthem" beside the Himnusz. His musical works are characterised by a wealth of melodies and attained great popularity in Hungary.