Pianist, Composer. A Hungarian born prodigy whose early talents were compared to those of Mozart, Saint-Saens, and Liszt. He demonstrated his musical gifts as early as two years of age, and gave his first public performance at age six. By the time he was 12 he had played at Buckingham Palace and appeared as soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic. In 1920 he made his debut at Carnegie Hall. Beginning in 1929, Nyiregyházi began working for United Artists and other studios, serving as a score reader, a hand double for piano-playing actors, and a composer-contributor for numerous anonymous soundtracks. His only credited film appearance was in his portrayal of Franz Liszt in a horror film, "The Soul of a Monster." Nyiregyhazi declined further opportunities for recitals at Carnegie Hall and remained somewhat eccentric and obscure, giving only a handful of concerts in the last 60 years of his life. These included a 1973 concert in San Francisco to raise money for the medical care of his ailing wife. He continued to compose and to record music, which he performed in Japan in 1980 and 1982. At the time of his death he left more than a thousand largely unknown compositions. When asked what he intended to do with 12,000 pages of manuscripts held in Los Angeles and San Francisco bank vaults, Nyiregyhazi responded, "I have been rejected all of my life as a pianist. Why should I also ask to be rejected as a composer"?
Pianist, Composer. A Hungarian born prodigy whose early talents were compared to those of Mozart, Saint-Saens, and Liszt. He demonstrated his musical gifts as early as two years of age, and gave his first public performance at age six. By the time he was 12 he had played at Buckingham Palace and appeared as soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic. In 1920 he made his debut at Carnegie Hall. Beginning in 1929, Nyiregyházi began working for United Artists and other studios, serving as a score reader, a hand double for piano-playing actors, and a composer-contributor for numerous anonymous soundtracks. His only credited film appearance was in his portrayal of Franz Liszt in a horror film, "The Soul of a Monster." Nyiregyhazi declined further opportunities for recitals at Carnegie Hall and remained somewhat eccentric and obscure, giving only a handful of concerts in the last 60 years of his life. These included a 1973 concert in San Francisco to raise money for the medical care of his ailing wife. He continued to compose and to record music, which he performed in Japan in 1980 and 1982. At the time of his death he left more than a thousand largely unknown compositions. When asked what he intended to do with 12,000 pages of manuscripts held in Los Angeles and San Francisco bank vaults, Nyiregyhazi responded, "I have been rejected all of my life as a pianist. Why should I also ask to be rejected as a composer"?
Bio by: RowWalker
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Composer. Pianist. Beloved husband of Doris Holcomb Nyiregyházi.
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