Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association with the orchestra is one of the longest enjoyed by any conductor with any American orchestra. Ormandy made numerous recordings with the orchestra, and as guest conductor with European orchestras, and achieved three gold records and two Grammy Awards. His reputation was as a skilled technician and expert orchestral builder.
The native form of this personal name is Ormándy Jenő. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.Early life[edit]
Ormandy was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, as Jenő Blau, the son of Jewish parents Benjamin Blau, a dentist and amateur violinist, and Rozália Berger.[1][2]
His musical talents emerged early. Blau received his first violin lessons from his father at the age of three and a half and was proficient enough as a violinist to enter the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five, being the youngest student to date.
From 1909 a student of Jenő Hubay, he passed the finals in chamber music and in violin in spring of 1915.[3]
From 1917 Blau undertook first tours in Hungary and Germany; among other things as concertmaster of the Berlin Blüthner Orchestra. In 1918 he became briefly professor for violin at his old university. From 1917 to 1920 he also completed a degree in philosophy.[4][5]
Motivated by promises made by a dubious impresario, he emigrated to the US in 1921.
Until 1918 Ormandy used the stage name "Eugen Blau" in public performances, "Eugen" being the German equivalent of "Jenő".[6] About 1919, after the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he used "Jenő B. Ormándy".[7] At the time of his arrival in America in 1921, he was using "Jeno Blau",[8] but by 1925 he was going by "Eugene Ormandy".[9] The origin of the surname "Ormandy" is uncertain. Speculation that it was either his middle name[10] or that of his mother[11] appears to be unfounded.[1][12] His father changed his surname to "Ormándi" on March 22, 1937, a few weeks before emigrating to the United States.[12][13]
Arthur Judson, the most powerful manager of American classical music during the 1930s, first heard Ormandy when he conducted (as a freelancer) for a dance recital at Carnegie Hall by Isadora Duncan; Judson later said, "I came to see a dancer and instead heard a conductor."[14]
Awards and honors[edit]
In honor of Ormandy's vast influence on American music and the Philadelphia performing arts community, on December 15, 1972, he was awarded the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit.[21] He was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1976,[22] and received of Yale University's Sanford Medal.[23] He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1977.[24] After Ormandy's death the US Congress and President Ronald Reagan declared that November 18 would be "Eugene Ormandy Appreciation Day", with a recognition ceremony held on that date at the Academy of Music.[25]
Marriages[edit]
On 8 August 1922 Ormandy married Stephanie Goldner (1896–1962).[26] "Steffy" Goldner had come to New York in 1921 from her native Vienna, where she had attended the city's Academy of Music. Soon after arriving in New York she took a position at Capitol Theatre where Ormandy was a violinist. For more than a decade she was harpist for the New York Philharmonic, the only woman on its roster.[27] The two later did broadcast performances on WABC radio, where Ormandy was one of the staff conductors.[28]
In the fall of 1946, the couple parted. "There is no talk now of divorce [...] It's just a separation," Mrs. Ormandy reported.[29] However, she later filed for divorce, decreed 4 August 1947 "on grounds of extreme mental cruelty."[30] Following the divorce she joined the faculty at the Philadelphia Music Academy while announcing plans to resume her performing.[31]
On 15 May 1950 Ormandy married Margaret Frances Hiltsch (1909–1998) in a civil ceremony in Philadelphia.[32] In a statement released by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, the two were described as "family friends for many years [...] Mrs. Ormandy came to the United States about 12 years ago from Vienna [...] shortly thereafter she became an American citizen. During the war years Mrs. Ormandy became a licensed pilot in preparation for the WASP training program. However, as the unit was then disbanded, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy and for two years was then stationed at Norfolk, VA., in operations work at the Naval Air Station."[33]
The couple remained wed until his death in 1985.