János Starker (/ˈstɑːrkər/;[1] Hungarian: [ˈʃtɒrkɛr]; July 5, 1924 – April 28, 2013) was a Hungarian-American cellist. From 1958 until his death, he taught at the Indiana UniversityJacobs School of Music, where he held the title of Distinguished Professor. Starker is considered one of the greatest cellists of all time.[2]
Starker was born in Budapest to a father of Polish descent and a mother who had immigrated from the Russian Empire, both Jewish. His two older brothers were violinists, and the young János (named for the hospital Szent János kórház [lit. St. John's Hospital] in which he was born) was given a cello before his sixth birthday. A child prodigy, Starker made his first public performances at ages six and seven. He entered the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest to study with Adolf Schiffer and made his debut there at age 11. Starker began teaching other children at age eight, and by the time he was 12, he had five pupils. Starker counted among his strongest influences Leo Weiner, a composer who taught chamber music. Zoltán Kodály, Béla Bartók and Ernő Dohnányi were also members of the Liszt Academy faculty. In his autobiography, Starker wrote that at the age of 13 he played Dohnányi's Konzertstuck for Cello for the composer (who was then the director of the Academy), who accompanied him at the piano.[3]
Starker made his professional debut at age 14, playing the Dvořák concerto with three hours' notice when the originally scheduled soloist was unable to play.[4] He left the Liszt Academy in 1939 and spent most of the war in Budapest. Because of his youth, Starker escaped the tragic fate of his older brothers, who were pressed into forced labor and eventually murdered by the Nazis. Starker nevertheless spent three months in a Nazi internment camp.[5]
He gave a successful concert in Vienna, then remained there to prepare for the Geneva Cello Competition. At the competition, held in October 1946, he received a bronze medal.[8]
After competing in Geneva, Starker spent a year working on his technique in Paris. "I played like a blind man," he said. "What happens to the bird who flies and doesn't know how it flies? That's what happens to child prodigies."[8] At the conclusion of his year in Paris, he made his first recording of Kodaly'sSonata in B minor for solo cello.[6] The recording earned him the Grand Prix du Disque.[9] He went on to make three more recordings of the work.[6]
From 1950 to 1965, Starker played and recorded on the Lord Aylesford Stradivarius, the largest instrument made by Antonio Stradivarius. In 1965 Starker acquired a Matteo Goffriller cello believed to have been made in Venice in 1705; known previously as the "Ivor James Goffriller" cello, Starker renamed it for its certification as "The Star" cello.[15]
Reviews and published works
External audio
You may hear Starker performing Beethoven's Concerto in C, Op. 56 For Piano, Violin, Cello, and Orchestra with Eliahu Inbal conducing the New Philharmonia Orchestra in 1970 Here on archive.org
Many documentaries, articles in magazines, and newspaper stories have acknowledged János Starker's virtuosity. He published numerous books and musical scores through Peer International, Schirmer, and International Music.[citation needed] His autobiography, The World of Music According to Starker, was published in 2004 by Indiana University Press.
Starker's playing style was intense and involved great technical mastery. According to some of his students, his technique revolved around long, legato notes, with very little shifting noise from his left hand, resulting in smooth, pure tones, "each note sounding like a jewel." Starker himself described his sound as "centered" and "focused." He was known for his ability to produce an extremely wide range of sounds and tone shading. He eschewed the wide vibrato favored by some of his peers—which he viewed as a cover for poor intonation—and was known for his patrician stage presence, preferring to let the music do the emoting. He quoted his long-time friend and colleague, György Sebők, who said, "Create excitement. Don't get excited."
Personal habits
Starker was a lifelong smoker with a sixty-cigarette-per-day habit.[1] He also drank copious amounts of scotch whiskey.[1] He once refused to perform a concert in Columbia, South Carolina, that he was supposed to play because he was not allowed to smoke his "pre-concert cigarette" backstage.[1]
Bibliography
János Starker: The World of Music According to Starker. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 2004. ISBN978-0-253-34452-6.
^ abc"The cellist János Starker has died". Gramophone. April 28, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
^"Famed cellist Janos Starker dead at 88". Chicago Tribune. April 28, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
^ abCampbell, Margaret (April 30, 2013). "Janos Starker: Cello virtuoso whose teaching had as big an impact as his own playing". The Independent. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
^ abPotter, Tully (May 2, 2013). "János Starker obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
^"Property". Tarisio. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
Further reading
The World of Music According to Starker, Janos Starker, Bloomington & Indianapolis, Indiana University Press (2004). ISBN0-253-34452-2.
The Roll Call of the Blessed Ones. Text by Janos Starker. Drawings by Jorge Sicre., Occidental Press, Washington D.C. (1985). ISBN0-911050-60-4.
Von Budapest nach Bloomington. Janos Starker und die ungarische Cello-Tradition., Anna Dalos, Melinda Berlasz, Janos Starker, Janos Breuer, and Peter B. Jacobi, Kronberg Academy Verlag, Kronberg/Taunus (1999). (in German and English) ISBN3-934395-00-7
Janos Starker. "King of Cellists". The Making of an Artist, Joyce Geeting, Chamber Music Plus Publishing, Los Angeles (2008). ISBN978-0-9754734-0-5.
Artists as Professors. Conversations with Musicians, Painters, Sculptors, Morris Risenhoover and Robert T. Backburn, pp. 171–185 are an interview with Janos Starker. Urbana, University of Illinois Press (1976). ISBN0-252-00574-0.
External links
Biographies, audio clips
"Remembering János Starker," From the Archives,Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Rosenthal Archives, May 1, 2013
János Starker interview by Bruce Duffie, November 24, 1987
2-hour audio interview of Mr. Starker by Louise Dubin, one of his students
Interview with János starker in Retkes Attila: Zenélő ezredkezdet (Válogatott interjúk, 2000–2003), Nap Kiadó, 2004
jános, starker, native, form, this, personal, name, starker, jános, this, article, uses, western, name, order, when, mentioning, individuals, ɑːr, hungarian, ˈʃtɒrkɛr, july, 1924, april, 2013, hungarian, american, cellist, from, 1958, until, death, taught, ind. The native form of this personal name is Starker Janos This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals Janos Starker ˈ s t ɑːr k er 1 Hungarian ˈʃtɒrkɛr July 5 1924 April 28 2013 was a Hungarian American cellist From 1958 until his death he taught at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he held the title of Distinguished Professor Starker is considered one of the greatest cellists of all time 2 Janos StarkerStarker in 2009Born 1924 07 05 July 5 1924Budapest HungaryDiedApril 28 2013 2013 04 28 aged 88 Bloomington Indiana U S OccupationCellist Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Child prodigy 1 2 Professional career 2 Recorded repertoire 3 Cellos 4 Reviews and published works 5 Playing style 6 Personal habits 7 Bibliography 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksBiography EditChild prodigy Edit Starker was born in Budapest to a father of Polish descent and a mother who had immigrated from the Russian Empire both Jewish His two older brothers were violinists and the young Janos named for the hospital Szent Janos korhaz lit St John s Hospital in which he was born was given a cello before his sixth birthday A child prodigy Starker made his first public performances at ages six and seven He entered the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest to study with Adolf Schiffer and made his debut there at age 11 Starker began teaching other children at age eight and by the time he was 12 he had five pupils Starker counted among his strongest influences Leo Weiner a composer who taught chamber music Zoltan Kodaly Bela Bartok and Erno Dohnanyi were also members of the Liszt Academy faculty In his autobiography Starker wrote that at the age of 13 he played Dohnanyi s Konzertstuck for Cello for the composer who was then the director of the Academy who accompanied him at the piano 3 Starker made his professional debut at age 14 playing the Dvorak concerto with three hours notice when the originally scheduled soloist was unable to play 4 He left the Liszt Academy in 1939 and spent most of the war in Budapest Because of his youth Starker escaped the tragic fate of his older brothers who were pressed into forced labor and eventually murdered by the Nazis Starker nevertheless spent three months in a Nazi internment camp 5 Professional career Edit Starker right in 1995 After the war Starker became principal cellist of the Budapest Opera and the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra 6 Starker left Hungary in 1946 7 He gave a successful concert in Vienna then remained there to prepare for the Geneva Cello Competition At the competition held in October 1946 he received a bronze medal 8 After competing in Geneva Starker spent a year working on his technique in Paris I played like a blind man he said What happens to the bird who flies and doesn t know how it flies That s what happens to child prodigies 8 At the conclusion of his year in Paris he made his first recording of Kodaly s Sonata in B minor for solo cello 6 The recording earned him the Grand Prix du Disque 9 He went on to make three more recordings of the work 6 Starker emigrated to the United States in 1948 to become principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Antal Dorati 10 In 1949 he moved to New York City to become principal cellist of the Metropolitan Opera under Fritz Reiner 10 It was in New York that Starker made the first of his recordings of the Bach Cello Suites 11 In 1953 Starker became principal cellist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra when Fritz Reiner became the music director 9 In 1958 Starker moved to Bloomington Indiana where he settled for the rest of his life 10 At the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music he became a professor and resumed his solo career Recorded repertoire EditExternal audio You may hear Starker performing Franz Joseph Haydn s Cello Concerto Luigi Boccherini s Cello Concerto with Carlo Maria Giulini conducing the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1959 Here on archive orgStarker made over 150 recordings 12 He recorded the Bach solo cello suites five times most recently for RCA Victor Red Seal in 1997 for which he won a Grammy Award 13 He was also nominated for a Grammy Award for his 1989 recording of the works of David Popper He had concerti written for him by David Baker Antal Dorati Bernhard Heiden Jean Martinon Miklos Rozsa and Robert Starer He twice recorded the Konzertstuck for Cello and Orchestra by Erno Dohnanyi the work he had played at age 13 with the composer first in 1956 57 with the Philharmonia Orchestra led by Walter Susskind and the composer in attendance for all sessions the composer was angry that the producer Walter Legge had insisted on cutting the orchestra tutti at the start of part three 14 and second without cuts with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra led by Gerard Schwarz in 1990 Cellos EditFrom 1950 to 1965 Starker played and recorded on the Lord Aylesford Stradivarius the largest instrument made by Antonio Stradivarius In 1965 Starker acquired a Matteo Goffriller cello believed to have been made in Venice in 1705 known previously as the Ivor James Goffriller cello Starker renamed it for its certification as The Star cello 15 Reviews and published works EditExternal audio You may hear Starker performing Beethoven s Concerto in C Op 56 For Piano Violin Cello and Orchestra with Eliahu Inbal conducing the New Philharmonia Orchestra in 1970 Here on archive orgMany documentaries articles in magazines and newspaper stories have acknowledged Janos Starker s virtuosity He published numerous books and musical scores through Peer International Schirmer and International Music citation needed His autobiography The World of Music According to Starker was published in 2004 by Indiana University Press Playing style EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Starker s playing style was intense and involved great technical mastery According to some of his students his technique revolved around long legato notes with very little shifting noise from his left hand resulting in smooth pure tones each note sounding like a jewel Starker himself described his sound as centered and focused He was known for his ability to produce an extremely wide range of sounds and tone shading He eschewed the wide vibrato favored by some of his peers which he viewed as a cover for poor intonation and was known for his patrician stage presence preferring to let the music do the emoting He quoted his long time friend and colleague Gyorgy Sebok who said Create excitement Don t get excited Personal habits EditStarker was a lifelong smoker with a sixty cigarette per day habit 1 He also drank copious amounts of scotch whiskey 1 He once refused to perform a concert in Columbia South Carolina that he was supposed to play because he was not allowed to smoke his pre concert cigarette backstage 1 Bibliography EditJanos Starker The World of Music According to Starker Bloomington Indiana University Press 2004 ISBN 978 0 253 34452 6 References Edit a b c d The New York Times obituary Classic FM These are the 16 greatest cellists of all time November 15 2016 Updated October 24 2019 Starker Janos The World of Music According to Janos Starker Indiana University Press 2004 p 130 ISBN 0 253 34452 2 Indianapublicmedia org Obituary Archived from the original on May 3 2013 Retrieved August 28 2014 Janos Starker Encyclopaedia Britannica a b c The cellist Janos Starker has died Gramophone April 28 2013 Retrieved March 12 2019 Famed cellist Janos Starker dead at 88 Chicago Tribune April 28 2013 Retrieved March 12 2019 a b Campbell Margaret April 30 2013 Janos Starker Cello virtuoso whose teaching had as big an impact as his own playing The Independent Retrieved March 12 2019 a b Potter Tully May 2 2013 Janos Starker obituary The Guardian Retrieved March 12 2019 a b c Janos Starker The Daily Telegraph April 29 2013 Retrieved March 12 2019 Tell a Story Don t Just Play Notes Local 802 AFM October 1 2010 Retrieved September 13 2021 Wise Brian April 29 2013 Revered Cellist Janos Starker Dies at 88 WQXR Retrieved March 24 2019 Janos Starker GRAMMY com February 15 2019 Retrieved March 20 2019 Adam Stern booklet notes to Delos CD 3095 Property Tarisio Retrieved September 13 2021 Further reading EditThe World of Music According to Starker Janos Starker Bloomington amp Indianapolis Indiana University Press 2004 ISBN 0 253 34452 2 The Roll Call of the Blessed Ones Text by Janos Starker Drawings by Jorge Sicre Occidental Press Washington D C 1985 ISBN 0 911050 60 4 Von Budapest nach Bloomington Janos Starker und die ungarische Cello Tradition Anna Dalos Melinda Berlasz Janos Starker Janos Breuer and Peter B Jacobi Kronberg Academy Verlag Kronberg Taunus 1999 in German and English ISBN 3 934395 00 7 Janos Starker King of Cellists The Making of an Artist Joyce Geeting Chamber Music Plus Publishing Los Angeles 2008 ISBN 978 0 9754734 0 5 Artists as Professors Conversations with Musicians Painters Sculptors Morris Risenhoover and Robert T Backburn pp 171 185 are an interview with Janos Starker Urbana University of Illinois Press 1976 ISBN 0 252 00574 0 External links EditBiographies audio clips Remembering Janos Starker From the Archives Chicago Symphony Orchestra s Rosenthal Archives May 1 2013 Janos Starker interview by Bruce Duffie November 24 1987 2 hour audio interview of Mr Starker by Louise Dubin one of his students Interview with Janos starker in Retkes Attila Zenelo ezredkezdet Valogatott interjuk 2000 2003 Nap Kiado 2004Portals Biography Classical music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Janos Starker amp oldid 1119356909, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
