Esterházy, Miklós
Esterházy, Eszterházy Pál, *8 September 1635 Kismarton (Eisenstadt), †26 March 1713 Kismarton, Duke from 1687, Hungarian patron of the arts, politician, composer, harpsichordist, and poet. He held high state positions (appointed palatine at the imperial court) and took part in battles against the Turks. He was one of the most prominent figures of Hungarian cultural life in the 17th century. After transforming the mediaeval castle in Eisenstadt into a baroque palace (1663–1673) he maintained an orchestra there, which represented a high level of performance. He is the author of Harmonia coelestis (1701, published in Vienna 1711) – a collection of 55 vocal and instrumental pieces (40 solo pieces with accompaniment, 6 duets, 9 choral pieces with orchestral accompaniment), religious and secular pieces of a cantata character, with Latin texts. In these compositions, Hungarian elements are connected with art forms of Western European music. In some of the songs, one can recognise the typically Hungarian melodics (Sol recedit igneus, Ave maris Stella), two compositions are arrangements of church folk songs (Jesu dulcedo cordium, Cur fies Jesu).
Literature: C. von Horvath, E. von Hajnik Das fürstliche Haus Esterházy, “Österreichische Revue” III, Vol. 4, Vienna 1863; I. Bartalus Adalékok a magyar zene tőrténelméhez (“Additional Material to the History of Hungarian Musi”), “Sztázadok” 1892 No. 21–22; M. Horányi Esterházy vigasságok, Budapest 1959, translation into German Das Esterházysche Feenreich, Budapest 1959, translation into English, Philadelphia 1962; J. Hárich Esterházy – Musikgeschichte im Spiegel der zeitgenössischen Textbücher, Eisenstadt 1959; D. Bartha, L. Somfai Haydn als Opernkapellmeister, Budapest 1960; J. Hárich Das Repertoire des Opernkapellmeisters Joseph Haydn in Esterháza 1780–90, Haydn-Jahrbuch I, 1962; D. Bartha, L. Somfai Haydn’s Italian Opera Repertory at Eszterháza Palace, published in New Looks at Italian Opera, Essays in Honor of Donald J. Grout, Ithaca (New York) 1968. O. Radvâny, M. Restellini Les Esterhazy, princes collectionneurs: La naissance du musée, exhibition catalogue Pinacothèque de Paris, Paris 2011.