*1905 Budapest - †1960 Cape Town, South Africa
Mátyás Seiber studied composition and violoncello at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. After his studies, he travelled North, South and Middle America as a musician on a ship; during that time, he learned about jazz, which was to influence him as a composer.
From 1927 until 1933, Seiber gave private music lessons in Frankfurt. He persuaded Bernhard Sekles to establish the first jazz class at the Dr. Hoch’s Conservatory, which he then taught. Teaching jazz in an academic setting, and such a prestigious one at that, caused a nationwide scandal. Seiber taught band practice, jazz orchestration and jazz piano. His Jazz class gave public concerts and played in radio broadcasts and theatre productions.
Seiber himself was the conductor at the Neues Theater and the Schauspielhaus and also gave concerts with the Lenzewski Quartet (as a cellist). During his time in Frankfurt, he produced several chamber music compositions as well as a number of works for different orchestrations.
In 1933, the National Socialists shut down the Jazz class at the Dr. Hoch’s Conservatory and revoked Mátyás Seiber’s teaching permit. In 1935, he emigrated to London; some years later he died in a car accident.
Further information:
Mátyás Seiber Trust: seibermusic.org.uk
Mátyás Seiber in „Frankfurt am Main 1933-1945“ http://www.ffmhist.de