Oszkar Frank

Oszkar Frank was born on 24 August 1922 in Budapest (Hungary). He studied first privately under composer Sandor Kuti and pianist Gezane Turan and received harmonica lessons from Leo Weiner. He finally completed his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy under Ferenc Szabo, Lajos Bardos, Zoltan Kodaly, Erzsebet Szönyi, Bence Szabolcsi, György Kosa and Oliver Nagy.

After his studies Oszkar Frank focused on teaching and fulfilled this position at different schools and universities throughout his lifetime. He lectured mainly in music theory and solfeggio. From 1945 to 1961 he lectured at the vocational music school in Miskolc, then at the teacher's college in Szeged till 1982, at the Erno Dohnanyi conservatory in Veszprem from 1984 to 1992 and in his last years Oszkar frank taught at the university for humanities in Miskolc and the Continuo music school in Budapest.

Beside his work as a teacher Oszkar Frank also wrote several books and many articles, mostly on music theory or specific composers. As a composer Oszkar Franks catalogue is quite small and mostly unpublished.
Oszkar Frank died on 6 July 2019.

In my possession is a manuscript book that contains several compositions by Oszkar Frank. It seems that this book served as the place where his works were penned down in - mostly - fair copies. It contains the following compositions:

• Prelude and fuga, for piano (Prelúdium és fúga)
• Easy music for piano four-hands (könnyű négykezeseket)
• Sonatina for piano (Szonatina)
• Three duets for flute and violin, or two violins (Három duó fuvolára hegedűre, vagy két hegedűre)
• Serenade for voice and piano on words by Gyula Juhasz (Szerenád - Juhász Gyula verse)
• Summer, for voice and piano on words by Lorinc Szabo (Nyár - Szabó Lőrinc)
• Whistle with violin, for voice and piano on words by Lorinc Szabo (Síppal, hegedűvel - Szabó Lőrinc)
• Bagatelle for piano (Bagatell)
• Scherzo for piano (Scherzo)
• Sorrow music for piano (Gyász zene)
• String trio (Vonóstrió)
• Sorrow music for piano - II. version (Gyász zene - II. változat)
• Sonatina for piano - II. movement, II. version (Szonatina, II. tétel, II. változat)
• String trio (Vonóstrió)
• Summer, for voice and piano on words by Lorinc Szabo (Nyár - Szabó Lőrinc)
• Serenade for voice and piano on words by Gyula Juhasz - II. version (Szerenád, II. változat)
• String trio - II. version (Vonóstrió - II. változat)
• Adagio and Burleske for piano (Adagio és Burleszk)

It seems that none of these compositions are published and that there is no other archive that takes care of the works by Oszkar Frank. For that reason I decided to publish a few of his compositions for information purposes.



Oszkar Frank: String trio (1970)