Artist database

János Végh of Vereb was born on the 15th of June 1845 in Vereb. His family was a music-loving family so he had a high-quality musical education. His piano teacher was Károly Thern (second conductor of the National Theater and piano teacher of the National Conservatory) and Mihály Mosonyi taught him composition. Parallel he also studied law. He debuted as a pianist at the age of 19. He met Ferenc Liszt in 1872 and they soon made a friendship. From 1881 to 1887 he was vice-president of the Academy of Music in Budapest (practically the deputy of Ferenc Liszt). In 1887 he retired from his position at the Academy of Music.

He was not only a musician but a lawyer too. In 1897 he was appointed judge of the Curia. He was a board member of several musical societies and had a good realtionship e.g. with Gustav Mahler during Mahler's tenure in Budapest as a director of the Royal Hungarian Opera. Végh's compositions were performed by the most important Hungarian musicians and ensembles of the late 19th century (e.g. Jenő Hubay, Erna Rubinstein, István Thomán, Ernő Dohnányi, Árpád Szendy, Ervin Nyíregyházi, and the Hubay-Popper and Kemény-Schiffer String Quartets).

Apart from a few piano pieces for two and four hands, a violin sonata and some songs, most of his compositions remain unpublished. His manuscripts are kept in the Szent István Király Múzeum in Székesfehérvár, the National Széchényi Library and the Library of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.