Tibor Juhos / Joseph Frank Juhos (1935–2011), who spent most of his active career in the United States, is one of the most interesting figures of 20th-century Hungarian flute playing. His career is relatively little known in his country, but in our book, The Last Two Hundred Years of Hungarian Fluting and its Embedding in Europe, we made an attempt to present his career based on the available data. Joseph Frank Juhos is a flutist in a long, continuous chain of disciples.
As a student of Ferenc Kohler/Julius Kohler Doppler, he could rightly be expected to become a professor of flute at the Budapest Academy of Music, but his early, tragic death prevented this. Kohler played the flute in the Budapest Opera House as well as in the Philharmonic Society in a leading position, so someone was needed to fill the void left behind.
The Budapest Academy of Music – today’s Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music – began teaching wind instruments in 1895. This is how the German flautist Adolf Burose from the Hamburg area came to the orchestra of the Opera House. Not long after, he also became a professor at the Academy of Music. Burose was a user of the old system flute, but in his flute school he also deals separately with the Böhm system flute. Following the visit of Louis Fleury (1878–1926) to Budapest (1912–1914), more and more people probably wanted to play the modern instrument.
One of them is Ferenc Hartai/Hochstrasser (1895–1970), who was later professor of flute at the Academy of Music from 1949 to 1968. He was already taught by Burose’s successor, Lajos Dömötör, the next professor at the Academy of Music, who was still a kind of teaching assistant at the institution. More and more people in his class were already using the modern Böhm instrument.
The II. after World War II, Ferenc Hartai became the next flute professor at the Academy of Music, Tibor Juhos won a scholarship to the Academy of Music from him at the age of 13. The flutist’s parents were József Juhos and Rózsa Finzler. In addition to his flute lessons, the young artist Hartai also attended the composition lessons of Zoltán Kodály, and at the age of fifteen he became a member of the Orchestra of the Opera House and the Philharmonic Society.
The First Budapest International Flute Competition was held in 1965, but based on the available data, it is not clear whether Juhos applied for the competition or not. Maybe because of his age, he just slipped out of the age limit indicated by the competition notice. The result of the competition had a decisive influence on Hartai’s succession to the professorship of the Academy of Music. The winner of the competition was Lóránt Kovács, so he succeeded Hartai in the professorship, he became the master of the next flute generation.
Juhos soon left Hungary and after a short stay in Germany – where he was a teacher at the Hamburg Conservatory and the German State Music School – he settled in Cleveland. Appointed to the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1969, he retired in 2007 after a distinguished career spanning 38 years.
He also took an active role as a performer, and spent a significant part of his active career in Ohio.
He had numerous concert, radio and television appearances throughout Europe and the United States, but only a few of his recordings are available in Hungary. He has recorded for Quallton, Hungaroton (Bach: Orchestral Suite No.2 in B minor BWV 1067) and Deustche Gramophone Gesellschaft with the Budapest State Opera House and the Orchestra of the Budapest Philharmonic Society.
He was affiliated with Cuyahoga Community College, Western Reserve Academy, and Lorain Community College. He has conducted flute masterclasses in Europe and the United States. He has performed with the Cleveland Baroque Soloists, the New Cleveland String Quartet, and has been a guest soloist with the Ohio Chamber Orchestra and the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra. He has appeared as a soloist on WCLV, Cleveland and WNYC, NYC, the “Cleveland on Stage” series and the “Ohio City Great Music Series”.
His most famous student is Mark Sparks (b.1960), who said of him: “He immediately taught me respect for a focused voice.” Sparks later graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music under Robert Hugh Willoughby and later became principal flute of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. The artist remembered his teacher of Hungarian origin on several occasions.
Juhos was appointed professor at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1969 and retired in 2007. He was chair of the institute’s Preparatory and Continuing Education Orchestral Instruments and taught at the Case Western Reserve Joint Music Program.
As he said:
“My philosophy is based on the methods which will most effectively help individuals develop their talents to the fullest. A good educator understands students’ artistic freedom, recognizing the teachable moment….”
The life path of Tibor Juhos is unique, and at the same time one of the most unique paths, which is the only known link between Hungarian and American flute culture.
Sourses
About Mark Sparks: „Hungarian flutist Josef Juhos at Cleveland Institute Preparatory Program, He was very formal; a real gentleman. He taught me respect for a focused tone right away.” (Utolsó megtekintés: 2021.09.19.)
„Mark’s first teacher was Hungarian flutist Joseph Juhos (Mark can still hear his thickaccent, Mark, you vill be great zolo fluteest).” Don Bailey (New York Flute Club Newsletter) interjúja. (Utolsó megtekintés: 2021.09.19.)
Gyula Czeloth-Csetényi
www.czeloth.com | ORDER BOOK “The last two hundred years of Hungarian flute playing and its European integration“
Mr. Czeloth-Csetényi, Gyula plays the flute since his age of 10. He went to the Bartók Conservatory, then he studied at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. After the demolition of the iron curtain he was the first to visit Sir James Galway’s Seminar from Hungary in Switzerland between 1993 and 1995. He was Dr. Jochen Gartner’s student at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich.
Gyula Czeloth-Csetényi has made his first CD recording of Gamal Abdel-Rahim’s compositions there. He graduated “Cum Laude” in 1997 at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. Between 1990 and 1999 he has been the editor and publicist of the journal of the Hungarian Flute Association. Beside his classic repertoire he plays at a jazz band where his own compositions are performed, too. He played together with recognized jazz musicians.
As classical flutist he has performed all over Europe and in Japan. He made a solo CD in 2001, its title is “12 Romance”. He is a co-lead author of the book under title – “The last two hundred years of Hungarian flute playing and its European integration”. The book was published in 2022.
