Franz von Vecsey

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Franz von Vecsey (Hungarian: Vecsey Ferenc) (March 23, 1893 - April 5, 1935) was a Hungarian violinist and composer. He began his violin studies with his father, Lajos Vecsey, and at the age of eight he entered the studio of Jenő Hubay in Budapest. Two years later, aged ten, he played for Joseph Joachim in Berlin and subsequently became known as a stellar child prodigy virtuoso.

He became one of the preeminent violinists in Europe in the 1910s and '20s, at one point touring with Béla Bartók as his piano accompanist, and he was the dedicatee of Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D minor. He also spent time composing, and wrote a number of virtuosic salon pieces for the violin.

His career faltered somewhat after the First World War, as he grew tired of the constant touring involved in the life of a concert artist. He hoped to take up conducting, but he died suddenly in 1935 at the age of 42.

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