János Gonda
János Gonda (11 January 1932 – 10 March 2021) was a Hungarian jazz pianist. János Gonda was born in Budapest, he studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and earned his diploma first at the musicological and then in the piano department. His activities include composition, concert performances, teaching, and musicological research.
Also recorded as Janos Gonda
János Gonda
- Born
- 1932 · Budapest.
- Died
- 2021
- Nationality
- Hungary
- Occupation
- music educator · pianist · composer · musician
- Education
- Franz Liszt Academy of Music
- Honours
- Erkel Ferenc Prize · Széchenyi Prize · Officer's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit · Commander Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic · Pro Budapest award · Louis Armstrong memorial prize
- Languages
- Hungarian
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Documentary summary
János Gonda (11 January 1932 – 10 March 2021) was a Hungarian jazz pianist. János Gonda was born in Budapest, he studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and earned his diploma first at the musicological and then in the piano department. His activities include composition, concert performances, teaching, and musicological research.
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János Gonda (1932–2021) was a Hungarian composer, music educator and musician, among other activities. The composer was born in Budapest.
János Gonda studied at Franz Liszt Academy of Music. The composer worked for Franz Liszt Academy of Music.
Languages used include Hungarian. János Gonda received Erkel Ferenc Prize, Louis Armstrong memorial prize and Officer's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit, among others.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q267158 · wikipedia · János Gonda
In this article
Music
Music
János Gonda studied at Franz Liszt Academy of Music. The recorded working language is Hungarian. Employment is recorded with Franz Liszt Academy of Music. Distinctions recorded are Erkel Ferenc Prize, Széchenyi Prize, Officer's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit and Commander Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic.
He formed his first band in 1962, and with them made the first LP in the Hungarian "Modern Jazz" series. He led several bands which are featured on anthology albums in the same series. In the late 1960s, he co-led the Gonda-Krusa Quartet with the Polish vibraphonist Richard Kruza. He also recorded with his Gonda Sextet, which he formed in 1972. One of their famous recordings is titled Shaman Song. The sextet consisted of János Gonda (piano, electrical piano), Gábor Balázs (bass), Tamás Berki (vocal, guitar, percussion), Péter Kántor (soprano and alto saxophone), István Dely (conga, percussion) and Gyula Kovács (drums, percussion). As a composer, he mainly wrote jazz pieces, but also branched out into other musical forms. He wrote film scores, such as for the István Szabó film Father (Apa 1966), and other incidental music, his dance compositions and symphonic jazz works. The most significant of the last is his Australian Concerto of 1970. In 1974, he composed a musical entitled Pro Urbe.
Writing
Writing
• 1979 Jazz • 1982 Mi a Jazz? (What is Jazz?) • 2004 Jazzvilág (World of Jazz) RÓZSAVÖLGYI ÉS TÁRSA publishers,
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2021
János Gonda died.
Teaching and research
Gonda's theoretical works also focused on jazz. Of his books and studies, the book Jazz, published in 1979, was the best-known. He was a professor and head of the jazz department at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest, Hungary, and vice president of the International Jazz Federation. Gonda was head of the jazz department affiliated with the Association of Hungarian Musicians. From 1965 to 1997, he was leader of the jazz department of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. Gonda was the artistic director of Tatabánya International Jazz Camp and Tatabánya International Institute of Creative Music Education.
Discography
• 1964 Modern jazz IV-V. - Anthology 64 Hungaroton LPX 7279-80 Közreműködő • 1967 Modern jazz VI. - Anthology 67 Hungaroton LPX 17372 Közreműködő • 1968 Modern jazz VII. - Anthology 68 Hungaroton LPX 17392 Közreműködő • 1969 Modern jazz VIII. - Anthology 69 Hungaroton LPX 17406 Közreműködő • 1976 Sámánének (Shaman Song) Hungaroton-Pepita • 1980 Vonzások és választósok Hungaroton-Pepita • 1980 Solo Piano Hungaroton-Pepita • 1986 Keyboard Music Hungaroton-Krém • 1999 Képek, Emlékek (Pictures, Memories) Binder Music Manufactory BMM 9904-26173630 Saját Film scores • 1975 A járvány • 1974 Holnap lesz fácán • 1972 Utazás Jakabbal • 1970 Mérsékelt égöv • 1970 Horizont • 1970 Szerelmesfilm • 1970 A gyilkos a házban van • 1967 A múmia közbeszól • 1966 Apa - egy hit naplója • 1965 Szentjános fejevétele • 1964 Karambol • 1963 Nappali sötétség
Recognition and collections
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
János Gonda received Erkel Ferenc Prize, Széchenyi Prize, Officer's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit, Commander Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic, Pro Budapest award and Louis Armstrong memorial prize.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “János Gonda”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q267158: János Gonda
General reference · Wikidata
Awards
In 1974, he was awarded the Hungarian Erkel Prize.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Pál Tamás. Meghalt Gonda János dzsesszzenész. Telex.
- 2.Heard and Seen: The fifth Hungarian jazz festival. Coda. 9. 2. 44. July–August 1969.
- 3.Apa. British Film Institute.
- 4.Gonda, Janos. Jazz Education: Improvisation and Creativity. International Journal of Music Education. 19–22. November 1983. 10.1177/025576148300200104.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,307 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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