My MusiCredentials

In a world of A-holes with an opinion the question may arise at any point:

  

...and may be not answered by my social media sites

https://bobbylilcat.blogspot.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@bobbylilcat6880/featured

https://www.facebook.com/BobbyLilCat

Yes, I may suck at music, I may be stupid, but I am definitely not ignorant.

My grandfather, Nagy Sándor was a self-taught musician. He played the accordion, violin, Hungarian zither and harmonica. He could have been my first musical influence, had I not been such a little brat. He makes me think of this quote, may he rest in peace:

“You know," said Arthur, "it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young."

"Why, what did she tell you?"

"I don't know, I didn't listen.”

― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

When I was 7, I joined the recorder study group at elementary school, led by Csirmaz György*, the school's music teacher. He taught me how to read music, and his music lessons always increased my love for music. May he rest in peace. (*: In this post I shall follow the Hungarian convention - surname followed by first name.)

I must have been about 10 and in 5th grade, when a great teacher in our school, Balogh László organised a guitar study group, tutored by Bazsa Attila. I believe I attended the lessons for two years, then I reached a plateau, which does happen when you're too lazy to practice... Guitar has brought me many-a-good evening around the campfire. With a buddy, we performed as a guitar duo, but we did not have our breakthrough.

In 7th grade, when I was 12, my big brother gave me the idea to learn the saxophone, so I made my application to the music school in Debrecen. Alas, the sax was unavailable, so I chose the trumpet, which became a most influential and consequential decision and experience in my life. I was assigned to Lobotka Pál, the leader of the music school's senior wind band, where I spent the happiest and most fulfilling musical moments of my life. I completed the 4-year training cycle of the music school, toured Hungary, Germany, Czechia and Italy with the wind band, regularly marched the Flower Carnival procession in Debrecen on the most important national holiday of my country. May God bless the soul of my first beloved mentor.

This was the time when I first made money from music - I played bar music with a keyboardist friend on a few occasions. A few other achievements were my contribution to a project involving a choir, soloist and a youth string orchestra where I played the brass band part from Yellow Submarine. This project led to my TV-appearance at Juventus Pop-Rock Festival with the professional guitarist, band leader and songwriter, Enyedi Sándor.

When I was 17, I decided that I will pursue a degree in music, so I had to learn some piano and I had to pass the baccalaureate in music. Juhász Gyula was so kind as to tutor me at the music school and my former high school music teacher, Köpöczi Marianna prepared me for the bac. I took private lessons with Végh Mónika (solfege) and Györgyfi Zsolt (trumpet) who prepared me well for my college admission exam. I will ever be grateful to them, may they spend many-a year in good health and success.

In 1997 I was admitted to Eszterházy Károly College as an English-Music double major on the B.Ed programme in Eger. Without doubt, the musically richest and most formative years of my life thanks to the great atmosphere, my wonderful peers and professors, who were like family to each other and me. Many of my musical dreams came true during the four years of training and the two gap years I spent abroad.

• I performed with the Eger Symphony Orchestra on the 50-year celebration of teacher training in Eger under the baton of Tar Lőrinc.
• I sang in the choir of Gárdonyi Géza Theatre in the operettas Sybill and János Vitéz and played in the matinée play Snow Queen in the chamber orchestra. These were my first official work contracts.
• We revived ensemble playing at the college after decades of hiatus by forming the Blum Jazz Quartet and the party-rock cover band Bartók Terem.
• I joined the Cantus Agriensis Chamber Choir, with whom we sang in the Vatican and won first prize on the 7th international sacred music choral competition "GIOVANNI PIERLUIGI DA PALESTRINA" in Rome. We performed with Gregor József in Eger Cathedral. Singing under Gergely Péter Pál's direction has been an honour, may he live on in good health for many more years. I experienced my second recording session with this choir, as well as singing in Regensburg Cathedral, sharing the stage with the Domspatzen and the future Pope's brother, Georg Ratzinger.
• Further recordings included an indie-rock band (before it became a thing), Hotel Restaurant and Movendo Chamber Choir.
• I sang and conducted at masterclasses led by Professor David Vinden and Maestro Hollerung Gábor.
• During my first gap year I had the honour to sing in the performance  of the grandiose 40-part motet 'Spem in Alium' by Thomas Tallis with the University of Aberdeen's choir. I also formed a brass trio there and often joined the local folk jam session. Being a Camphill worker at the time, I also performed on the 60th anniversary celebration of the orgainsation.
• During my second gap year I fulfilled another of my musical years, and played two trimesters in the 'Little Big Band' of the Conservatoire de Palaiseau under Bernard Duplaix's direction. As a bonus, I played solo trumpet in their salsa ensemble 'Tutu Gomez' and another related act, a bebop sextet with whom we performed on the Fête de la Musique in 2002.

Let me dedicate a paragraph to my most influential mentors during this period. I studied singing and vocal techniques with Hegyesi Hudik Margit, my musical stepmother and a dear friend. My musical father figure and mentor was the composer Maestro Kátai László, also the consultant to my B.Ed thesis. May the Lord keep them with us in good health for many more years. I am ever grateful to Dr. Kis Katalin, who showed me an example of humanity and dedication to the cause of music, and to my other impactful professors, for all the things they tried to teach me and for putting up with my youthful trespasses, Dr. habil. Gábos Judit DLA (piano), Marik Erzsébet (to opponent of my thesis and my score reading prof), Vass Márta, Gulyásné Székely Éva and Benyó Tibor (trumpet).

Alas, after my return from France I had to refocus my efforts on writing my B.Ed thesis (on wind band orchestration), passing my exams and teaching practice, my M.A. in English language and literature (M.A. thesis written on English Renaissance music), working, raising kids, so I became infidel to Lady Music.

The lean years lasted from 2002 to 2015. Then finally, I bought my first real lefty six-string Tina, I found my happy place, I became a published musicology translator, got infected with GAS, began this blog, tuned my guitars to P4, and a lot of diffuse knowledge started to snap into place.

I started collaborations with a like-minded producer:

I wrote a few songs during the quarantine:

          

And have been having a try with a few bands... with little success so far.

I do not know what the future holds in store, but I fret no longer, for  music will find a way!