STEPHEN FÜZY:
His Life & Times
An attempt to reconstruct the life, work and world
of an early 20th century American musician
Stephen Füzy, an all-but-forgotten Cleveland, Ohio cultural icon, was born in Hungary but immigrated to the United States in 1912. Trained as a musician, he and his wife settled down in Cleveland, where he became a theater organist, piano teacher, composer and arranger. Though we have reason to believe that his musical output was large, the whereabouts of his manuscripts is unknown. So far we have managed to unearth one unpublished piano rhapsody, a few of his published popular songs and one player piano roll. We are now doing our best to ferret out anything else he might have left behind. He is known to have written at least two musical comedies, "The Woman Hater," and "Little Mischief Maker," both of which were staged at National Hall, Cleveland during his lifetime. Alas, no trace is left of either one of them at present.
We think Füzy's music is worth resurrecting, particularly as it epitomizes the romantic era in which he created it. We have found the search for it to be as exciting a treasure hunt as could ever be imagined. Please accept this as your personal invitation to join us! Let us know if you are aware where any of Füzy's music may be found.
A vital key to putting back together a coherent story of Füzy's life was provided to us by Mrs. Edith Füzy Durbin. She commissioned, and was then willing to share, a very comprehensive study by Hungarian genealogists of the Füzy family in general, and that branch of it from which Stephen Füzy descended. In addition to providing a wealth of details about the Füzys, it also confirms a long-standing family tradition which held that Steven's roots were planted firmly in titled Hungarian aristocracy who have since all but disappeared. Mrs. Durbin's research traces the family back some 500 years, shows the same family coat of arms which was carved into an amethest signet ring Stephen wore, etc.
We also must credit a major breakthrough to Mrs. Sue Wise of the Boys' Cathedral Latin School Alumni Association in Cleveland. In 1926 Füzy composed the school's Fight Song. To mark the occasion the school newspaper wrote about Füzy, providing many important -- but hitherto unknown -- facts about him. Sue found for us both the newspaper article and the music. Thanks, Sue, for some really pivotal help!
Please join this artistic, cultural and historical adventure! Search your old stacks of sheet music and your grandfather's attic. And if you are successful, contact us at either the e-mail address or phone number listed below. We are more than eager to credit you on this page with anything you come up with, and will be proud to add you to the roster of those for whom the past is worth caring about and preserving.
Biographical Notes:
Stephen Füzy was born Istvan Bela Laszlo Füzy in Eperjes, Saros Megye, Hungary (now Presov, Saris Region, Slovak, Republic/Slovakia) on July 19, 1886. His was a noble family with a remarkably well documented five-hundred-year history. His father, Istva Adam Ignac Füzy, was deeply involved in the Imerial Austro-Hungarian Army, making it no surprise that the compatatively genteel and courtly Stephen had to spend four years in a military school before graduating from (musical studies? at) the Imperial Academy in Budapest. However his musical gifts were clearly innate, and he had long been noted for giving piano concerns at socials for the Hungarian nobility at a very early age. Despite his rich family heritage he decided to come to the United States, perhaps to avoid any more of the militarism which was prevalent in the Austo-Hungarian Empire -- and much of the rest of the world -- at the time.
On April 8, 1912, then twenty-five years old, Stephen arrived in New York aboard the Campenello, and headed immediately for Bridgeport, Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia. In Wheeling he became organist for the Court Theater. He married in Wheeling as well, and his only child, Gladys Claire Füzy Sinay, was born there on March 3, 1914. Later Steven moved his family to Cleveland, Ohio, where he served as organist for the Monarch Theatre for five years, and at the Regents Theater for the next six years.
Stephen did his best to get his music published and brought before the attention of the musical world. He published several popular songs (see below). In this process he teamed up on occasion with Fred Heltman, well known in Cleveland as a composer of popular songs and also as a music publisher, and one or two other musicians. Stephen's music would have been heard in various places around Cleveland, including when he gave organ recitals (sometimes over radio station WHK ), or when played by Marice Spitalny's orchestra at the Statler Hotel or by Vitale's orchestra at the Park Theater.
It is known that Stephen's first wife died at a very early age. He remarried. Eventually he moved to Florida to be near his brother. It is assumed that he died in Florida, but for the present this remains unverified. The date of his death is also unknown
Known compositions:
1913: Hungarian Nights Rhapsodie (composed 1913? Never published? Known only in manuscript)
1919: Beautiful Stars Above, Published by Fred Heltman Co., Cleveland, Copyright Fred Heltman. Follow this link, scroll all the way down to "Beautiful Stars Above," and click on the little "loudspeaker" icon to hear an elegant player-piano version of this wonderful song:
http://www.iammp.org/rolldatabase.php?showpage=29
1920: On the Lagoon (Sobre La Laguna), Published by Fred Heltman Co., Cleveland, Ohio, Copyright Fred Heltman
1921: Night of Love, Published by Fred Heltman Co., Cleveland, Ohio, Copyright Fred Heltman
1924: Wings of Love, Published by Ludwig Music Publishing Co., Cleveland, Ohio, Copyright Ludwig Music
1924 Cathedral Latin School Song and March ("FIght Song") Published by Cathedral Latin School, Cleveland, CopyrightCathedral Latin School . Use this link (and click on the musical notes) to hear a delightful piano recording of Füzy's "Fight Song" still sung at many of the school's major athletic events:
http://www.clatin.com/school_songs.htm
??? The Woman Hater an operetta produced in Cleveland at National Hall during Stephen's lifetime but probably never published. Score lost
??? Little Mischief Maker an operetta produced in Cleveland at National Hall during Stephen's lifetime but probably never published. Score lost
Roger H. Fisher: rogerhfisher@gmail.com phone: 513-300-5081