Electroacoustic Music Studio of the Hungarian Radio

The Electroacoustic Music Studio of the Hungarian Radio was a music workshop which sought to create an opportunity for Hungarian sound engineers and composers to expand their knowledge on electroacoustic music. The beginning of Hungarian electroacoustic music is inseparable from the figure of composer of Zoltán Pongrácz (1912–2007), who began familiarizing himself with this genre in the middle of the 1960s after he listened to a Dutch radio series.

Then, Zoltán Pongrácz - and later composer Iván Patachich (1922–1993) - began exploring this new composition method in Utrecht. They created their first works in foreign studios (in Pozsony, Belgrade, etc.) due to a lack of the necessary technology in Hungary at the time. In 1972, Patachich founded the first Hungarian workshop for electronic music (Exaustud) at the Hungarian Filmmaker Company. In 1973, the Hungarian Radio bought a MOOG III/C synthesizer, which was the latest and most modern studio synthesizer at the time. With this synthesizer, the Electroacoustic Music Studio of Hungarian Radio was established in 1974, though it was only officially founded in 1975 under the art direction of János Dezsényi. István Horváth became the sound engineer at the Studio. Zoltán Pongrácz – who was the first to be able to work in the Studio – was able to introduce the study of electronic music at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. At first this course was optional, but later it became mandatory. The course was supervised by Pongrácz himself and located at the studio of the Hungarian Radio. The studio produced several successful albums (such as Hungarian Electronic Music - 1979; Gábor Kósa: Contemporary Hungarian Percussion Music - 1980, etc.) but was closed by the Hungarian Radio on April 2nd, 2007 - one day before the death of Zoltán Pongrácz.

References

• "Keuler Jenő - A magyar elektronikus zene pionírja" - http://www.parlando.hu/2012/2012-1/2012-1-21.htm