Júlia Hajdú

Júlia Hajdú (8 September 1925 – 23 October 1987) was a Hungarian composer and pianist known for her light music compositions, and is considered to be the first female Hungarian operetta writer. She was also known for writing the song "Pest megér egy estet" (Pest is Worth a Night) and co-founding and contributing to Magyar Televízió.

Early life and education Júlia Hajdú was born into a Jewish family in Budapest on 8 September 1925. Her father was a journalist, and her family owned an amusement park in Budapest called "English Park". Hajdú would later state that her love of operettas began when her parents took her to watch Denevér (The Bat) at the theatre when she was aged four.

Her first foray into a musical career came when she was twelve, when one of her songs was played on the radio. She attended the Budapest Academy of Music, where she was tutored in folk music by Zoltán Kodály and composition and instrumentation with György Ránki. She was also taught orchestration by Pál Kadosa. Hajdú ultimately graduated from the academy with honours as a piano teacher. She also worked as singer and actress Hanna Honthy's pianist and accompanied her on tours abroad including Canada and the United States.

Personal life and death

She married actor and announcer István Pajor in 1946. She was Pajor's third wife.

Hajdú died in Budapest on 23 October 1987, at the age of 62.

Works The number of operettas Hajdú composed over her career is disputed, but is thought to be either 14 or 26. Selected works include: Csak a szépre emlékezem (I Only Remember the Good Times)

Her works have been recorded and issued on CD, including: Evergreen Melodies (April 22, 2003) Hungaroton, ASIN: B00008ZL87