Attila Pacsay
Encyclopedia
Attila Pacsay is a Hungarian
composer
who is particularly known for his music written for films, television, and the theatre. His compositions encompass a wide variety of music from chamber music
and symphonic works
to jazz
pieces and contemporary music.
He began his musical studies in piano, trumpet, and trombone at age 7. A few years later, he started preparing for a career as composer. His compositions were performed by his own band. At age 14, he was accepted in the composition class of László Draskóczy and Attila Reményi at the János Richter
Conservatory in the city of Győr
. He received his college degree in composition at the Budapest Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, where he studied in the class of Emil Petrovics.
After graduation, Mr. Pacsay began working as freelancer. Initially, he composed music for television and radio programs, and, in 1997, he met his childhood musician friend the director Géza M. Tóth, who was searching for a composer for his animated films. Their collaboration resulted in hundreds of short animated television ID-s and several animated short films.
During these years, besides film scores, Mr. Pacsay composed music for theater and prepared symphonic music arrangement
s.
Pacsay has collaborated on films with such notable directors as Ferenc Rofusz
, Ferenc Cako
, and Géza M. Tóth. For his work on the film Ergo he won the award for Best Sound Design at the Animanima International Animation Festival in 2008, the prize for Best Film Score at the Kecskemet Animation Film Festival in 2009, the award for Best Film Music at the Asolo Art Film Festival in 2010 and Best Sound Design Award at the ANIFEST ROZAFA 2010, Albania. For the music and sound design
of Geza M. Toth's short feature film Mama he won "The Leo" Best Music Award at the 23rd Braunschweig Film Festival in 2009. He also notably wrote the music for the computer animated short film Maestro
which was nominated for Best Animated Short Film during the 79th Academy Awards
in 2007.
Besides his work as film composer, Mr. Pacsay is constantly present at other areas of the music scene. For example, his classical orchestration
s are on the repertoire of, among others, the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra of the city of Veszprém
. In the lighter genres, Mr. Pacsay is known as the permanent orchestrator for Tibor Tátrai.
2011: "It Happened in TLV" (directed by Balazs Juszt)
2010: Szofita Land (directed by Szofita)
2009: "Orsolya" (directed by Bella Szederkényi)
2009: "Freeze" (directed by Balázs Tóth)
2009: Mama (directed by Géza M. Tóth)
2009: Detti and Drot (directed by István Heim)
2009: Touch (directed by Ferenc Cakó)
2008: Ergo (directed by Géza M. Tóth)
2007: Face (directed by Ferenc Cakó
)
2006: Ready, Steady, Money! (directed by Miklós Varga and Zoltán Szalay)
2006: Deja Vu (directed by Béla Klingl)
2005: Maestro (directed by Géza M.Tóth)
2004: Dog's Life (directed by Ferenc Rofusz
)
2003: Crash (directed by Zsolt Richly)
2001: Piroska's World, Part 5-6 (directed by István Heim)
2000: Urasima Taro (directed by Éva Mandula)
1999: Piroska's World, Part 1-4 (directed by István Heim)
1998: From To (directed by László Hegedűs II)
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who is particularly known for his music written for films, television, and the theatre. His compositions encompass a wide variety of music from chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
and symphonic works
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
to jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pieces and contemporary music.
He began his musical studies in piano, trumpet, and trombone at age 7. A few years later, he started preparing for a career as composer. His compositions were performed by his own band. At age 14, he was accepted in the composition class of László Draskóczy and Attila Reményi at the János Richter
Hans Richter (conductor)
Hans Richter was an Austrian orchestral and operatic conductor.-Biography:Richter was born in Raab , Kingdom of Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire. His mother was opera-singer Jozsefa Csazenszky. He studied at the Vienna Conservatory...
Conservatory in the city of Győr
Gyor
-Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...
. He received his college degree in composition at the Budapest Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, where he studied in the class of Emil Petrovics.
After graduation, Mr. Pacsay began working as freelancer. Initially, he composed music for television and radio programs, and, in 1997, he met his childhood musician friend the director Géza M. Tóth, who was searching for a composer for his animated films. Their collaboration resulted in hundreds of short animated television ID-s and several animated short films.
During these years, besides film scores, Mr. Pacsay composed music for theater and prepared symphonic music arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s.
Pacsay has collaborated on films with such notable directors as Ferenc Rofusz
Ferenc Rófusz
Ferenc Rofusz is a Hungarian animator.-Biography:Rofusz was born in 1946 in Budapest. His interest in animation and film making started relatively early. During his studies he took special drawing and animating courses. He started to work at the Hungarian film studio Mafilm as set designer, set...
, Ferenc Cako
Ferenc Cako
Ferenc Cakó is a Hungarian artist whose specialty is performing sand animation.He graduated from the College for Creative Arts in 1973 and did amateur animation at that point. His first success was in 1982 and in 1989 he was named artist of the Hungarian People's Republic...
, and Géza M. Tóth. For his work on the film Ergo he won the award for Best Sound Design at the Animanima International Animation Festival in 2008, the prize for Best Film Score at the Kecskemet Animation Film Festival in 2009, the award for Best Film Music at the Asolo Art Film Festival in 2010 and Best Sound Design Award at the ANIFEST ROZAFA 2010, Albania. For the music and sound design
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
of Geza M. Toth's short feature film Mama he won "The Leo" Best Music Award at the 23rd Braunschweig Film Festival in 2009. He also notably wrote the music for the computer animated short film Maestro
Maestro (film)
Maestro is a 2005 Hungarian computer-animated short film written, produced and directed by Géza M. Tóth. It was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 79th Academy Awards in 2007. Composer Attila Pacsay wrote the film's music....
which was nominated for Best Animated Short Film during the 79th Academy Awards
79th Academy Awards
The 79th Academy Awards ceremony , honored the best films of 2006 and took place on February 25, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on ABC. Ellen DeGeneres hosted the ceremony for the first time. The producer was Laura Ziskin. The announcers were Don LaFontaine and Gina Tuttle.The nominees were...
in 2007.
Besides his work as film composer, Mr. Pacsay is constantly present at other areas of the music scene. For example, his classical orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
s are on the repertoire of, among others, the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra of the city of Veszprém
Veszprém
Veszprém is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name.-Location:...
. In the lighter genres, Mr. Pacsay is known as the permanent orchestrator for Tibor Tátrai.
Film and television scores
2011: "Henry Waltz" (directed by Emil Goodman)2011: "It Happened in TLV" (directed by Balazs Juszt)
2010: Szofita Land (directed by Szofita)
2009: "Orsolya" (directed by Bella Szederkényi)
2009: "Freeze" (directed by Balázs Tóth)
2009: Mama (directed by Géza M. Tóth)
2009: Detti and Drot (directed by István Heim)
2009: Touch (directed by Ferenc Cakó)
2008: Ergo (directed by Géza M. Tóth)
2007: Face (directed by Ferenc Cakó
Ferenc Cako
Ferenc Cakó is a Hungarian artist whose specialty is performing sand animation.He graduated from the College for Creative Arts in 1973 and did amateur animation at that point. His first success was in 1982 and in 1989 he was named artist of the Hungarian People's Republic...
)
2006: Ready, Steady, Money! (directed by Miklós Varga and Zoltán Szalay)
2006: Deja Vu (directed by Béla Klingl)
2005: Maestro (directed by Géza M.Tóth)
2004: Dog's Life (directed by Ferenc Rofusz
Ferenc Rófusz
Ferenc Rofusz is a Hungarian animator.-Biography:Rofusz was born in 1946 in Budapest. His interest in animation and film making started relatively early. During his studies he took special drawing and animating courses. He started to work at the Hungarian film studio Mafilm as set designer, set...
)
2003: Crash (directed by Zsolt Richly)
2001: Piroska's World, Part 5-6 (directed by István Heim)
2000: Urasima Taro (directed by Éva Mandula)
1999: Piroska's World, Part 1-4 (directed by István Heim)
1998: From To (directed by László Hegedűs II)