Miklós Vig (11 July 1898 – 19 December 1944) was a Hungarian cabaret[1] and jazz[2][3] singer, actor, comedian[4] and theater secretary[1] in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Born in Budapest on 11 July 1898, he was murdered there on 19 December 1944 by members of the Arrow Cross.[5]

Miklós Vig
Miklós Vig
Miklós Vig
Background information
Birth nameMiklós Voglhut
Also known asMiklós Vig
Born11 July 1898
Budapest, Hungary
OriginHungary
Died19 December 1944(1944-12-19) (aged 46)
Budapest, Hungary

Background and biography

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Early life

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Vig was born Miklós Voglhut[6] in 1898 to Vilmos Vogelhut (1867-1942) and Roza Vogelhut (1870-1942) in a Hungarian Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary.[7][1] Although he went to acting school, he had better success as a cabaret singer. In 1924 as his career was picking up he changed his surname to Vig,[6] because Voglhut was a Jewish-sounding name and antisemitism was growing at the time. Vig means cheerful or merry in Hungarian.[6]

Family

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Other musicians from the Vig family include Vig's brother, saxophone and clarinet player György Vig,[3] and his nephew, jazz musician Tommy Vig.[8] Another nephew, John Vig, is a physicist and was president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2009.

Murder

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The fact that Vig was married to a Catholic woman, Kató Szőke, and the fact that he changed his name, did not save him from the Holocaust. On 19 December 1944 he was among a group of Jews who were bound, lined up along the banks of the Danube and machine-gunned into the river by Hungarian Nazis, members of the Arrow Cross Party.[citation needed] The Shoes on the Danube Promenade commemorates those who were murdered in this fashion.

Music and comedy

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1920's-era Intim Kabaré Poster advertising performances by Miklós Vig

Vig had his first major successes as a soloist, and later performed frequently in other cabarets including the Budapest Operetta Theatre and Budapest Orfeum. Although he made many recordings, he became most famous as a singer of popular music on the radio.[1] A 1935 article in Színházi Élet described Vig as a singer of popular sentimental songs.[9]

According to Gramofon (the Hungarian Jazz and Classical music magazine), Vig was considered part of the first generation of recorded Hungarian musicians.[10] When Deutsche Gramophone found themselves falling behind the competition, they signed Vig, who became their first dance-music star.[10]

As a comedian, he performed in the early 1920s at various cabarets including the Rakéta Kabaré, occasionally with female partner Annus Nagy.[4]

Discography

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Date of Release Title Label
1929 Akácvirág akácvirág Polydor
Délután mosogatás után[11] Polydor
1929 Egyszer voltam a bálban... Polydor
1938 Én nem tudom már, hogy minek becézzelek...[12] Radiola
1929 Éppen csak a szivem fáj Polydor
1929 Éva keringö Polydor
1929 Feketeszemű kis párom[13]
1929 Gyöngyvirág Polydor
1938 Hallod te ló...[12] Radiola
1929 Hej, Kikelt ucca 3![13]
Hogy is tudtam eddig élni nélküled
Illúzió a szerelem
1929 Jönnél te még... Polydor
1929 Kadarka nóta Polydor
1929 Konstantinápoly Polydor
1929 Lesz-e párom már a nyáron? Polydor
1929 Madridban Polydor
1929 Majd ha újra sírni tudsz... Ervé
1927 Malvin, ne húzza el a derekát[13]
1929 Messze van a Mester ucca Polydor
1931 Minden ugy lesz, ahogy te kivánod Polydor
Minden veréb tudja[12] Polydor
Mondd, nem kívánsz te túl sokat
1929 Mostanában mind a bárban... Ervé
1929 Nekem nem kell szerelem Polydor
Őszi Fekete fellegek
1929 Pici piros, kicsi csókos szája[13]
1931 Sose jön egy szebb Polydor
1929 Szép volt... Polydor
1929 Szeresd a régi muzsikát Polydor
1929 Szervusz Polydor
Szibill levele
1938 Szombat vasárnap[12] Radiola
1930 Szomorú nyárfalevél[11] Polydor
1929 Tarka Lepkém Polydor
Tubicám[11] Polydor
Valamit a kis fülébe[11] Polydor
1929 Valami van magában... Polydor
1930 A vén Tabánban[11] Polydor
1929 Vig Miklósnak jó kedve van Polydor
1929 A Volga rabja (Ey uchnjem)... Polydor

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Hungarian Electronic Library (in Hungarian)
  2. ^ The JAZZ Discography
  3. ^ a b Magyar Jazzkutatási Társaság (in Hungarian)
  4. ^ a b SzocHáló Társadalomtudomány Archived 2024-05-24 at archive.today (in Hungarian)
  5. ^ Yad Vashem A Page of Testimony
  6. ^ a b c Voglhut Family History, by Imre Voglhut, unpublished
  7. ^ "Miklós Vig". geni_family_tree. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  8. ^ "All About Jazz". Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
  9. ^ Ökotáj Színházi Élet, 1935. 32. szám (in Hungarian)
  10. ^ a b Gramofon – Klasszikus és Jazz 1997.10.01 by Oldal Gábor (in Hungarian)
  11. ^ a b c d Hungarian Jazz Discography 1905-2000 by Géza Gábor Simon, Budapest, 2005. ISBN 963-219-002-5
  12. ^ a b c d Szerenád Média (in Hungarian)
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