Profile of Ervin Litkei

Born:

December 19, 1921

Birthplace:

Budapest, Hungary

Died:

February 8, 2000 in his Manhattan residence due to pulmonary embolism.

Also Known As:

Ervin Litkei was a composer and music executive who founded several companies including Arovox Record Corporation, Galiko Music and Film Enterprises, and Olympia Record Industries. He was also the president of several recording and publishing companies namely Aurora Records, Hanlit Publications, Jade Panther Corporation of America, JazzMania Records and Leona Music Publishing.

Type of Compositions:

Litkei composed orchestral works, a piano concerto and a symphonic piece. He also composed music for television and films. Litkei is most notable for his patriotic marches which he dedicated to political figures, specifically for U.S. Presidents. The first march he composed for a U.S. President was "The Franklin D. Roosevelt March."

Influence:

Ervin Litkei studied music at the Music Conservatory of Hungary and then immigrated to the United States in 1948. His works reflect the marches of John Philip Sousa.

Notable Works:

Litkei was a passionate composer of marches of which he wrote for U.S. Presidents; from Roosevelt to Bush. Each march has a specific characteristic reflective of that person's character as perceived by the composer.

Patriotic Marches

The Franklin D. Roosevelt March

The Harry S. Truman March

The President Dwight D. Eisenhower March

The President John F. Kennedy March

The President Lyndon Baines Johnson March

The President Richard M. Nixon March

The President Gerald R. Ford March

The President Jimmy Carter March

The President Ronald Reagan March

The President Bill Clinton March

The President George Bush March

Other Works:

The Bicentennial March (for the 1976 celebration)

The Captured 50 (for the hostages held inside the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran)

The Common Ground (for the meeting of two political figures; Eisenhower and Khrushchev)

The Torch of Peace (written during the Gulf War)

American War Veterans March

A Salute to President Gorbachev

A Salute to the First Lady March (for Hillary Clinton)

The Atlantic and Pacific Suite

War and Remembrance

The Disney World March (performed during the opening of Disney World in 1972)

Interesting Facts:

"The President Lyndon Baines Johnson March" and "The President George Bush March" was played during these presidents' inaugurations. Aside from being a composer, Ervin Litkei was an architect who studied at the University of Hungary. His wife, Andrea Fodor, was a poet who had published several books of poetry. Andrea wrote the lyrics to her husband's marches. The couple has one daughter; Cathy Litkei Greene.

Additional Resources:

More information is available at Jeff Greene's blog.