Kayamar

Kayamar
(Kayamar) Viktor Magyaróvári
Background information
Birth name Viktor Magyaróvári
Also known as Kayamar
Born (1986-05-12) May 12, 1986
Origin Mezőhegyes, Hungary
Genres jazz, a cappella, vocal, classical, looper pedalist
Years active 2005 (2005) – present
Website kayamarmusic.com
Notable instruments
singing, looper pedal

Viktor Magyaróvári (born 12 May 1985) known by his stage name Kayamar, is a Hungarian singer, jazz and classical composer. He has abilities in the areas of hearing (Hertz-pitch that is even more precise than absolute pitch), vocal range (it is proven that he has more than 5 octaves from Ab0-C6 being one of the lowest basses in the world) and improvisation (also known as the Hungarian Bobby McFerrin).

Kayamar gained recognition from the media in 2011 when he won the 1st prize in the T-mobile's composers' competition.[1] His stage name is derived from the anagram of his birth name (Kayamar Vorti Virgo in the full form) that is also his name in his Tolkien-like self-invented language, the kamirami. This language has grammar and concrete vocabulary, Kayamar is also able to compose and speak in it.[2] He composes and sing in the genre of jazz, classical and pop either.[3]

Early life

Viktor Magyaróvári was born in Gyula, Hungary, but spent his childhood in a small country town, called Mezőhegyes. His talent has revealed soon and after a few years of special private lessons of solfege and harmonization the pianist, Gábor Eckhardt invited him to the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music. His parents have decided to follow him and he moved to Budapest with his family soon, at the age of 13. His first professor was Gábor Ugrin who taught him conducting. After the voice break it revealed soon that his vocal chords are able to resonate in an extremely wide spectrum while his voice does not lose its flexibility. Although he studied classical (opera) singing for a long time, it took him more than 10 years of autodidact practising to have the total control over his capabilities.

After the Conservatory he won admission to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music where he studied conducting. He never participated in official composition classes.

Career

First music groups

In the Conservatory Kayamar sought for partners and founded the a capella music group called Elements. They sang jazz standards and choral music besides Kayamar's own compositions. His next production is tied to Anna Molnár he founded Vianne with. They cooperation resulted in some successful recordings of a capellas, like Randy Newman's Short People or the Siyahamba, a Zulu song, but the breakthrough did not yet occur.

Getting on the spotlight

Windsingers performing in the Telki Festival

Kayamar signed his contract with his future manager, László Ágoston in 2011 and published his first YouTube video of a medley of his own compositions soon after. Among classical musicians this became popular fast, but they got real media attention after Kayamar's first Guinness World Record attempt on singing the lowest bass line ever. He won the 1st prize in T-mobile's composers' competition and started to perform on stage soon. The only disadvantage of this hype was that Kayamar became famous as the lowest bass of Hungary while he wanted to be successful mainly as a composer and jazz singer.

Finding his place

Kayamar was invited to perform in places like the Palace of Arts or the music festival, the Sziget. He published his first CD with his own compositions on the lyrics of the Dutch singer-songwriter Robert Keder in December, 2012. He performs alone but also with the Moltopera Company, Renáta Göncz and his a capella group, the Windsingers.

Extremities

Vocal range

Kayamar's vocal range is more than 5 octaves from Ab0 (a semitone lower than the last note on the piano) to C6. His best known recording - ’’The Old Ship of Sion’’ - is a Guinness word record attempt on singing the lowest bass line ever, in a multitrack video. In one of his TV interviews even a medical specialist for the larynx was asked to examine him to "find out the secret".[4]

The Hertz-pitch

Kayamar has a so-called logarithmic or Hertz-pitch better than the absolute pitch that is widely considered to be the highest level of musical hearing. He is able not just to identify and re-create musical notes without using a reference but he can tell how many Hertz he hears or sings. This way Kayamar is able to use much smaller intervals than quarter tones.[5]

"The Hungarian Bobby McFerrin"

Kayamar's real speciality is the multitrack improvisation - he composes real time in multiple parts. He has composed choral works live or cooperated with guest singers but is also able to use his own voice with an instrument called looper pedal. He records and plays back the parts of a vocal or choir and improvises over it. For this unique technique he is many times compared to the American jazz a capella vocalist and conductor Bobby McFerrin.[6][7]

Albums published

Music from the wind (2012 demo-album)

  1. The Wind Song
  2. Dark Desert
  3. Underground
  4. Shadow Rose
  5. The Great Escape
  6. Tears Endrolet
  7. The Raining Days
  8. Come Again
  9. Going Places
  10. Silence
  11. Lines
  12. Via Dies Irae – Haragom napja
  13. The Spider Web
  14. Nature Waves
  15. Wind Song Reprise

Sources

  1. ↑ "Kihirdették a ReZene, reklámfilmzene-pályázat nyerteseit!". t-mobile.hu/ (in Hungarian). February 16, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  2. ↑ Dániel, Végh (December 6, 2011). "Kayamar: "Váratlanul ért, hogy ennyien érdeklődnek irántam"". fidelio (in Hungarian). Fidelio Média Kft. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  3. ↑ Botond, Józsa (November 22, 2011). "Tenor a kontra-oktávban". fidelio (in Hungarian). Fidelio Média Kft. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  4. ↑ Kurucz, Róbert (November 2011). "A legmélyebb magyar basszus". Aktív. TV2.
  5. ↑ Levente, Bucsy (November 18, 2011). "Nagyot fog szólni ez a srác". Magyar Nemzet Online (in Hungarian). Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Kayamar első élő showja". zene.hu (in Hungarian). May 7, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  7. ↑ Endre, Tóth (February 22, 2012). "A magyar Bobby McFerrin?". fidelio.hu (in Hungarian). Fidelio Média Kft. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
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