The composers of the 20th century bring several innovations, resulting in a multitude of new musical movements, which will make this period to be the most intense and prolific era in all of music history. The representatives of the Hungarian School of composition is made up of Jenő Hubay, Ernő Dohnányi, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, and those who follow the footsteps of the new generation of Hungarian composers, later becoming some of the most famous and appreciated creators of their time, namely György Ligeti and György Kurtág. The present study will reflect upon the music of the 20th century and a creator of outstanding importance. Sándor Veress shaped and influenced many generations of composers and has continued the legacy of Bartók and Kodály in his own style. The three sections of the study will approach important biographical data of composer Sándor Veress, noting a few representative works from his oeuvre. The subchapter dedicated to his compositional style will broach upon the topic of the composition techniques used by the Hungarian creator, revealing both his sources of inspiration, as well as his ideas, his conceptual approach.

Keywords: Veress, Bartók, Kodály, Ligeti, Kurtág, threnos, folklore, dodecaphonic system