Sebestyén Tinódi (before 1515 -1556)

Composer, singer and poet born into a prosperous peasant family. He started off as a student of Bálint Török learning to play on the lute and after lord Török was captured by the Turks he was patronised by Imre Istvánffy. He lived the lifestyle of a border fortress valiant, and personally fought against the Turks and getting injured. Around 1544 he was given civil rights in Kassa where he bought a house and produced the majority of his work there. In the autumn of 1552 he spent time in Eger. As a recognition of his poetical work he was raised to the ranks of the nobility, the hand holding a sword on his coat of arms supposedly symbolising his injury. Near the end of his life he lived in Tamás Nádasdy's court. His patron of art and the bailiff of Sárvár delivered the following words at his funeral: "Sebestyén Tinódi found despicable this mortal music, and so did go forth to the celestials that he might learn of something more amidst the angels".

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