Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1981. július-december (35. évfolyam, 27-50. szám)

1981-09-10 / 34. szám

AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ

BARTOK’S ARRIVAL IN AMERICA

With all that has been written about Bartók recently, I have seen nothing about the circumstances of the composer’s first arrival to this country. Perhaps.your readers would be interested in knowing that it was E. Robert Schmitz, founding director of the Pro-Musica Society, an organization devoted to bringing European music to America and vice versa, who first sponsored Bartók in the U.S. Schmitz, a French concert pianist, educator and entrepreneur, came to this country after World War I on concert tours, and in 1920, launched an international society called the Franco-American Musical Society. Later, the name was changed to Pro-Musica, Incorporated. This association became one of the most powerful of several societies actively engaged in promoting new music. By

1930, Pro-Musica had over 40 thriving chapters all over the U.S. and in Honolulu, Canada, London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Shanghai and Moscow. Among the composers Schmitz introduced to America

were Ravel, Tansman, Casella, Prokofiev, Kodály, Respighi and Bartók.

Schmitz first wrote to Bartók in Budapest in 1924 to invite him to make a tour of the States for Pro-Musica chapters. Bartók responded that he had made arrangements with the Baldwin piano company for a ten-weeks’ tour to begin 15 January 1926, but due to illness, the composer could not make that trip. Schmitz then proceeded to arrange sponsorship for Bartók’s arrival late in 1927. Winthrop Tryon in Boston’s Christian Science Monitor of 6 June 1925 quoted Schmitz as follows:

A new man in Bartók. He will be heard, according to present arrangements, in St. Paul, Kansas City, Denver, Portland, and San Francisco. I hope he will be able to give lectures, showing the evolution of music ifi Hungary.... Most important of all, he is a modernist composer and he will be present- < ing works by himself and Kodály, and other • Hungarians. He can bring our audiences up to date as far as his country is concerned. tr You see, when we want goulash, we go to the-right place for it; and when we want an ’Italian dish, we do likewise. Along with Bartók, we shall have Casella, and from the two men we ought to get a good notion of a couple of modem tendencies that are very active and at the same time quite unlike. Bartók faced an American audience for the first time as soloist with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall on 22 December 1927, with Mengelberg conducting the composer’s Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra. Twenty-five concerts followed, in New York and other cities. Many of the appearances were lecture- recitals about Hungarian national music.

After Bartók’s return to Hungary, Schmitz asked for an article about Hungarian music for the Pro-Musica Quarterly. It appeared in 1928 with the title, “The Folk Music of Hungary,” and a draft of the article in Bartók’s hand exists in the private collection of E. Robert Schmitz’s daughter in Canada.

Vivian Perlis Yale University

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I noted the following item in a neighborhood newspaper. I feel our readers will appreciate its publication- M.B. Bronx,NY.

David Stockman, who spent his draft-age years as a Divinity student, makes one wonder if he majored in primitive religions and thereby became an expert in human sacrifice and cannibalism.

Since poor people are to be classified as the needy and the truly needy, wealthy people have demanded equal treatment. Senator Heinz suggested 57 varieties but this was reduced to the rich, the idle rich and the filthy rich. When workfare becomes a reality, welfare recipients could be sent to work in the homes of the idle rich, insuring that they maintain their bracket. Should they choose to give their workfarers leftovers and hand-me-downs, they could take extra tax deductions while at the same time the checks of the recipients would be reduced, saving tax dollars.

According to the experts, the trouble with American industry is a shortage of engineers, mathematicians and scientists: the administration is remedying the situation by putting the price of a college education out of reach of the majority of American students.

On theTrade Unions

“ With all their faults, trade unions have done more for humanity than any other organization of men that ever existed. They have done more for decency, for honesty, for education, for the betterment of the race, for the development of character of man, than any other association of men.” Clarence Darrow, Article in the Railroad Trainman Journal, Nov. 1909.

PLEASE GIVE THIS COPY TO A FREND

Let us learn Hungarian

TRAVELING

I’m making a trip of the East European countries. I want to see for myself what life is like in Hungary today.

I'm on a study louri

I’ve come over from Vienna [Prague] for a couple of days.

I’ve come to see some relatives [acquaintances], I’m staying with them.

From Hungary I’m going on to Czechoslovakia [Rumania,

A ustria, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Poland,

East Germany],

UTAZAS

Látogató körúton vagyok a kelet-európai országokban. Látni akarom, milyen az élet a mai Magyar- országon.

Tanulmányúton vagyok.

Bécsből [Prágából] jöttem át egy pár napra.

Rokonokat [ismerősöket] jöttem meglátogatni. Náluk lakom.

Magyarországról továbbmegyek Csehszlovákiába [Romániába, Ausztriába, a Szovjetunióba, Jugoszláviába, Lengyelországba, Kelet-Német- országba].

After Budapest I'd like to see the country [Lake Balaton],

This is my first visit to Hungary.

I want to see Dunaújváros.

I’ve been in Hunqary before.

I was in Hungary before the war.

Which hotel are you slaying at?

Budapest után szerelném látni a vidéket [a Balatont] is.

Először vagyok Magyarországon.

Meg akarom nézni Dunaújvárost.

Már voltam Magyar- országon.

A háború előtt (már) voltam Magyar- országon.

Melyik szállodában lakik?

AMERIKAI v

MAGYAR SZÓ

USPS 023-980 ISSN 0194-7990 Published weekly, égte. last week in July and 1st 2 weeks in August by Hungarian Word Inc. Inc. 130 E 16 St. New York. N.Y. 10003.

Ent. as 2nd Class Matter, Dec. 31. 1952under the Act of March. 21.1879, at the P.O. of New York, N.Y.

Szerkeszti a Szerkesztő Bizottság Előfizetési árak New Yorkban, az Egyesült Államokban egy e'vre $ 18.- félévre 4 10.- Kanadaban es minden más külföldi országban egy évre $ 20.- félévre $ 12.- Postiqastert Send address changes to Hungarian Word, Inc. 130 E 16 St.

New York, N.Y. 10003.

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A Hungarian American Editor in Hungary

jj (Continued from last week)

Hungary has been devastated for the second time in 11 years. It was nearly destroyed during World War II by the fighting between German and Russian soldiers. It had taken a decade to rebuild the nation. In 1956 Hungary was again struggling to rebuild the economy.

Kádár knew his options were limited. He pumped money into consumer-oriented enterprises. Farmers were encouraged to produce more food. Politically things began to loosen up. Our family stuck around for a few years. Then we were permitted to leave for the West.

“Welcome back to Hungary’’-said the customs officer at the Ferihegy Airport outside Budapest. “Anything to declare?” “Not really”- I said, “just a few gifts.” “You may go then”- said he. And within minutes, the cab was taking me into the heart of Budapest.

I remember a burned-out tank near a main avenue in 1956. Today there is a hot dog stand there. The small booth had a sign on it “Hot Dog.” It was selling for 12 forints,about 40 cents. Business was brisk.

The Hungarian Radio Station is located on Sándor Bródy Street. I had a two-hour private visit to chat with Vilmos Gáti, a senior editor of Szúlőfol- dem (My Native Land) that beams programs in Hungarian and several foreign languages to dozens of countries.

“Our definition of news is different from yours”, Gáti said. “We try to educate people. Your motto is ‘Get it first, but first set it right.’ Speed and accuracy both equally important for you. Here, speed is less important.”

The news media is controlled by the Hungarian state. There is no competition. Hungary has only one wire service. Gati said Hungarians were worried about the Reagan administration’s plans to spend billions more on new weapons systems.

“Once you get more sophisticated weapons” he said, “the temptation will be there to use them”.

In private conversations many Hungarians express concern about the Polish situation. “We have no shortages in Hungary”, a young locomotive engineer said. “Our life is relatively good here, all the meat you want to eat. American cigarettes, French cognac, Japanese stereo, you name it, it’s all available at the stores if you have the money. But Poland is a different matter. The Poles are nearly starving. It seems they have a strike every day. We are afraid that the Russians will intervene there.”

Another Hungarian put it this way. “It,’s really a no-win situation for the Russians. It they don’t get involved in Poland, the Communist Party might totally lose control and then what’s going to happen? And if they do get in there, who is going to feed millions of Poles.”

The general attitude about Poland is concern * that Soviet intervention may result in a hardening of Hungarian internal policies.

An elderly barber employed at a fashionable Vaci Street establishment said, “Right now, things are going well in Hungary. Our government has a philosophy of ‘live and let live ’ We are looking to the West more and more. We want trade and want to travel.”

Indeed, the only queue I saw in Budapest was one at the ibusz travel agency, with people lining up to buy tour tickets to the West.

Thursday, Sep. 10. 1981. 2.