Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)

Settling In Budapest. Systematic Collection of Folk Songs (1907–1913)

1911

CHRONICLES OF BÉLA

BARTOK'S

LIFE

much, especially not at night”.

9 March

- Béla

Bartok

and his wife get a tax warning (No. 17099) from the Department of Accountancy of District 6 about 39 K (crowns) back taxes.

He is asked to participate in a concert organised for the end of March on occasion of the Liszt centenary. Not having practised for months this takes up a lot of his time.

26 March

- He plays Liszts Piano Concerto in E flat major at a public stage rehearsal, then on the 27th at the concert of the Philharmonic Society, conducted by Jenő

Hubay.

“It was a nice evening, quite a good performance considering” - Bartok writes later.

27 March

- He writes Delius in Grez-sur-Loing that he liked Lebensmesse

in Vienna very much. He also gives an account of working on a oneact which is unusual for him, and of having a new orchestral piece {Two Pictures).

29 March

- The Hungarian Ethnographic Society inaugurates him among its committee members. - He notifies Mrs János

Bu§i|ia

that he has to postpone his trip to Belényes

again

- this time for longer - because he is invited to a Congress of Music in Rome.

31 March

- He travels to Rome, staying at Pension Francini. Kodály

is

also participating at the congress. According to his recollection, originally other people were to be sent, so not having time to prepare a presentation, now they participated only as spectators.

4 April

- On the first day of the congress presentations are given by, among others, a music writer from Paris, Michael D. Calvocoressi

and

a Finnish folk song researcher, Ilmari Krohn, both of whom Bartok would later develop close connections with.

9 April

- He writes a postcard to Etelka

M.

Freund.

10 April

- The participants of the congress take an excursion to Anzio- Nettuno (Lazio).

11 April

- The congress comes to an end. Bartok writes his sister on a 128