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

War Years (1914–1919)

1916

CHRONICLES OF BÉLA

BARTOK'S

LIFE

21 December

- He goes to Budapest with his family for Christmas shopping (they cant get on the first train, there is such a crowd).

24 December

- They spend Christmas in Rákoshegy.

26 December

- Bartok travels to Zólyom

county

for the fourth time, where on the 27th, 28th and 29th he collects in Feketebalog.

1916

1 and 2 January - He collects in Pónik.

4 January - He sets out for home. On his way from Zólyom

he

writes a postcard to his sister - “I think I will cease my work for the time being, all the bother with these trains is boring after all” - and to his mother: “I might be in Zólyom

county

for the last time, at least for now, as long as i.e. the war goes on”. (He will be back already by Easter.)

Jn January Bartoks sister and family got transferred to another Wenckheim estate, to the Rudolf farm belonging to the community Doboz

of

Békés county,

thus the connection with the Vésztő

region

ceases for some time.

Jn the first week of February Bartok travels to Pozsony

and

Vienna, probably in order to get himself a permission for organised folk song collecting at the military formations.

At the end of February he is ill again.

2 March - The Minister of Hungarian Defence issues mandate No. 2246/ élsz. 11-1916

for recording marching songs in Hungarian barracks, and the joint Ministry of War gives authorisation for the same under No. 5465/1916.

Conditions of catering and getting provisions are deteriorating steadily.

4 March - His mother writes to Rákoskeresztúr:

“

You do right to still have your family eat meat every once in a while”.

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