Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
War Years (1914–1919)
1917 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 9 May - He sleeps at his father-in-laws’. 10 May - He is expecting his wife and son from Doboz. 12 May - In the afternoon the three of them go to the Puppet Theatre, to the performance of Béla Balázs’s puppet-show The Fisherman and the Silver of the Moon, which Balázs dedicated to Béla Bartok Jnr and published in the same volume as The Wooden Prince dedicated to Béla Bartok. Bartok found the text of the puppet-show a bit vulgar. - In the evening the premiere of The Wooden Prince was performed musically impeccably despite all the sinister omens, with practically unanimous success. - The work was performed again on the 15th, 19th and 28th, with unabated success. 23 May - From Rákoskeresztúr Bartok writes Pongrác Kacsoh on behalf of a former pupil of his, Mrs Fischer b. Stefánia Szalay to be employed as piano teacher. 4 June - He travels from Rákosliget to Budapest; he writes a note into the complaint book of the Eastern Railway Station about the captious behaviour of their employee in Rákosliget. The Central Management of MÁV acknowledged the rightfulness of his complaint on 3 July (under No. 38376/III.) and took appropriate measures. 7 June - He introduces the plan of another tour in Bihar to Bu§i|ia from Rákoskeresztúr; this time he also wants to take along Egisto Tango. The success of The Wooden Prince brought back Bartoks vigour on the one hand, on the other hand it changed the previously negative attitude of the Opera House regarding Bluebeards Castle. 17 June - Bartok informs the Director of the Opera House: “I can check and hand in the orchestral score of the Bluebeard before 15 July”. 21 June - He is in Budapest. 7 July - He travels to Soborsin (Arad county) with Egisto Tango. 8 July - Here “collecting ... went quite well considering conditions”. 9 July - He and Tango go to Arad, where they stay in a hotel and have lunch with a family called Lowy (Tangos acquaintances). 170
