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

War Years (1914–1919)

WAR YEARS (1914-1919)

1917

10 July

- They have lunch with a family called Vas. Bartok is collecting in the barrack-camp of the 33rd infantry regiment of Arad, at this time 116 Hungarian, 36 Slovakian, and 53 Romanian songs, “hardly worth the expenses”.

11 July

- He is in Soborsin again; he continues the collecting on the 14th and 15th despite having a sore throat with fever.

16 July - He leaves Arad for Doboz

with

Tango to visit his sister.

The Arad county collection of this period contains songs originating from the communities of Monyoró,

Mikelaka,

Menyháza,

Marospetres,

Soborsin, Székudvar,

Tok, Torjás, Pernyefalva, and

from the town of Arad, collected partly on the spot, partly in the barracks. (Bartok puts the dates of the Arad collecting of marching songs as 16-18 July in his report to the Ministry of Defence, but this seems to be inaccurate due to the trip to Doboz.)

20 July - From Doboz

they

travel through Nagyvárad

to

Belényesörvényes

(Bihar county) where they stay at forester Izsiás

Mareles.

- In Nagyvárad they

meet Piroska

Hevesi, a

former pupil; then they have lunch at Bartoks cousin Otto

Voits family.

21 July - Tango falls ill which disturbs their further plans considerably. - On this day Bartok writes his wife: “’The Evening already proclaimed that Brody had written a Hungarian puppet (!) show for me on Bánffy

s

authority, entitled Vitéz

László? (The

Brave László)

“

At least now I finally know the title of my opus! There is a use for newspapers after all”.

22 July - He and Tango travel to Belényes

for

a medical examination.

23 July - During Tangos next medical examination Bartok returns to Belényesörvényes for

their luggage.

24 July - From here he writes his wife, then returns to Belényes.

28 July - He writes his wife from Belényesörvényes

again:

Tango has got malaria, so they will return. First he planned to accompany Tango only as far as Nagyvárad

and

go back for excursions “But then I changed my mind. Enough of wandering, I would like to be at home”.

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