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

After World War I (1920–1921)

AFTER WORLD WAR I (1 920-1 921)

1921

19 August

- He leaves Anger for Weiz.

20 August

- He returns home to Budapest via Fehring.

23 August

- He goes to Kertmeg Puszta

to

his wife and son. (His departure is dated 23 August in the guest book of the Anger hotel, but this is obviously a mistake.)

5 September

- From Kertmeg he returns to Budapest with his family.

13 September

- From Budapest he sends a completed orchestral score to Vienna (evidently the Four Pieces for Orchestra Op. 12 mentioned on 17 August).

Bartoks brother-in-law Emil

Oláh Tóth was

transferred from his post in Kertmeg Puszta

to

another Wenckheim estate, the László

farm

of Szöllős

Puszta belonging

to the community Békéssámson,

and

they are moving there around this time. The nearest railway station and post office is Orosháza

(Békés county),

and Kaszaper

Puszta Alsó on

the line of the First Economic Railway of the Great Plain. Later on, during the rearrangement of the area the László

farm

region (till then part of Békéssámson)

got

annexed to the community of Pusztaföldvár.

So all the various addresses in the correspondence indicate this place.

24 September - Bartok writes Michael Calvocoressi

in

London about his travel and concert plans. At the same time he calls his attention to the sisters Jelly and Adila Arányi,

living

in London, as outstanding violinists to whom it would be expedient to give the opportunity to perform.

15 October

- He informs Cecil Gray about his plans for England, and is making careful inquiries about chances for possibly taking up his residence there.

19 October

- His wife’s 28th birthday. As a present he shows her the surprise Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 on which he is working (and which he later dedicated to Jelly Arányi).

20 October

- He writes Calvocoressi

in

London with further concert suggestions and recommending the Waldbauer

String

Quartet.

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