Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
GREAT CONCERT TOURS ON TWO CONTINENTS (1 922-1 931 ) 1923 Allegro barbaro, Evening in Transylvania, 3 Burlesques, Debussy’s Mouvement and 5 preludes, then again Rumanian Folk Dances, Dirge No. 1, Sonatina, and Rumanian Dance No. 1. - He writes his mother with joy at what beautiful village location the concert was held. On the same day he writes Zoltán Székely a postcard with the modified date for the planned Utrecht concert. 7 May - Composers evening in London, at the Contemporary Music Center. He plays Elegy No. 2, 8 Slovakian songs from the series For Children, 3 Burlesques, and both Sonatas for Violin and Piano with Jelly Arányi. “ The London concert was the day before yesterday, it went well, Heseltine and Gray were very enthusiastic” - he wrote his wife later on. 8 May - He asks Zoltán Székely on a postcard to return the Sonata to him because the planned Utrecht concert “will be cancelled without a doubt”. Universal Edition just published the 5 Ady Songs, written and dedicated to Béla Reinitz in 1916. Reinitz had been committed to prison for his activities during the Soviet Republic, but he escaped. He was living in exile at this time. The dedication caused a big sensation. The Üj Nemzedék (New Generation) publishes an offensive article on 8 May entitled “ Béla Bartok dedicated his songs to Reinitz, killer of the nation”. Other papers also take their stand in the matter, in accordance with their party allegiances, but later the storm slowly subsides. 9 May - Bartok gives a concert at Highfield Hall of Huddersfield (West Yorkshire), his programme is entirely identical to that of the 4 May concert. The town, with its factory buildings, doesn’t please him. - He writes his wife about his further program, the cancellation of the Utrecht concert, and the English version of The Hungarian Folk Song being published by Oxford University Press. 11 May - Composer’s evening at Wigmore Hall, London. His programme: Nos. 6 to 15 of 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs, Bear Dance, Evening 221
