Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
1926 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 1926 14 January - He gives two performances the same day at different locations. In the afternoon at the Music Institute of Higher Education (Music Academy) he plays 8 pieces of the series For Children and Nos. 3 and 7 of Kodálys Piano Music as No. 3 in the programme of the concert organised by the Society of former pupils of the Sekler College Miko in Sepsiszentgyörgy, then an hour and a half later he gives a piano recital in the clubhouse of MOVE {Magyar Országos Véderő Egyesület = Hungarian National Association of Defence Forces) on Podmaniczky Street (Rudas László Street at the time Béla Bartok Jnr wrote his book in 1979, today Podmaniczky Street again). Programme: Old Dance Tunes and Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song (Nos. 6 to 15 of 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs), Bear Dance, Evening in Transylvania, Allegro barbaro, Suite, 3 Burlesques, Kolindas, Dirge No. 1, Sonatina, 8 numbers from the series For Children, Dirge No. 2, and Rumanian Dance No. 1. 18 January - In Berlin he plays Rhapsody at the concert of the focal Philharmonics conducted by Bruno Walter, whom he classifies “first class maestro”. 20 January - He travels to Baden-Baden. He stays at the hotel Frankfurter Hof. 21 January - At Gartensaal of the Town Music Directorate of Baden-Baden he plays Rhapsody with the Town Orchestra, conducted by Paul Hein. Dance Suite is performed in the second part of the programme. He writes his sister: “Of course neither the orchestra nor the conductor is that good here, but they are full of good will”. 22 January - He leaves Baden-Baden. 27 January - Already in Budapest, he asks for exact data from editor of Nyugat Oszkár Gellért regarding his author s evening in February, for which Bartoks participation was requested. Finally the case of his mothers pension is arranged satisfactorily. 248
