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

Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)

1927

CHRONICLES OF BÉLA

BARTOK'S

LIFE

widowed Mrs Béla

Bartok

in Pozsony:

“

...The M.s [Mártás]

live

in a pretty, quiet little flat. ... Yesterday we went on a long excursion of 2 hours to the hillside full of vineyards. To get there you walk in a precipice, on one side of which there are at least 20 cave dwellings with quite regular windows, porches, house numbers. You feel almost like being in Africa. ...”

In the evening he returns to Budapest.

12 January

- From Budapest he writes Universal Edition.

13 January

- His son Béla

sends

birthday good wishes to the widowed Mrs Béla Bartok

in Pozsony,

to

which Bartok writes a longish postscript; he tells about his travel plan to America, ending with: “Lots of kisses from your loving son Béla

Bartok,

alternate member of the Hungarian Upper House”. He is alluding in this humorous manner to the newly formed bicameral Parliament, into the Upper House of which the Music Institute of Higher Education (Music Academy) delegated Jenő

Hubay and for alternate member Bartok, with a majority of votes over Béla Szabados.

14 January

- Zoltán

Székely and

his wife visit the Bartoks.

18 January

- In his letter to Arthur Eaglefield Hull in London, he gives an account of his last works: Village Scenes, Sonata for Piano, 9 Small Piano Pieces, Out of Doors, and Piano Concerto No. 1.

21 January

- For this day he had planned a concert in Zagreb, which got cancelled.

26 January

- Piano recital in Kecskemét.

Programme:

Mozarts Phantasy in C minor, 3 sonatas by Scarlatti, Beethovens Sonata in E flat major Op. 21, Debussy’s Prelude and Sarabande,

Chopins

Nocturne in C sharp minor, and Bartoks Evening in Transylvania, Bear Dance, Old Dance Tunes from 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs.

2 February

- From Budapest he writes Universal Edition.

3 February

- Letter to Universal Edition regarding the translation of the male choirs.

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