Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
1928 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE a welcome speech “in front of a hundred women”, which made him feel very uncomfortable. After the concert he gives an account of the events on a postcard to his mother and aunt in Szöllős Puszta and to his son Béla in Budapest. 12 January - He leaves Los Angeles at 7:45 a.m. to arrive in San Francisco after a journey of 12 hours. He stays at Hotel Mark Hopkins. - In the evening he goes to watch the performance of the Chinese Theatre which he was intrigued by. 13 January - In the Norman Hall of Hotel Fairmont he repeats the Los Angeles lecture and piano recital. 14 January - He leaves San Francisco at 4 p.m. for Seattle (Washington). He stays at Hotel Olympic. 15 January - Here he gives a lecture and recital with the same programme as the previous two. 16 January - From Seattle he sends his good wishes for his mothers 71st birthday in Szöllős Puszta. 17 January - He leaves Seattle at 9 a.m. for Portland (Oregon), where he arrives at 3:15 p.m. His evening lecture and recital at the Little Theater is identical to the previous ones. He writes Universal Edition still from Seattle that Mengelberg had been unable to present Piano Concerto No. 1 due to the faulty orchestral score. 18 January - He leaves Portland at 9:34 a.m. on an East-bound 48-hour train journey. Between Portland and Denver (Colorado) he writes 2 long letters to his mother and aunt at Szöllős Puszta about his American experiences, then on the 19th a postcard to his son Béla in Budapest (he mailed this latter only on 1 February in Cincinnati). 20 January - He arrives in Denver at 10:15 a.m. and stays at Hotel Brown Palace. 21 January - In Denver he gives his standard lecture at the Y.W.C.A. Auditorium, followed by his recital where 6 Hungarian folk songs are also performed with the participation of singer Blanche da Costa. 274
