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 ) 1928 employment as overseer. He is complaining about the noisiness of the person occupying the flat above theirs, he often needs to use earplugs. 20 August - He watches the festivities of St. Stephens Day, then takes a walk in the forest with his family. 21 August - He sends the photocopy of the 1st page of String Quartet No. 3 to Universal Edition in Vienna for specimen copy. - Bartók- Dohnányi evening on Margaret Island as part of a series of 8 festive concerts. At the so-called “promenade concert” Bartoks Suite No. 1 and Rhapsody are performed, in front of a clamorous audience. 23 August - Beside his belated birthday wishes to his son Béla in Kitzbühel, he also writes about the 21 August concert: “we listened to the malacbanda (pig band [Translator s note: used in mockery frequently in those times, alluding to the grotesque sound quality produced by the ensemble in question]) squeaking, rasping inexorably. ... Not to mention that those of my things were on the prog-ram (műsoron [Translators note: a joke with a twist of vowels that changes the meaning of the original word műsor to artificial beer’]) that I had written at the age of 24 or 25”. 24 August - Postcard to his mother and aunt describing the concert on Margaret Island. 25 August - Emil Hertzka, Director of Universal Edition pays him a visit. 26 August - His mother having got ill again, he writes her with great worry, and makes different suggestions for her treatment. He describes in detail the events of the previous days, and - in regard to Hertzkas visit - of his work: “...I was diligent again in the summer and wrote the following: One piece of about 12 minutes for violin with piano accompaniment, this is an arrangement of folk dances; I will also orchestrate it, that is transform it also for violin with orchestral accompaniment. Furthermore I also intend to transcribe the whole thing for cello with piano accompaniment. I hope that one will be played by Szigeti and the other by Casals. This is a smaller piece; the 283
