Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
1931 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 1931 1 January - Evening of sonatas with Imre Waldbauer at Radio Budapest. Programme: Bach’s Sonata in B minor, Bartoks Rhapsody No. 1, one sonata by Schubert and one by Mozart. 2 January - He goes to the Music Institute of Higher Education (Music Academy), then to his mothers for showing her the plans of the Temesvár people for the celebration of his 50th birthday. (Due to certain circumstances this got cancelled later on.) 7 January - He plays Piano Concerto No. 1 in Frankfurt a/M, he writes his mother, as well as his son Péter, then travels to Berlin on the 8th. 9 January - The programme of his Berlin concert is Kodály ’ s Dances of Marosszék, Bartok ’s Suite, Sonatina, Dirge No. 1, Rumanian Dance No. 1, and a Burlesque. 10 January - He leaves for Budapest. While on the train, he replies to Octavian Beu’s previously sent draft of his Bartok essay in a long letter. He corrects many particulars and clarifies many questions of principle. Here he states, among other things, his constantly quoted idea: “However, my true leading idea is ... the conception of peoples becoming brothers, that of becoming brothers despite all wars and contentions”. 11 January - He arrives in Budapest. 13 January - He writes to the Intellectual Collaboration Committee of the League of Nations in Geneva that he accepts their October invitation. (In family circle he also reasoned that in case he rejected, maybe “they would invite a Jugoslavian or other delegate, and then there should rather be a Hungarian representative present”.) 14 January - He writes Universal Edition concerning the orchestral version of Rhapsody No. 2, about the changing of the wind voices. 16 January - He leaves on another concert tour, this time on the Iberian peninsula. 318
