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

At The Academy of Sciences. Great Compositions (1934–1938)

AT THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.

GREAT C

O M

P

O S I

T

I

O

N S

( 1 934-1 938)

1934

took the necessary steps to organise the publication of the folk song collection and to relieve Bartok of his job at the Music Institute of Higher Education (Music Academy). They also informed the Music Academy, where Jenő

Hubay

had just been followed by Ernő

Dohnányi in

the director s role. Dohnányi

acknowledged

the dispatch with regret.

29 July - Bartok informs Dohnányi

of

the preliminaries in a longish letter. At the same time he asks to not be granted leave but to be transferred to the Academy of Sciences by exemption or delegation. He also settles the future of his pupils.

1 August - He visits his mother, then leaves sometime at the beginning of August to spend a few days with his sister in Szöllős

Puszta.

20 August - He writes a letter from his mother s to Mrs Károly

Ziegler

in Szekszárdi

“

I gathered all kinds of French and Swiss newspapers abroad, I will send them as printed matter’.... one can learn better from these what the happenings in Germany are”. - He also congratulates his son Béla

upon

his approaching birthday.

25 August - He writes Mrs Fischer b. Stefánia

Szalay

regarding her daughter s studies at the Music Academy. - He gives Sándor

Albrecht

an account of an urgent work he is busy with (probably String Quartet No. 5) and of his new sphere of activity, concerning which he is still waiting for ministerial decision.

28 August - Finally he receives the decree No. 10552/1934-III. from the Ministry of Religion and Public Education (signed by Bálint

Homan)

according to which he is assigned to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, starting 1 September, where his work is to prepare Magyar Népzene Tára (Collection

of Hungarian Folk Music) for print together with Kodály.

1 September

- He reports for service and starts the activity that satisfies him the most.

2 September

- He brings flowers to Irma Voit

for

her 85th birthday.

367