Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
World War II. Second and Third American Tour (1939–1945)
WORLD WAR II. SECOND AND THIRD AMERICAN TO U R ( 1 9 3 9 - 1 9 4 5 ) 1 942 “Tomorrow, 22 July is the anniversary of Aunt Irmas passing. I wonder who recalls her, who will think of her at least on this day--------Some of us are still here, but when even we will be gone then she will die again, to total oblivion. Even though she worked, cared and worried for us so much: for me and Elza. She would have deserved a better, easier life. And I was not able to facilitate it enough, not as much as I would have wanted!”. 31 July - He sends birthday greetings to his son Péter to his workplace. 2 August - He replies to Frigyes Reiner - who had invited him - that he has constant fever so he cannot honour his invitation before September. He also mentions that nothing has yet happened concerning his temporary immigration. 5 August - He also writes from New York to Douglas Moore about his illness which luckily doesn’t hinder his work on the Southern Slaw collection. The lawyer Dr. Viktor Bátor invites Bartok - whose wife is in Riverton on summer vacation - to their summer cottage in Nonquitt (South Dartmouth, Massachusetts). 7 August - Bartok leaves for Nonquitt. 8 August - He writes his wife in Riverton: “I waited a whole day to see the situation clearly. I am languid for the time being. I am doing a bit of work, not very much so far”. His health condition does not change. 11 August - His temperature is 37.6°C, on the 12th 37.7°C. 13 August - He gives his wife the news: “Here I saw a hummingbird in nature for the first time”. 16 August - He writes his son Péter, whose visit he is expecting in Nonquitt, that Hungarian citizens don’t need a travel permit. - In his letter to Tibor Serly in New York - addressing him already informally - he expresses his hope that Serly had made no concession to Heinsheimer regarding the transcriptions. (This is probably about Microcosmos Suite.) 479
