Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
School Years (1890–1903)
1902 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE Thománs’“music party ” he plays 2 of its movements, Thomán likes both very much. He writes a letter to his mother suggesting that they go to the Pozsony recital of Bronislaw Huberman, “a splendid young Polish violinist”. 15 November - He plays Strauss’ Heldenleben at the Grubers’. 16 November - Lunch at Mrs Lajos Voit’s. He sends two postcards with no text to Erzsébet ‘ Elza’ Bartok in Pozsony, presumably for Erzsébet name-day. 17 November - Concert of the Philharmonics. “The whole thing was of little value, Ákos Buttykay ’s symphony especially.” - Visit at the Arányi family’s. 19 November - He writes his mother that he would become Dohnányi ’s pupil probably already during the summer, but this has to be handled confidentially because Dohnányi doesn ’t accept others. The number of Bartok’s private lessons grew to 16 per week; the most interesting being that he would also give lessons to Mrs Gruber, of counterpoint. - He mentions especially that he hasn’t drunk alcoholic beverages in Budapest so far, although he has often been offered some. 23 November - Upon Ödön Mihalovich ’s proposition he pays a visit to Austrian Baron Haupt-Stummer, big landowner of Nyitra county, and undertakes his daughter’s teaching of music theory. In the afternoon he has a good time at the Arányi family ’s tea-party. “The Arányi family is very interesting: firstly because he is in a close kinship with Joachim... secondly because never a German word is uttered in this family... (Instead of German they know French.)” 24 November - He gives his first lesson to Mrs Gruber, with whom they quarrel a lot, “because she doesn’t want to believe anything her teachers tell her”. 25 November - At the Music Academy Thomán hands over Lajos Dietl’s telegram from Vienna, which conveys Dávid Popper ’s request that Bartok accompany Ella Kunwald the next day at their Budapest 54
