Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
School Years (1890–1903)
SCHOOL YEARS (1 890-1 903) 1903 15 August - He has lunch at the Dohnányis ’, then goes on an excursion to Trautmannsdorf with them and János Koessler who is also vacationing there. 16 August - Koessler s landlord, Knight Victor von Miller zu Aichstein invites Bartok, Ernő Dohnányis parents, and Margit Kunwald for lunch. After the meal Bartok plays the Kossuth and part of Heldenleben. 18 August - The orchestration of Kossuth Symphony is complete, by the irony of fate just on the 73rd birthday of Franz Joseph. 22 August - He remarks that he doesn’t spend too much on food: his lunch and dinner cost 1.23 forints in all. 23 August - He writes his mother that his room is nice and bright; his piano is very good but he had to pay the expenses of transportation. - He begins composing the slow movement of Sonata for Violin at this time (the third movement was already performed on 8 June). 24 August - His mother acknowledges Bartoks cards, 2 from Gmunden, 2 from Ischl, and 1 from Selzthal. 30 August - From Gmunden he writes a picture postcard to his sister in Pozsony. 1 September - He writes his mother from Gmunden. He played for Dohnányi twice: a sonata by Beethoven which didn’t meet his liking, and a sonata by Schumann which did. The previous day Koessler returned his visit but didn’t find him home. - He has lunch at the Dohnányis’, then plays a sonata by Beethoven - appreciated this time -, furthermore the Kossuth, in which Dohnányi finds fault with a lot of tiny details. - He is planning details of his October trip to Berlin. 3 September - He has tea at the Dohnányis ’. 8 September - He writes a long letter to his mother, first of all in defence of the Hungarian language and against the usage of foreign languages (especially German) in general and inside the family. Here he writes his saying which has since become a maxim: “On my part I will be serving one purpose all through my life in all fields, at all times, and 65
