Simon Géza Gábor: „Csillogó fekete lemezeken…” 100 éves a magyar hanglemezgyártás és -forgalmazás (Budapest, 2008)

The dream of Pete Csongor - the First Hungarian Record Company the development "Pete Csongor was the type of private individual who supported a studio and a record factory as a pastime and for his own amusement ...he was a sports fan to the point that magnates or finance lords keep stables or aeroplanes. ... Those first records recorded by Pete Csongor today are today extremely valuable to fans. ..." (Phonographische Zeitschrift, 1910) Pete strove to provide a totally unique repertoire. He wanted to publish the hits of the day (including the fresh operetta songs and the musical hall songs bringing a taste of Euro-ragtime) just as much as the equally fashionable gypsy pieces. Humorous performances (short, 3-6 minute cabaret sketches) that were part prose and in part music satisfied the demands of the more serious audience. These hits, gypsy music and humorous pieces represented the truly saleable part of the base repertoire that was developing at a lightning pace. Numerous recordings of classical music, military band pieces, prose recordings by writers and academics, a wealth of ethnographic-like recordings (!) and of course an enormous number of religious pieces prove Pete Csongor's genuine desire to produce gramophone records to suit every taste. Unlike other Hungarian record labels and foreign companies with Hungarian representatives existing at the time the First Hungarian Record Company (EMH) wished to release only their own recordings. Neither did they wish to buy licences (in today's