The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1984 (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1984-12-01 / 12. szám
FERENC F. SAJGÓ: THE HUNGARIAN LIFE-LINE PRO TRANSYLVANIA The House Resolution-147 sponsored by the congressmen Mark B. Siljander and Bernard J. Dwyer was signed by 218 congressmen, amoung them the Hungarian born Rep. Thomas Lantos. In the Resolution, Romania was condemned for violation of the human rights of the Hungarian minority in Transylvania. In the Congressional Record (H-7847, H-10585, H-4884-85) is listed the names of the congressmen who supported the Resolution. Bishop Dr. László Irányi appealed for cooperation among Hungarian Americans and for testimony of solidarity with the cause of the Hungarians in Transylvania. The Hungarian American Action Committee sponsored a radio program in supporting the Hungarians in Transylvania in their struggle for preserving their ethnic heritage. The speakers were: Rev. Imre Bertalan, president of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, and Dr. Tibor Ham, president of the Hungarian American Cultural Center. The Washington Times published the article “Romania and Its Hungarians” by Dr. Zoltán M. Szász. In the article, is described the situation of the Hungarians in Transylvania and the actions of the Congress has taken on behalf of them. /Washingtoni Krónika/ DR. NAGYVARY DISCOVERS THE SECRET OF STRADIVARI “Deep in the heart of Texas, a Hungarian biochemist believes he discovered the secret of the great violins”, begins Joseph Alper’s article in Science '84. Professional musicians stated that the instruments made today, notwithstanding the advanced technology, cannot match those crafted by Stradivari, Amati, and Guarneri. Now, Dr. Joseph Nagyvary of Texas A&M University, at College Station, claims to be duplicating the old sound of the Italian masters in new instruments. The researchers have tried to discover the secret of the famous instruments for 150 years with little or no success. Some of them attributed the special sound of the violins to their mathematically bizarre shape. Others looked for answers December, 1984 in the wood used or in the varnish applied. But according to Nagyvary, the secret is in both the chemical treatment of the wood and in the varnish used. He analyzed the mineral content of two Guarneri Cellos and got some surprises. The makeup of the wood was quite different from that of natural spruce or maple. Nagyvary went to Italy to research the literature of the Cremonese period. He found that sophisticated treatments for wood were used by the contemporary furniture makers. “It’s logical to assume that the violin makers were as smart as furniture makers and used similarly treated wood”, he said. The result of the investigation led him to establish a treatment method, replacing the original minerals of the wood by others which enhanced the acoustical properties of the wood. Nagyvary analyzed the varnish scrapped from the violins that were being refinished. He found them being made of compound, which is also the major component of the wings and skeletons of insects. He was able to reproduce the varnish by using schrimp shells. Nagyvary made several violins. Three of them were used by the nationally recognized soloist Elisabeth Matesky, who had nothing but praise for Nagyvary’s violins. One of America’s premier music teachers Dorothy De Lay said: “After, but a few minutes of hearing one of Nagyvary’s violins, I was impressed”. Joseph Nagyvary was born in Szeged on April 18, 1934. He first became interested in the violin as a young boy and even had dreamed of becoming a great virtuoso. But later he enrolled at the university instead of at the conservatory, and he studied chemistry. He left Hungary in 1956 and went to graduate school in Zurich, Switzerland, were he received his doctorate in 1962. Nagyvary was able to resume his violin training in Switzerland. He had opportunity to use the violin once owned by Albert Einstein. By then, however, Nagyvary recognized that he was too old to become a concert performer. Instead he became interested in making violins. But it was not until he moved to Texas and established himself as a biochemist that he finally found time to pursue this hobby at his own money. /Science ’84, Washingtoni Krónika/ A RARE HUNGARIAN BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT AMERICA For 150 years, the bibliographers were sure that the first book written about the American political system outside the U.S. was “Democracy in America” by the French historian, Alexis De Tocqueville. Apparently, they were wrong. The first book published about the subject was the book of the Hungarian traveler, Sándor Boloni Farkas. Boloni traveled over the Eastern part of the United States between September 1831 and November 1832. He kept accurate notes about his observations. Based on his notes he wrote the book “Utazas Eszak-Amerikaban" (Traveling in North-America). The book was published in Kolozsvár, Transylvania, in 1834, one year earlier than the book of De Tocqueville. Boloni wrote about political, administrative, economic, judicial and educational systems, industrial, comercial, and social organizations in America. The book was a great success in Hungary. Boloni received an award from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and he was elected to corresponding member of the Academy. The Library of Congress got a copy of the book, but due to the language barrier its content was not recognized until an English translation was published in 1977. Soon the book became a great value to the Rare Book section of the Library. In commmemoration of the 150th anniversary of the first edition of Boloni’s book, Dr. Elemer Bako organized an exhibition in the Jefferson Building of the Library. The exhibit, which included also other books, pictures, and other items of that period, was highly praised by the press. The New York Times published an article about the book and its author and his admiration of the American democracy. /Washingtoni Krónika/ NEW RADIO PROGRAM Alexander Jozsa Bodnar, president of AJB Communication & Marketing (AJB Arts Building, 4804 Second Ave„ Pittsburgh, PA 15207, Tel (412)422-1886), has become the host of “The New Hungarian Radio Program”. The show airs on Sundays on WPIT-AM73 Pittsburgh at 3:00-3:30 PM. Bodnar, a native of Hungary, has kept the audience of the late Miss Juha Orosz, but he altered the programs to attract a wider audience. The new show offers the very best in Hungarian folk and contemporary music along with news, features and information of interest to Hungarian Americans. The talent of the show is comprised of J. Lawrence Simpson, Agnes Klein, and Bodnar. Page 7
