Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1981. január-június (35. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1981-04-09 / 15. szám
1 AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ Thursday, April 9. 1981. pBiaagH HEHianiKSi “RIDDLE MY RIDDLE” By Mike Molnár Béía Bartók (1881-1945), the Hungarian pianist, composer, and folklorist became one of the domi-| nating and most original figures in the music of the 20th century. With Schoenberg and Stravinsky, Bar-; tők is generally acknowledged as one of the three great music masters of his time, Bartók’s friend, Bela Balazs (1884-1949), writer and filmesthetician, wrote the libretto to Bartók’s opera “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle” (1911) (A kékszakállú herceg vára, Op. 11.) With a modern psychological interpretation of the old legend Balazs’ combined themes of ballads and folk-tale elefnents pulled Bartók to the theater to write an opera. As composer, Bartók gained notice with his only one opera, but he was better known for his instrumental works. In order to make his success Bartók had to die. In Bluebeard’s Castle, the old fairy tale of the cruel knight is transformed into a deeply symbolic opera with strong f psychological overtones. Bluebeard appears here as a tragic figure: lonely and enigmatic, as Bartók was himself. The seven doors, which the heroine Judith insists on opening lead not only to gardens, lakes of tears and torturecham- bers but also into Bluebeard’s very soul. At the Start of the opera there appears to be some hope of a happy ending. With the opening of the fifth door disclosing Bluebeard’s endless domains, Bluebeard has grown to heroic stature and worthy of Judith’s love. The music with its broad, noble chords is exultant. But Judith proves unequal to the situation. In spite of Bluebeard’s warnings and pleas, Judith demands the sixth and seventh keys, which reveals symbolically the secrets of his innermost being. From this moment on, the roles are reversed. Judith is no longer the loving partner but blind instinct, unworthy of Bluebeard’s love. When the last door opens, Bluebeard's three former wives appear, lifeless and silent: Morning, Noon and Evening. “Of all women, Judith, you are the most beautiful”, cries Bluebeard. She, Night, follows the others, through the seventh door and Bluebeard remains alone. The opera ends in despair as Bluebeard says: “Now it is eternal night; always, forever.” Bluebeard’s happiness is destroyed through Judith’s lack of comprehension. From beginning to end one is held spellbound by the tragedy of two human beings doomed to misunderstanding and by the intensity of the musical utterance. Bartok’s opera has suffered from an unfortunate libretto and even though it was produced at Budapest and elsewhere it has failed to maintain its place in the repertoirs. Bartok’s opera was the earliest setting of a Hungarian libretto by the almost recitative method, adapted and used by the impressionistic. Debussy in his Pélleas and Mélisande. This recitative method it almost that of a natural speaking voice. The allegory or symbolism used by Balazs and Bartók enrich and broaden the meaning of the storyThe opera has no atonal complexities, and Bartók spins out no song, only recitativo or arioso in his opera. Dramatically, Bartok’s opera is a shocker. Psychologically Bluebeard is a rational man who in his wisdom understands life and in his, 1 passionate woman, Judith,finds his desires fulfilled. Let us learn Hungarian TRAVELING bv TRAIN UTAZÁS VONATON a. Time-Tables. a. Menetrend. Booking Tickets Jegyváltás Have >iou got a railway Van menetrendje guide < BradshauA ? (menetrengye) ? Where’s the Inquiry Hoi van a tudakozó? OH ice ? What time do trains Mikor mennek vonatok leave for .. .? • • • felé? Is then a train back Van vonat visszafelé early in the. afternoon? kora délután? When shall I arrive Mikor fogok megérkezni at...? ...-be? Í.; there a through train Van közvetlen vonat ti...? " -bo? Where mast I changed Hol kell átszállnom? You must change at................-ben kell átszállnia. .A ,v you going by express Gyors- [személy-] vonat- / fasi)'[slow]“train? tál utazik? Which train do you go by ? Melyik vonattal utazik ? 1 ;o biI ihe nine o’clock A kilencórás vonattal train. megyek. What time [/rom which Mikcr (melyik állomás- ..lation] does the train ró!) indul a vonat? leave ? What line docs it arrive Mikor érkezik oda? ihr re? Dors it arrive g< ... r! Negyed balkor érkezik a quarter poci five? ...be 7 Does it arrive at . . .-kor érkezik? , This train leaves at E.z a vonat délelőtt 10.SO a. n\ 10.30-kor ( = tiz liar[train ?! minckor) indul. Sh 'li I catch ihe evening} Elérem az esti vonalot? I’d like to make a com- Panaszt szeretnék tenni. plaint. One small syil- Egy kis bőrönd case is miss; no. hiányzik. I left my umbrella {cam- A vonaton hagytam era] in the train.. az esernyőmet [a fényképezőgépemet]. AMERIKAI , MAGYAR SZQ USPS 023-980 ISSN 9194-7990 Published weekly, exc. last 2 weeks in July and 1st week in August by Hungarian Word, Inc. 130 E 16 St. New York, N.Y. 10003. Ent. as 2nd Class Matter, Dec. 31. 1952 under the Act of March. 21.1879, at the P.O. of New York, N.Y. Szerkeszti a Szerkesztő Bizottság ' Előfizetési árak New Yorkban, az Egyesült Államokban egy évre % 15.- félévre I 8.- Kanadaban és minden más külföldi országban egy évre $ 18.- felevre $ 10.- Postrrjasterj Send address changes to Hungarian Word, Inc. 130 E 16 St. New York, N.Y. 10003. TReuccci America: The Love of War by William Appleman Williams LAND OF SAVAGERY, LAND OF PROMISE, by Ray Allen Billington, Norton, 364 pp. $ 18.95 AMERICAN MYTH, AMERICAN REALITY, by James Oliver Robertson, Hill and Wang, 398 pp. $ 16.95. In the Land of Savagery, Land of Promise Billington gives us an impressive review of how Europeans have viewed the United States. It is a straighfor- ward report on a massive research project designed and directed by Billington. Consider a random sample of chapter headings: “The Image-Makers: Land of Promise”, “Native Americans: From Noble to Ignoble Savagery”; “Land of Equality”; “Land of Savagery”. Or his description of what Europeans found in America: a “slightly improved version of the Garden of Eden”, an “idyllic wonderland”. And then what they began to think of the American frontiersmen: “heartless predators, stripping a defenseless minority öt its birthright”-. Billington is working with the truth noted by Karl Marx and Lord Keynes. Ideas, images deeply influence our behavior. The image of the frontier bespeaks what Frederick Jackson Turner called our urge to escape reality. That does not make us unique. All peoples seek a better world. Yet we Americans do seem terribly reluctant to face the truth that reality out there is no different from reality in here. We did destroy the indigenous cultures of America. We did systematically infect a hemisphere with racist slavery. It is not just a matter of history. We live every day and night with the consequences of those actions. We do not like that. We have never come to terms with Vietnam (let alone the Philippines) or Watergate, because we have never come to terms with the images of “The only good Injun is a dead Injun”, and “The only good N....r is a slave”. We prefer, as with Iran, to talk on and on about the barbarism of other peoples. Our bravery does not include looking in the mirror. Robertson, in'American Myth, American Reality” is working with that paradox. He has the nerve to ask the troublesome question. And he is very good, truly exciting and exceptional, on how our forefathers rationalized their right to take over a continent populated by other human beings who had created functioning cultures. But then he goes soft. The book drifts off into character traits, cowboys, sex and hard-hats. In their different ways, Billington and Robertson are trying to help us take a deep breath, think-it over, and become creative. I like their faith in us. William Appleman Williams, author of Empire as a Way of Life, is president of the Organization of American Historians. “It sure hurts getting shot”- said Pres. Reagan. You are right, Mr. President. It also hurts getting hit by H-bombs. So, please, have SALT II ratified. 2.
