Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)

Settling In Budapest. Systematic Collection of Folk Songs (1907–1913)

SETTLING IN BUDAPEST. SYSTEMATIC

COLLECTION OF FOLK SONGS ( 1 907-1 91 3)

1912

At this time he is collecting in Nagytanra

of

Ugocsa county.

27 January

- He intends to visit Etelka

Freund.

28 January

- He sets out on another collecting tour to Bihar county. He has already informed Bu§i|ia of his itinerary previously, and lent him a volume of Ady poems (On Elijahs Chariot).

30 January - From Élesdlok

(Bihar

county) he writes his wife a postcard in French about this still being the territory of the Belényes

melody

treasure. He is collecting in the communities of Csarnóháza,

Tőtös, Élesdlok, and

Remetelórév,

with

none too splendid results, yet he found a couple of interesting things.

1 February

- He leaves Jádvölgy

to

go home to Rákoskeresztúr,

where

he arrives in good health and high spirits. He also bought a bagpipe.

They are looking for another flat instead of the one in Jókai

Street.

4 February

- He writes the widowed Mrs Béla

Bartok

that they finally have a flat, and intend to move in April.

15 February - Mrs Bartok gives her mother-in-law a detailed account from Rákoskeresztúr: “Béla is

working but not excessively, he takes walks of half an hour or an hour. Finally Rozsnyai published a booklet of his piano pieces, entitled Sketches. It includes 2 pieces dedicated to me. I also copied now the end of the orchestral score of the Bluebeard, Béla will hand it in to the Rózsavölgyi

competition

at the end of February. ... UMZE accepted Bêlas

resignation

and he got elected honorary president”.

23 February - Bartok travels to Vienna for a few days, then he is preparing for a visit to Pozsony.

5 March - From Rákoskeresztúr

he

writes Mrs János

Bu§i|ia,

then on the 10th to Bu§i|ia in Belényes

concerning

their problems.

Jn mid-March he travels to another ethnographic borderland, Ternes

county, where he collects in Temesmonostor and Vinga, also songs originating from Temesmurány,

Temesszécsény, and

Temeskenéz.

16 March - He travels from Vinga to Temesvár,

then

to Hidasliget.

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