Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
War Years (1914–1919)
1914 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE In the meantime the Russian army crosses the Carpathian Mountains, invades Máramaros, and further advance is to be expected. 5 October - Mrs Bartok writes the widowed Mrs Béla Bartok in Pozsony thus: “ Béla sees everything in the darkest way what will happen to his cylinders when the Russians come, and then the cholera. Now he brought 12 pieces of colour pencils to Sonny from Pest”. (This was remarkable because Bartok hardly ever bought presents.) Bartok begins to pack his cylinders, manuscripts, although he doesn’t really know where he could save them. (At this time improvised defensive trenches are being dug already around Budapest and even around Pozsony.) 12 October - Bartoks brother-in-law, his wife’s brother, First Lieutenant Károly Ziegler dies a heroic death in Maj dánka (Máramaros county). 21 October - Mrs Zoltán Kodály pays her condolences in Rákoskeresztúr - Mrs Bartok writes her mother-in-law: “ Béla is very kind and good to me”. 4 November - Another letter from Mrs Bartok to Pozsony: “ There is a lot to write now, i.e. Béla would like to note down his cylinders still at home, we make copies, he would like to find a safe place from an accidental Russian invasion. - I only wish we were already done with enlisting”. 7 November - Bartok writes Jon Bianu again concerning the Máramaros publication; he offers to raise an advance of the expenses for the Röder firm in Leipzig, at least something should happen. 11 November - In Szilad Bartok ’s little sister, Mrs Emil Tóth gives birth to her third child (Éva). At the end of November Mrs Bartok travels there with her little son to help. Upon reaching the regular age of military obligation Bartok had been qualified unsuitable for military service in 3 consecutive years. 28 November - All the same, due to the outbreak of war he had to go again to a conscription in Gödöllő. The conscription excites him 154
