Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
1926 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 6 December - Bartok notifies the Rózsavölgyi and Co. firm that he will shortly hand over a corrected copy of Rhapsody. 8 December - Composer’s evening in Budapest, at the Music Institute of Higher Education (Music Academy). World premiere of two movements of Village Scenes while Budapest premiere of the other three, Mária Basilides singing, then concert hall world premiere of 6 numbers of 9 Small Piano Pieces, of Sonata for Piano, and finally of movements With Drums and Pipes and The Nights Music of the series Out of Doors. Furthermore Mária Basilides sings Five Ady Songs and five pieces of Eight Hungarian Folk Songs, accompanied by Bartok. Ovation is so great that they have to repeat two of the Village Scenes, of the Piano Pieces and of the Ady Songs respectively, and three of the Five Folk Songs. As an encore Bartok plays Evening in Transylvania. 11 December - At the Music Institute of Higher Education (Music Academy) Bartok performs his own piano pieces (according to the programme: “Folk Songs of the Highlands”, March, Preludio-ATUngherese) as No. 3 in the programme of the 2nd Hungarian Evening of the Pensioners’ Society of the Hungarian Telegraphic Office (Magyar Távirati Iroda, MTI). 12 December - Béla Bartok Jnr gives his grandmother an account of the two concerts, Bartok adds a review to the letter with a short postscript. - That day he also writes Universal Edition. 13 December - He writes cellist Béla Csuka that he can come see him either on the 14th or 16th at the Music Academy or on the 15th in his home. 22 December - He accompanies his wife to a medical checkup. 24 December - The Baldwin Piano Company renews its offer for an American concert tour (which will come true a year later). - Bartok writes Universal Edition that the proofs of the Village Scenes are ready. 30 December - At a Radio concert he plays works by Liszt, Beethoven, 258
