Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
1927 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 23 October - He arrives in Budapest. 24 October - He gives his former pupil Mrs Fodor b. Olga Kovacsics a recommendation for the post of piano teacher at the Capitals Music Course. 28 October - At his Budapest radio concert he plays Schubert ’ s Sonata in B flat major, Beethovens Sonata in C major Op. 53 and of his own works Barcarolla and Musettes from the series Out of Doors, furthermore “Two small rhapsodies”. 30 October - Letter to Universal Edition. 3 November - He writes his mother at length about his wife’s health condition and about the autumn-winter concert plans, mainly his first American tour: the “‘lecturer’ piano recitals will go like this: I will read out in English! something about our music endeavours, and right afterwards play the appropriate works on the piano for illustration. I have read out in public only once in my life, and in Hungarian at that, and now in English! Well, let them be happy with it, they asked for it”. 6 November - Performance of Piano Concerto No. 1 in Vienna, at the Great Hall of the Musikverein at the Workers’ Symphonic concert conducted by István Strasser. Kodály ’s Psalmus Hungaricus is also performed at this concert, conducted by Anton Webern. Bartok travels home right after the concert, so even if he met Webern, they didn’t have time for a lengthy conversation. 10 November - He writes his mother and aunt from Budapest about his wife’s health condition and about the newest American concert plans. 11 November - He writes Wilhelm Furtwängler, on the 14th ITHMA. 16 November - He leaves Budapest for Stuttgart. 17 November - Piano recital at the Music School of Higher Education of Stuttgart: Kodály ’s Epitaph, Bartok’s 2 Elegies, 3 Burlesques, 9 Small Piano Pieces, Sonatina, Kolindas, Dirge No. 1, Suite, and Allegro barbaro. - Mr and Mrs Kodály meet the widowed Mrs Béla Bartok 270
