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 Sonata in F major, 7 old Italian pieces, of his own works Sonata, Nos. 5 and 9 of 9 Small Piano Pieces, Musettes from the series Out of Doors, and “Three Small Rhapsodies on Folk Songs” (Three Rondos) from the manuscript, as a first performance. 4 December - His mother and Irma Voit arrive from Pozsony to Budapest, Bartok waits for them at the railway station and takes them to his flat. They write a joint card to Mrs Emil Tóth in Szöllős Puszta. In the evening Bartok plays four-hands with his mother. 7 December - In the afternoon he leaves for Paris, travelling on 2nd class via Munich. 10 December - He leaves Paris for Cherbourg. There he boards the ship Columbus which departs at 19:42 o’clock on its one-week journey to America. 17 December - Farewell supper on the ship. 18 December - After a journey of 7 days, 20 hours and 18 minutes he arrives in New York at 11 a.m. At 7 p.m. he attends a dinner of the Bohemiens Club, in the company of Dusolina Giannini, Benjamino Gigli, Willem Mengelberg, Szergej Rachmaninov, József Szigeti among others. 21 December - From New York he writes his mother and sister in Szöllős Puszta: “ Everything went relatively well so far.. 7. 22 December - His first American concert at Carnegie Hall of New York. He plays Rhapsody with the New York Philharmonics, because this orchestra was also unable to learn the piano concerto. The conductor, Willem Mengelberg alludes to the orchestral score of the piano concerto being faulty. 23 December - Bartok plays a few pieces onto a mechanical piano. - They repeat the concert of the previous day. 28 December - Still in New York, he writes his mother, aunt and sister in Szöllős Puszta before leaving for Philadelphia. 30 December - He arrives in Philadelphia. He stays at Hotel Sylvania. He plays Rhapsody with the Philadelphia Symphonies conducted by 272
