Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
1928 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE Gallo. Programme: Bartoks Sonata for Piano, then Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2, Schuberts Sonata in A major, furthermore Zoltán Székely s transcription of Rumanian Folk Dances and Szigeti s one of For Children. 6 February - Composers evening at the Bohemians Club of New York. He and József Szigeti play Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2, then transcriptions by Szigeti and Székely. Zoltán Székelys first name appears in the programme as “ János” by mistake. 7 February - From New York he writes his mother and aunt with pleasure that he can leave for home on 29 February. In the evening he travels to Cincinnati for a few days of more rehearsals. 10 February - He is in New York again, he visits the highest building of the time, the Woolworth Building. 11 February - On a postcard he writes again to his mother about his return trip home, and invites her to come to his Budapest concert in March. To his son Béla, who had got a scholarship at the Grammar School, he advises on a postcard not to spend the money before he gets home, because he also has ideas. (Later he suggested to spend the sum on travelling abroad, which eventually happened.) 13 February - American premiere of Piano Concerto No. 1 at Carnegie Hall of New York with the Cincinnati Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Frigyes Reiner. In the evening Bartok leaves for Boston. 14 February - Cambridge (Massachusetts), suburb of Boston. Orchestral rehearsal of Piano Concerto No. 1. He writes his mother and aunt: “... hopefully in 2 weeks I will already be sitting on a ship, and I will be glad that this tour has ended”. - Letter to ITHMA. 15 February - Second orchestral rehearsal, after which he returns to New York. 16 February - In the New York Hotel Ritz Carlton he participates at the Eddy Brown String Quartets matinee. He plays Rumanian Dance No. 1 and Suite, besides he accompanies his own 5 Hungarian Folk Songs. The 276
