Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)

World War II. Second and Third American Tour (1939–1945)

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CHRONICLES OF BÉLA

BARTOK'S

LIFE

judge the presentability of pieces sent in to the Budapest Opera House. 1 June - Already in Budapest, he writes Jenő

Deutsch:

“I am home again.

I would like you to come on Tuesday [4 June]”.

3 June - MARS (of which Bartok became member despite protests from PRS) pays him royalties of 5,000 pengős

for

the year 1939.

11 June - World premiere of Divertimento in Basel, conducted by Paul Sacher. - Bartok is working in Budapest, at the Academy of Sciences. - His contract with the Boosey & Hawkes firm for the publication of 4 mixed choirs and Divertimento bears the date of this same day.

17 June - Bartoks last radio performance in Budapest. He gives a concert of two pianos with his wife for a fee of 400 pengős.

19 June - His appointment as secondary air defence commander is extended. - He pays in his home insurance for the next year.

25 June - He writes Ralph Hawkes about his travel plans. - He buys Volume 1 of Mendreszóras

Tót dictionary

at the Rózsavölgyi

firm,

having given its old copy to his son Béla.

6 July - He writes Sándor

Albrecht

about his second American trip and about the plan for a third one.

14 July - He writes his remarks concerning the new publication of the choirs to Gyula

Kertész, and

adds: “I cant write anything new at all, let alone new choirs”.

Most of his energy is engaged by his planned American tour with his wife and the concerning tasks. As they plan a long sojourn (but not “emigration”), he has to take care of his family members staying behind. His aunt Irma Voit

is

91 years old, Bartok has been her main provider up to now; his younger son is attending grammar-school year 7 in the Sárospatak

boarding

school. The flat and its furniture also require care, the care requires finances. (Following the Polish collapse they had also accomodated 3 Polish refugees, who stayed on.) Bartok is still liable to military service (the age limit being 60 years then), he also needs a military permit for leaving, and he has to 454