Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
World War II. Second and Third American Tour (1939–1945)
1 941 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 19 March - He writes a long letter to his son Béla from Forest Hills, partly repeating things written in his 12 February letter. prospects for concerts during the next season are pitiful for the time being” - he writes. He is worried by the fate of his Budapest furniture because of the 1 May deadline for giving up the flat, furthermore by not being able to send money from the United States because all Hungarian claims got frozen. He also inquires about Dohnányi in regard to his alleged resignation. This is the first time he mentions his health since leaving for America, his shoulder is “basically unchanged. At times it gets better, then it relapses again”. - To this letter he also attaches a few lines for Irma Voit. 20 March - He informs Dorothy Parrish in Huntingdon of his April program and the possible dates for piano lessons. 23 March - In New York (probably in the Bronx, where they were looking for a flat in those days) he visits the zoo with his wife. 24 March - Bartok receives 4 letters at once from his sons. He replies to his son Péter immediately. Mrs Bartok adds: “And daddy will just have his birthday tomorrow! This is a beautiful present!” 25 March - Bartok is 60 years old. This changes his legal position considerably as his retirement becomes final (so the paying out of his Budapest pension becomes easier) and his compulsion at military service comes to an end (meaning that there are less obstacles to extend his passport). 28 March - He gives a concert at the Institute of Arts of Detroit (Michigan) with his wife and cellist Georges Miquelle. Bartok and Miquelle perform the cello version of Rhapsody No. 1, Mrs Bartok plays two pieces by Debussy, with Bartok two fugues from Bach’s The Art of the Fugue, Mozarts fugue in C minor, four pieces of Microcosmos, and Debussy’s En blanc et noir, then Bartok plays solo: five pieces from Microcosmos beside the two always performed Kodály pieces. “We had the greatest success in Detroit so far; the audience seemed to be very 466
