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

School Years (1890–1903)

1902

CHRONICLES OF BÉLA

BARTOK'S

LIFE

15 January

- He congratulates his mother on her birth- and name-day.

16 January

- He goes to Emil Sauers recital, and on the 19th to Bronislaw Hubermans.

25 January

- With a mistaken 1901 dating he writes a letter to his mother about the preparations for the Fehérgyarmat

Soirée.

He

is playing four-hands with Mrs Gárdony.

26 January

- He has dinner at another member’s of the Gárdony

family.

28 January

- The József

Lukács ’

s - whom he frequents four times a week by the way - give a

soirée, to

which, beside several academy professors, Bartok is also invited.

9 February

- He listens to Ernő

Dohnányi s

Cello Sonata, and he finds it a very serious piece of work.

11 February

- He accompanies Professor Rezső

Kemény at

the Royal Hall without a fee.

12 February

- The Philharmonics present Zarathustra of Richard Strauss. “...I believe Strauss is again a person, although there are few of such, who took, or rather is taking, the art of music a step further. Bach, Haydn-Mozart, Beethoven; and Wagner was the last one. ... I will buy the orchestral score of the Zarathustra, 10 frts..- he writes.

15 February

- Soirée

of

Fehérgyarmat

in

Hotel Continental of Budapest, organised for the benefit of the Protestant Ministers’ and Teachers’ Foundation of the Fehérgyarmat

(Szatmár county)

constituency. For third number Bartok plays Beethoven’s Rondo a

Capriccio, for

an encore Liszt’s transcription of Erlkönig.

“

Disorder and confusion were considerable.“ Later he goes to the soirée

of

Knight Miksa

Brüll of

Domony, where he takes part in a mixed program for a fee of 15 frts.

16 February

- A letter to his mother about the latter events.

28 February - Mrs Gusztáv

Róth b.

Mária

Della

Donna visits him in his flat, and asks for his accompaniment at the Catholic Circle on 2 March for a fee of 10 forints, due to Alajos

Tarnay

having cancelled.

1 March

- In the morning he has a rehearsal with violinist Artúr

Hartmann

46