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

School Years (1890–1903)

SCHOOL YEARS (1 890-1 903)

1903

he himself found too little.

8 June

- For the exam of the faculty of composition he presents Fancy, the left handed Study, and the 2nd movement of Sonata for Violin and Piano with Sándor

Kőszegi.

12 June

- He expounds his political views to his mother at special length. He is more and more concerned about the political events at this time. “This is about whether our army should be Hungarian from now on ...” He requests her not to subscribe to the Magyar Hírlap

(Hungarian

Journal); besides his sister should not be called Elza but Böske,

thereby

also protesting against the Habsburgs. He writes about having been to István Kerner,

who promised to do his best to perform his Scherzo. Herzfeld on the other hand recommended him to the Konzertverein

of Vienna for a next-year appearance.

13-14 June - Third and fourth performance in the Wagner series, Rhine Gold and Walkyrie. He had a ticket to the 2nd row of the 3rd floor, so he was probably present.

17June - He surely sawthe fifth performance, Twilight of the Gods; afterwards he is having dinner with the Bayer family from Nagyszentmiklós.

- He says goodbye to János

Koessler

and István

Thomán. Koessler

wants the Scherzo to be performed at a pupil concert, then he listens to the Kossuth, finds it good and wants it to be performed at the same time. Bartok takes his leave of Thomán

on

friendly terms as well; he plays for him Dohnányis

Passacaglia,

and

asks Thománs

consent

that he dedicate his left handed Study to him.

18 June

- He goes on an excursion to Lipótmező;

from

there he writes his mother about his farewell visits, and that no reply has yet come from the Konzertverein.

This

is the day when he finishes his academic activities, on the 21st he goes on a farewell visit to director Ödön

Mihalovich, on 22 June packs his bags and sends them off to Pozsony.

23 June - Letter to Emsy Jurkovics in Nagyszentmiklós.

Afterwards he meets conductor János

Richter,

who listens to Kossuth

63