Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
School Years (1890–1903)
1903 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE in every way: the welfare of the Hungarian nation and the Hungarian homeland”. He also writes that it seems Dohnányi doesn ’t like the Kossuth after all. Regarding the weather he mentions that, though having been good earlier, it turned bad on the day of the planned excursion to the Schafberg, so the outing was cancelled. (He managed to realise this excursion 28 years later, together with his family, on the occasion of his vacation by the Mondsee.) 9 September - Mihalovich notifies him that he was granted a state subvention of 800 forints. 10 September - Letter from Gmunden to Lajos Dietl in Vienna and to Mrs Lajos Vecsey (mother of Ferenc Vecsey) in Budapest. He is writing about his concert plans, finally he received an offer from Vienna, too. 13 September - He writes István Thomán that he got a negative response from the Munich conductor Bernhard Stavenhagen, but he will perform in Vienna on 4 November. Thomán in the meantime recommended Bartok to a Berlin impresario called Grosz for contracting. Grosz made a splendid offer of 2-3 appearances per week. On 19 September he writes about this to his mother. 20 September - In a letter he thanks Thomán for his mediation, and writes that the weekly two appearances might be too many. He announces that he composed the middle movement for his Violin Sonata and a scherzo for piano. (The last one of the Four Piano Pieces.) He learned only one new piece during the summer: Beethovens Sonata in E minor Op. 90. 23 September - He writes a reassuring letter to his mother about the weekly two concerts not being exerting, but seen that he hasn’t yet received Grosz’s offer anyway, the whole thing might be cancelled. (And it was, indeed.) About Dohnányi he writes that he keeps him in high esteem as a human being and an artist, but him being unpatriotic is an unpardonable vice. He also writes that he would play with the 66
