Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
At The Academy of Sciences. Great Compositions (1934–1938)
1938 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 7 March - He presses Antonia Kossar for the Scheveningen request and her settling of the account of his Western tour. - Furthermore he writes the Konzertgesellschaft of Zurich and AKM. 10 March - Starting with “Highly Esteemed Professor” he is drafting a detailed criticism of phonograph recordings. 11 March - Bearing this date on the post stamp and dated (probably mistakenly) 12 March he informs Antonia Kossar of having been invited to London, so they can connect this to Luxembourg, and Scheveningen can be omitted. 13 March - The imperial German troops occupy Austria and annex it to Germany. Bartok was agitated by this event more than anything previously, and it might have effected all his actions for the rest of his life. Beside political considerations, it was also a blow for him that the Austrian Composers’ Union, of which he was a member, got incorporated into the German union called STAGMA; leaders of Universal Edition, mostly of Jewish origin, got removed; the situation of Czecho-Slovakia having become delicate made the matter of the Slovakian publication impossible, even his mothers pension originating there became doubtful. It was to be feared that Hungary would also get under much more pressure in all fields and Bartoks manuscripts would also be endangered. Concert life didn’t stop. 22 March - At the Capital’s Vigadó the Budapest Concert Orchestra conducted by Ernest Ansermet performs, as second piece of its programme, Piano Concerto No. 2 with Bartok’s participation. - The paper Est republishes the declaration of 10 October 1937 with the title “Béla Bartok explains his radio prohibition”. 24 March - Bartok still writes Antonia Kossar about the Scheveningen possibilities. He emphasises again that he doesn’t want anything to do with the Concertgebouw. 420
