Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
War Years (1914–1919)
WAR YEARS (1914-1919) 1917 18 October - He has lunch at the Móric Milchs ’ (Etelka Freunds) with his family, then has dinner in the company of Béla Környey, Béla Reinitz, Ferenc Székelyhidy, and Dezső Antalffy-Zsiross at Egisto Tangos, from where he returns home to his father-in-law’s flat only at 2:30 a.m. 3 November - He writes a longish letter to Egon Wellesz. 12 November - To the Kodálys visiting in Rákoskeresztúr he shows the second movement of String Quartet No. 2, which he is working on at the time. Later he took into consideration some of Kodálys remarks in the composition’s final shaping. He reappears on the concert stage after a long time. 18 November - He plays Debussy’s Sonata for Cello and Piano with Jenő Kerpely at the concert of the Waldbauer String Quartet - consisting of Imre Waldbauer and Jenő Kerpely having returned from the battlefield, beside János Temesváry and Egon Korstein. 20 or 21 November - He travels to Vienna where he stays at his future brother-in-law Ede Kankovszky’s. This time he is arranging the planned ethnographic concert; he also takes along the translation of his article about Arabian music, looking for a publisher. (The Hungarian original was published in September 1917 in the periodical Simfónia, bearing the title Folk Music of Arabs in the Biskra Region.) 22 November - He returns to Rákoskeresztúr. The following week he and his wife visit the Ernő Dohnányis. 3 December - From Rákoskeresztúr he sends an article to Dezső Járosy (parts 2 to 4 of the treatise Primitive Folk Instruments in Hungary). In the accompanying letter he writes sarcastically: “As for the other article requested for the December issue I am not good enough a musician to write it, for this great task much more outstanding musical qualities are needed, like the ones the jury members of the Wahrmann Prize possess”. 6 December - He gets his train pass of reduced fares. At Christmas time he travels to Vésztő-Kertmeg Puszta with his family 173
