Fraternity-Testvériség, 1961 (39. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1961-04-01 / 4. szám

2

FRATERNITY

by a gypsy band, wrote a brilliant violin score of it. For many years Sarasate’s “Gypsy Airs” teas one of the mainstays of the concert platform, and is still available in both printed music and high fidelity records. Yet no one knows or cares about its original author who died penniless in 1908. And, furthermore, it aggravates Hungarians whenever their favorite love-song is either credited to the gypsies or to the Spanish violinist.

Zoltán Kodály s “Folk Music of Hungary” is a scholarly volume, yet one with a readier appeal to the general public than Bartók’s detailed and analytical “Hungarian Folk Music”, designed for the expert. To quote from Kodály''s preface to the English Edition: “The scope of the present work was originally to throw light on aspects of Hungarian folk-song research which received little or no attention in Bartók’s book, conceived as it was as a work of detailed analysis and classification.”

In a lucid and very readable style, Kodály gives us an insight into the earliest tune-construction, the new style of folksong, and its connection with the old, traces of art music in folk music — and much more, with a wealth of musical examples. He touches on the delightful “flower songs” of the 16th century, children’s game songs and the “regös” songs, not usually dealt zvith by collectors.

We are given an idea of the difficulties of collecting and recording, for example: “It is a curion,s custom of pipe players (especially in Transylvania) to hum or growl some deep note into the pipe while playing. As this spoils the clarity of the higher notes, we attempted to stop them from doing this in recordings. They zecre so used to it that to stop them was difficult, if not impossible.”

The extensive Notes trace the history of the musical examples, give Bibliography of collections and a list of Hungarian Place Names. In addition there is an English translation of the vocal texts. The 166-page volume was known in its original Magyar version for some years. The German edition was somewhat revised for the European reader in 1956. The English edition was translated from the German by Ilonáid Tempest and. Cynthia Jolly, who have done a creditable job. There are 21 photographic illustrations and 160 examples of music in note form enliven the text. The Macmillan Company, of 60 Fifth Avenue, New York City, lists the volume at $6.75.

LULU P. BACH KAI