The Eighth Tribe, 1980 (7. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1980-08-01 / 8. szám

August, 1980

THE EIGHTH TRIBE

Page 7

DR. VICTOR MOLNÁR:

HUNGARIAN VARIETIES

For the first time ever Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was the scene of a major Hungarian event . . . Hungarian Cultural Week April 14-19, 1980. The unique aspect of this event was that the major force behind this endeavor was not Hungarian. Neither the primary mover of Hungarian Cultural Week— The Duquesne University Tamburitzan Institute of Folk Arts (DUTIFA), nor any of its regular staff members is Hungarian or of Hungarian heritage. Hungarian Cultural Week in Pittsburgh resulted in an exceptionally well-planned schedule of events. Those, who in some way contributed to it, truly deserve our most expressive manifestation of gratitude for a job well done.

First of all, credit is most certainly due to Mr. Walter W. Kolar, director of DUTIFA, who chose knowledgable persons of Hungarian heritage to assist and execute the various phases of Hungarian Cultural Week. Of great assistance was Dr. Ildikó Kriza-Horváth, folklore researcher from the Ethnographical and Folklore Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, who worked for eight months at the Pittsburgh-based DUTIFA beginning Sept. 1, 1979. The third member of the organizing committee was Dr. Steven Béla Várdy, professor in the History Department at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh and operated by the Holy Ghost Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church. Dr. Várdy’s university contacts, both in Budapest and throughout the United States, aided in making the Folk Culture Symposium, held within the sphere of Hungarian Cultural Week, such an intellectually stimulating experience.

The event began on Monday, April 14th with the opening of the Exhibition of Hungarian Culture at the Tamburitzan Cultural Center, the home of DUTIFA. Members of the Cultural Exhibit Committee were David Rene Kolar, staff member at DUTIFA, Dr. Agnes Huszár Várdy, professor in the Department of Humanities, Robert Morris College, Pittsburgh, Pa., and Msgr. Dr. Basil Shereghy, pastor of the Transfiguration of our Lord Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church, McKeesport, Pa. The exhibited materials were provided from the collections of Msgr. Shereghy, Profs. Steven and Agnes Várdy, and the Tamburitzan Institute of Folk Arts itself. Some additional items were donated by Magyar Árúház and Mária Tóth-Kurucz, according to the separate leaflet provided those who came to see the free exhibit. Although not mentioned on the leaflet, I was informed that a number-of paintings, graühics, posters and a few other items were sent by the Hungarian government, especially for this exhibit, and will remain at the Institute for permanent exhibition.

The Exhibition of Hungarian Culture was grouped into the following categories: Cloth pieces; costumes; wood pieces; musical instruments; Pottery and Plates; porcelain; bronzes and metals; paintings, graphics and posters .... and in a large separate room adjoining the Exhibit Hall, were hundreds of Hungarian records, books, journals, publications and textbooks, mainly from the huge Várdy collection. The “cloth pieces” consisted of pillow cases, table cloths, book covers, wall hanging, table runners, towels, scarves, aprons and embroideries from the various ethnographic areas of Hungary and the Hungarian speaking territories adjacent to the homeland, such as: Great Plain (Karcag, Paszáb, Hódmezővásárhely), Matyó (Mezőkövesd), Kalocsa, Palóc, Heves, Bereg, Transdanubia (Buzsák, Pécs, Sárköz, Hetes) and Transylvania.

In the costume category they had six life-size models: Shepherd from Hortobágy region of the Great Plain; Young man’s outfit from Mezőkövesd representing the Matyó folk style; gaily embroidered blouse and skirt and headwear of the womenfolk in the Kalocsa region; the kékfestő (blue-print) female costume so typical of the Transdanubia region. Completing the display of costumes were the Székely women’s apparel from the Csik region of Transylvania and the very impressive and utterly costly male coat from the Kalotaszeg ethnographic region, also in Transylvania.

The wooden pieces consisted of a kulacs (flask) from the Hortobágy (great Plain region), a unique clothes chest, fabricated in 1909, from the Palóc region (purchased a few years ago by DUTIFA for permanent exhibition), carved boxes with sliding lids, a plate with Transdanubian decoration, plus miniature grave markers from the village of Vargyas in Transylvania.

The new, hardly-used cimbalom, which the Institute purchased in Budapest and had shipped to Pittsburgh, seemed to be the center of attraction as far as the Hungarian folk instruments were concerned. Next to catch everyone’s eyes was the Tekerő, or hand-cranked hurdy gurdy of the Great Plain. This writer had first learned of its existence by the instrument’s Nickname “Nyerere”, due to its droning sound. Purists in the instrument field say it should be called “forgolant” — a cranking or turning lyre. Also on display was a fancily carved citera, or Hungarian zither, plus two furulyás or shepherd pipes. Although listed on the printed leaflet, the tárogató