Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)

Settling In Budapest. Systematic Collection of Folk Songs (1907–1913)

SETTLING IN BUDAPEST. SYSTEMATIC

COLLECTION OF FOLK SONGS ( 1 907-1 91 3)

1907

24 May - He caught a cold, and is ill for 3 days.

28 May - He writes a postcard to Thomán.

29 May - In the morning he goes to the Music Academy, afterwards gives a lesson to Gizella

Schlesinger

[Selden-Goth], then he is preparing to go to the Thománs

’.

9 June - From Rákospalota

he

sends birthday good wishes to his sister in Szilad.

17 June - Kodály

asks

in a letter from Paris (still in the formal manner): “What did you find in the phonograph? Will there be enough material in front of you? I interpret your silence concerning the folk songs meaning that you don’t consider the couple of songs that I sent publishable”.

As soon as the school year is finished Bartok sets out on a collecting tour.

28 June - His first trip takes him to Jászberény

where

he is guest of Stefi

Geyer’

s parents.

He finds few songs.

1 July - He sends home his dispensable packages, and sets out in the evening on his first trip to Transylvania. In Körösfő

in

the vicinity of Kalotaszeg (Kolozs

county) he orders his carved desk from György

Péntek- Gyugyi.

5 July

- He gives his mother an enthusiastic account of Bánffyhunyad

(Kolozs county), the surroundings, and local folk costumes.

6 July

- He takes a car in Brasov to see the sights of the beautiful city, he visits the nearby Csango people of Hétfalu,

and

walks up to the Árpád

memorial on the Cenk mountain.

The Rákospalota

flat

occupied with such high hopes proved to be bad, small and noisy, so they are already looking for another one: “If there is no suitable flat in Buda ... then only near the music academy” - he writes his mother.

Then he departs on his nearly 2-month long collecting tour in Seklerland, more precisely Csík

county,

where his route can be followed only roughly. He goes to Gyergyószentmiklós

to

collect 103