Mary Taylor: the Hungarian Dance-House Movement

Ninteeenth and Twentieth Century Historical and Institutional Precedents of the Hungarian Dance-House Movement Mary Taylor .................................................................................. CUNY Graduate Center The Institute of Ethnology of the [email protected] Hungarian Academy of Sciences and The Hungarian Heritage House Advisers: Mr. Ferenc Sebo˝ and Ms. Ágnes Fülemile .................................................................................. This paper seeks to lay out a broad history of the latest wave of folk revival in Hungary, the Tanchaz (Dance-house) Movement. In order to do so, It will examine the engagement with folk forms by the (mostly urban) elite and the academy in connection with nation- building/nationalism in 19th and 20th century Hungary; the rise of specific institutions and practices connected with Hungarian folk culture and their continuity or discontinuity over time; the sudden territorial and population shift that would leave a legacy of ethnographic and folkloristic material covering a territory much larger than the truncated Hungarian state that emerged in 1920 from the treaty of Trianon; and the specific conditions preceding the tanchaz movement and in which it arose. Focusing on the Bouquet of Pearls Movement of the 1930’s and 1940’s as an institution connected to folklorism and nationmaking, the paper reveals both continutities and discontinuities with theTanchaz Movement that would aries in the 1970’s. After a brief survey of the emergence of Tanchaz, the paper ends with suggestions for further research. 95 Student Conference 2004 Introduction This paper in progress seeks to explore a martial law following the 1848 revolution, broad history of the latest wave of folk that Hungary would once again gain gover- revival in Hungary, the Tanchaz (Dance- nance of the territory of historic Hungary . house) Movement. In order to do so, It will As the historical processes that had brought examine the engagement with folk forms about the nation state system and the domi- and traditions by the elite and the academy nance of a capitalist mode of production in connection with nation-building in 19th took off in Western Europe, the Hungarian and 20th century Hungary; the rise of specif- nobility embraced the language and idea of ic institutions and practices connected with the independent nation state and formulated Hungarian folk culture and their continuity resistance to the Hapsburg Empire by or discontinuity over time; the sudden terri- stressing their distinguishing national char- torial and population shift that would leave a acteristics. Essential to the transformation to legacy of ethnographic and folkloristic the nation-state was a shift of the under- material covering a territory much larger standing of nation from the nobility (those than the truncated Hungarian state that with rights) to include ‘the people of Hun- emerged in 1920 after the treaty of Trianon; gary’. Tamas Hofer has pointed out that only and the specific conditions preceding the in Eastern Europe did the study of peasant Tanchaz movement and in which it arose. culture arise almost exclusively for the use of Focusing on its precedents and emergence, inhabitants as part of national cultural histo- this paper will not discuss the later institu- ry. Essential to national awakening, he tionalization of the Tanchaz Movement or argues, are the institutions of national cul- its present status. It will, however, suggest ture. The decades leading up to the 1848 directions of research that promise to pro- war of independence, marked by efforts at vide further historical depth. national reform and Romanticism, would witness the establishment of National Muse- Nation-state making um, the Hungarian Academy of Science, the By the time of the 1848 revolution, Hun- National Theater, and the establishment of gary had been a Christian state for over 800 Hungarian as the official language. The con- years, having established what we might call cept of an ethnic Magyar, Hungarian lan- a multiethnic society. Not only were there guage speaking nation-state did not easily small numbers of non Hungarians living in allow for multiethnic/multilingual notions the Carpathian basin at the time of con- of the polity, causing tension with non Mag- quest, colonization of the region was active- yar populations-especially with the Romani- ly promoted by the Magyars, who invited ans of Transylvania, and with Croatia (a sep- foreign experts for development, and offered arate kingdom which had come under the nobility status to those who were willing to Hungarian crown in the 11th century). This settle in the border areas. From the time of internal tension would help to seal the victo- Ottoman occupation of the central part of ry of the Hapsburgs in 1848. the country in 1541, throughout the Habs- The borrowing by the nobility from “the burg occupation beginning in 1690, the ter- people” to build a unique national tradition ritory of historic Hungary would be divided through the adaptation of folk forms would in various politico-beurocratic configura- lead to the elevation of the csardas to the tions. It was not until 1867, after a period of national dance. The so-called csardas, a 96 Mary Taylor: The Hungarian Dance-House Movement composed piece borrowing from folk motifs, spanning interests as broad as nation-build- and popularized by Bela Weckheim and ing, economic development, and private Mark Rozsavolgyi, would, by the mid 1840’s, business, would be well integrated in the become de rigueur at balls such as those Gyongyos Bokreta (Bouquet of Pearls) organized by the Protection Association. At Movement of the 1930’s and 1940’s, to these dances expressing Hungarian national which we will turn shortly. independence, the use of the Hungarian language and the sporting of ‘national dress’ Ethnographic Collection, (which meant either clothing in national Technology, and the living style or, clothing made of locally produced memory of historic Hungary textiles) were also encouraged. (Nemes, Tamas Hofer, citing debates between 813). These cultural politics would continue ethnographers and symbol creators, has after the failed revolution, with the founding pointed out that in Eastern Europe the of the Liszt Academy of Music, and the ethnographic sciences produced material on opening of the Great Market Hall. Increas- which national symbols could be based. ingly, but especially from the 1880’s on, we Ethnographic collection would precede the see national reform expressed in Hungary’s foundation of a separate field of ethnogra- participation in industrial fairs-the discovery phy. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences and display of items considered uniquely was founded in 1830 “to serve national Hungarian, and their production for the development and the interests of economic market. The 1885 national cottage industry reform”(Pallas lexicon). Beginning in 1832, exhibition would feature ‘lifelike peasant the academy undertook the collection and rooms’, and in 1896, ethnic villages were publications of folksongs “with the intention “displayed”, along with inhabitants in City of 1) scientific research and preservation and Park at the celebration of the Hungary’s mil- 2) to serve the formation of a national taste” lennium. Instructive is the metamorphosis (Sarosi, 188). While the Ethnographic of Matyo embroidery into merchandise. Museum was founded in 1872 as the Ethno- From the turn of century on, the National graphic Department of the National Muse- Cottage Industry Association (Orszagos um, and 1896 would see the formation of Haziipari Szovetseg) worked to propagate Hungarian Ethnographic Society, the first and popularize Matyo embroidery –which department of Ethnography would not be would appear among Hungarian items at the formed until 1934, at Pozmany University. Turin world’s fair of 1911 (Fugedi, 14). On To grasp Ferenc Sebo’s claim that “the club that same year, archduchess Isabella the movements of the 1970’s emerged against a ‘chief patroness of cottage industrial art’ background of 150,000 collected and tran- would organize a ‘matyo wedding’ at the scribed tunes, with much research and prac- Isabella ball during carnival season ‘to popu- tical experience”(Sebo, 1998, 37), we must larize handicrafts’. As part of this process, turn to the history of the ethnographic col- the local intelligentsia placed orders with lection of music. peasant women, providing lucrative employ- The collections of Bela Vikar, the first in ment. They would soon be followed by mer- Europe to record folk music with the use of a chants. (Fugedi). This balance of interests phonograph, date as far back as1895. The nurturing this occupation with folk forms composers Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly 97 Student Conference 2004 would begin their collections in 1905 and Later, under Ortutay’s direction, with guid- 1906, respectively. The Hungary that they ance of Bartok, Kodaly and Laszlo Lajtha, documented using new technologies applied 107 records would be released by the Patria with methodological rigor was historic Hun- record company as the Patria series. While gary, a roughly thousand-year-old political- these were not accompanied by the type of territorial entity that would be dismantled a documentation that had accompanied the few years later with the treaty of Trianon. earlier Bartok project, others would be pro- Thus the wealth of material left to academic duced in this manner by the Folk Music and folkloristic posterity thanks to the use of Research group of the Academy of Sciences revolutionary recording technology and formed under Kodaly in 1953. It was this methodological rigor would contradict the wealth of documentation that awaited the new definition of Hungary- designed and revivalists of the 70’s, helping them to, in the reinforced by the Great Powers and happily words of Sebo “figure out the basic tech- accepted by the neighboring states from 1920 niques behind this unique and ancient play- on. The content and availability of these ing style”(Sebo, 2001). The emergence of ethnographic collections would have effects tanchaz, then, and the forms it would take, on the features of the Tanchaz movement.

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