37th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS OSLO June 26th-29th, 2014

FOLK MUSIC’S INFLUENCE IN ART MUSIC IN THE PERIOD 1814-2014.

Trends in Practice and Performing Hungary

Dr. Mariann Ábrahám 37th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS OSLO June 26th-29th, 2014

FOLK MUSIC’S INFLUENCE IN ART MUSIC IN THE PERIOD 1814-2014.

Trends in Practice and Performing in Hungary

Introduction All links to music in the lecture : http://www.abrahammariann.hu/oslo.html

Bartók on the connection between folk music and art music

„According to the way I feel, a genuine peasant melody of our land is a musical example of a perfect art. I consider it quite as much a masterpiece, for instance, in miniature, as a Bach fugue or a Mozart sonata movement is a masterpiece in larger form. A melody of this kind is a classic example of the expression of a musical thought in its most conceivably concise form, with the avoidance of all that is superfluous.” (The folksong of Hungary, 1928. Bartók: Essays, p. 333)1

I. EARLIEST EVENTS There are many written records indicating that the setting down of one or two melodies of folk songs in Hungary started centuries ago but these records were only scattered, individual cases. From the 17th century some handwritten compilations are extant, which contain psalmody, dance tunes, popular art songs, and even laments. One of the earliest examples is a handwritten Virginal Book in German from 16892, compiled by the teacher Johann Wohlmuth (1643-1724) for his pupil Johann Stark. This virginal book contains 56 short pieces. We can find examples from the 18th and 19th centuries too. Some of the Hungarian-style pieces in these collections were arranged by a contemporary composer,

Ferenc Farkas (1905-2000) for children learning music. By the beginning of the 19th century several such handwritten collections had been made.

II. THE EARLY ERA OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGY 19th CENTURY

RECRUITING MUSIC

In the last third of the 18th century, a typically Hungarian style of music developed, known as the recruiting music (verbunkos) and it became highly popular in Hungary. People thought this music was representative of ancient Hungarian national music. This style gave rise to all forms of art music in the 19th century. The verbunkos was originally the music used for recruiting soldiers.

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Later, it developed into a favourite form of Hungarian music, became more urbane, and the first Hungarian ballroom dance. The performance style began to take on a typical form: the succession of slow and fast musical material. The slow part of the verbunkos expresses grief and anguish over the tragic past, the fast part is taut and dance-like.

Ferenc Erkel: Hunyadi László: Palotás (1844), ballroom dance (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhk1IPExjnk

It was spread by the excellent virtuoso Gypsy fiddlers who performed it, and who were known nationwide, so the tradition of performance style was based on their manner of playing.3

What are the characteristics of this style? dotted rhythms, a melody mix of major and minor, often with steps of augmented seconds, rich ornamentation, a sense of improvisation and paraphrase. Foreign musicians who came into contact with Hungarian music sometimes used these stylistic traits in their own music. Haydn, in the service of a Hungarian aristocrat Prince Esterházy at Fertőd and Eisenstadt, often heard verbunkos music, and used this character several times in his works. Haydn: Piano Trio No. 39 ("Gypsy") in G major Hob. XV/25 EMERALD Piano Trio (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNKPIo6TBKY

Brahms had a considerable collection of Hungarian popular dances. Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5 , conductor: Claudio Abbado Berliner Philharmoniker (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAMxkietiik

Sarasate’s piece Zigeunerweisen Op. 20, includes a Hungarian popular art song (i.e. a song composed in a folk style). Pablo Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Gypsy Airs Op.20, Itzhak Perlman, recorded 1990 - (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeVZURB0IF8

The Hungarian March from Berlioz's famous work, The Damnation of Faust has become widely known. In reality, the theme was a wandering melody. It was a favourite melody of 18th century gypsy musicians. Musicologist Dr. Ferenc Bónis writes that ‘Berlioz composed the piece in February 1846, two days before his concert in Pest.’ The piece has a long history, and Bónis’ research shed light on the details. Liszt (in the 15th Rhapsody) and Erkel also used the melody of the Hungarian March. Hector Berlioz: Rákóczi March from "Le Damnation de Faust" Hungarian State Orchestra János Ferencsik (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ChJk6Qddg

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Many examples could be given of the wide influence of the verbunkos, including the music of Beethoven (Eroica: IV. movement - g minor Variation), Mozart, Schubert and Weber. I would like to mention the name of Ferenc Erkel (1810-1893) one of the greatest Hungarian composers of the 19th century besides Liszt. Erkel was the driving force behind the creation of Hungarian national opera. In addition, he was a pianist, conductor, and the first director of the Budapest Music Academy, which opened in 1875, where he also taught. Erkel’s place in Hungarian music history is equivalent to that of Glinka in Russian music, Dvořák and Smetana in Czech music, and Moniuszko in Polish music. In his works Erkel cherishes national traditions, retaining the song- and dance-forms, and the melodic idiom, while combining them with an European style. I would like to you to listen to an aria from one of his most famous operas, Bánk Bán (premiere 1861). This wonderful aria is the best-known and the most patriotic aria of the 19th century in Hungary.

(Detail) My country, my country, thou art my all, I owe my life to thee, I’ll answer to thy call.

Golden cornfields, rivers in flood! Flowing with tears and wash with heroes’ blood.

My own sorrow I lay aside: to Thee, my country, my aid is not denied!

Ferenc Erkel: Placido Domingo sings in Hungarian: Bán Bánk (1861) - My country, my country http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgz4dGqzuwI

I should also mention an album written for piano by Mihály Mosonyi (1815-1870). The title is, Studies for Piano: training for the performance of Hungarian music (i.e. verbunkos). It was composed in 1860. Mosonyi’s articles and writings paved the way for the development of a detailed, precise programme for state musical education.4

Throughout Europe, the second half of the 19th century saw the founding of independent ethnographic collections. But the technical means necessary for collecting were not available, and the methods and purposes of collection were varied. They left out of consideration the scientific inquiry of collected folk music. Many decades would pass before Kodály could write in 1951 that “the time of disorganized editions has passed.” In the 19th century, around 1840, the Hungarian Society of Scholars5 officially instigated the collecting of folk songs, in order to try to gather the traditions of Hungarian language and melody, and musical heritage. Several collections were made, but because of the 1848 War of Independence unfortunately only the words of these songs are extant, the melodies have been lost. Over the following decades there were attempts to research folk tales, customs, characteristic Hungarian proverbs, and folk songs, but fieldwork was time-consuming. The amount of material and lack of resources meant that thorough work on folk songs was not carried out. In the second half of the 19th century folk songs had already been published, but the goal, the credible notation, classification, lack of professionalism were missing; there was not a scientific criteria, publishers arbitrary changed the melodies and style of accompaniment was inappropriate to the folk songs.

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III. THE 20TH CENTURY. FOLK MUSIC

In Hungary, it was ethnomusicology that traced back and revealed the true past of Hungarian music. At the beginning of the century, people didn’t know whether a melody was a composed song, or a genuine folk song. It was unclear what exactly could be called a true Hungarian folk song. The discovery and collecting of genuine Hungarian folk songs did not start until the beginning of the 20th century. Organized collection of folk song began in 1896 at the instigation of ethnographer Béla Vikár (1859-1945), who was a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. At the end of the 1870s he was the first to use shorthand to collect the texts of folk songs and tales. At Christmas 1896 he began recording folk songs on the phonograph, the first person in Europe to do so. He presented his findings at the Ethnographic Congress held at the Paris World Fair in 1900. His oeuvre consists of about 8000 items. He translated from Finnish, French, German, English, Georgian, Estonian and Norwegian. He translated the Kalevala from the original Finnish into Hungarian, and it was published, too. It was actually because of the translation of the Kalevala that he began to start collecting folk tales, to find the Hungarian idiom most suited to it. In terms of musical material, too, it would be an irreplaceable loss if the folk songs he collected were unknown. In his footsteps followed:

Béla Bartók (1881-1945) Zoltán Kodály (1881-1945) László Lajtha (1892-1963)

IV. BARTÓK AND KODÁLY’S WORK IN COLLECTING FOLK SONGS (in a nutshell) As early as 1905-6 Bartók (1881-1945) and Kodály (1882-1967) started seeking out the ancient Hungarian melodies extant via oral tradition in Hungarian villages. Their first publication was already released a year later, in 1906 (Hungarian Folk Songs).

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In the first decades of the century there were thus two main tasks: 1. To present peasant music in a harmonic context suitable for the concert platform, all the while retaining the melody’s individual character.7 2. To find a didactic process in music teaching that would match the melodies of folk music.

Kodály told on folk music arrangements the following: “Folk songs must be dressed to be taken from the fields to the city. In urban attire, however, they are awkward and uncomfortable. Their apparel must be cut in a fashion that will not hinder their breathing. Whether for chorus or for piano, the accompaniment should always be of such a nature as to make up for the lost fields and village.” 6 One of the greatest challenges was how to integrate folk music into their own style. Both of their oeuvres are shot through with the spirit of true folk music they had uncovered, and this resulted in the renewal of their compositional style. Throughout his life Bartók considered arranging folk songs to be work of equal rank to his free composing. 1. To present peasant music in a harmonic context suitable for the concert platform, all the while retaining the melody’s individual character Kodály composed two cycles of folk songs for one of the greatest female opera singers, Mária Basilides (1886-1946) who performed them with marvellous powerful expression.

As an example, let’s listen to a short funny song from one of Kodály’s folk song arrangements. This is from Kodály's collection, and he composed the accompaniment. The recording was made in December 1928. Mária Basilides is accompanied on the piano by Béla Bartók.

Woman, woman Woman, woman, out of your bed! Husband, husband, out of this house! From the drinking party I’m back! From the spinning party I’m back. Up with you, or I shall let fly Out with you, or I shall let fly Dishes, plates and cups at your head Distaff, spindle’nd clogs at your head

Zoltán Kodály: Folk song arrangement: Woman, woman, performed by Mária Basilides, at the piano Béla Bartók http://abrahammariann.hu/oslo/Basilides - Track07-Segment 1.mp3 As Bartók put it: ... ‘Kodály's works embody the Hungarian spirit the most perfectly. His work as a composer is rooted exclusively in the soil of Hungarian folk music...’ I would like to give an instrumental example of how Bartók arranged melodies he first heard and years later he used them in his own composition. First let’s listen to the raw material Bartók collected in 1912 in Romania, in Timis, and the kind of instrument that produced it. I will use two Romanian melodies to demonstrate the recording possibility and quality of the phonograph at the beginning of the 20th century. Nevertheless, the phonograph was an important help to preserve melodies-ornamentation in a song or on instruments. After then we’ll look at a composition that shows how Béla Bartók managed this feat. I will illustrate this using the second part of Rhapsody No. 1, which Bartók composed in 1928.

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In this second part he uses four melodies. The piece was originally written for violin and piano. The orchestral version was composed later.

Béla Bartók: Rhapsody No.1, second part: Csaba Erdélyi (viola) - Mariann Ábrahám (piano) concert recording http://abrahammariann.hu/oslo/Bartok _1_rapsodia.mp3

2. To find a didactic process in music teaching that would match the melodies of folk music. The necessity of developing a pedagogical programme.8 In 1920 Kodály wrote: … ‘For 15 years I have been going to Hungarian villages to collect every melody of Hungarian music. I have done all this without the support of the state, covering the expenses myself.’ Travelling the country’s villages Bartók and Kodály realised how much talent was hidden in the children of the poor. This realization brought with it the formation of a pedagogical programme, and led them to compose music for it.9 At this time in Hungary, the teaching of singing in elementary school consisted basically of the key of C major and the didactic songs in that key. A few folk songs could be adapted into this system. The Hungarian children songs’ material are of indogerman hexachord, but within this we can find pentatonic melody-fragments too. As a starting point, Kodály's team based the works composed for young pupils on the pentatonic scale typical of many Hungarian folk songs, and children’s songs with a small range. For this purpose, Kodály wrote innumerable compositions, in unison and polyphony, singing exercises, and choral works in every genre: most of them folk song arrangements. He laid down the foundations for a school of thinking both in pedagogic literature, and the style of folk music arrangements with instrument. Kodály used folk songs mainly in vocal music. Unlike the German school, based on building up by scales, he wrote artful choral works and singing exercises based on Hungarian folk music, in various levels of difficulty right from kindergarten level. His piano pieces are few in number. In the pieces for children he preferred the black keys, That form a pentatonic scale, so that the pupils would become accustomed to a sound world different to the continuous major-key melodies. I would like to summarize, how Bartók characterized the meaning of folk song, as opposed to the ‘stereotype’ of the purportedly Hungarian verbunkos: (I will mention only a few points)

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What are the main characteristics of the original Hungarian folk song?

1. In both content and form, the majority of melodies give an experience comparable to classical art. 2. Their expressive power is astonishingly great, and they are perfectly proportioned, free of all sentimentality. 3. Their content is deeply human, because every situation of village life is described in them. 4. They are a musical model to contrast with the unbearable exaggerations of late romanticism. 5. They are extremely varied rhythmically, and their scales make possible new harmonic combinations.

LET’S LOOK BRIEFLY AT THE GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS WHERE KODÁLY COLLECTED FOLK MUSIC (1905 – 1952)

Besides Transylvanian folk songs from 1910 Kodály paid attention to collections of Cheremiss, Chuvash, Mordvin, Votyak people’s folk music, musical language relatives to Hungarian people. From his youth until 1952 he collected in 35 counties’ 235 settlements, 5100 melodies. Vocal: 4880, from these 195 Romanian, Slovakian, and Gypsy. Instrumental music: 223, from these 39 are Slovakian, Rutén-oláh and Romanian. LET’S LOOK BRIEFLY AT THE GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS WHERE BARTÓK COLLECTED FOLK MUSIC

As well as his collecting expeditions in today’s Hungary, up to 1920 Béla Bartók collected music in Slovak-speaking areas, and Romanian-speaking regions of Transylvania, which back than were parts of the Hungarian Kingdom (since 1867 in the frame of Austro Hungarian Monarchy). In recognition of his efforts collecting folk songs in Romania, in 1924 Bartók received an award from the king of Romania, Ferdinand I. In 1913 he collected folk songs of the Arab melodic idiom from North Africa. He wanted to go to Moldavia, but World War I. prevented him. In 1936 he set out on his last expedition to collect folk songs to the nomadic Turkish shepherds in the mountains of Anatolia. During the years of World War I. he concentrated on composing and classifying the folk songs he had collected.

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Bartók and Kodály carried out comparative ethnomusicology. They wanted to distil the typically Hungarian traits which could not be found in neighbouring peoples, or at least only incidentally, and certain to have been taken from Hungarian songs. Bartók’s study ‘Hungarian folk music and that of neighbouring peoples’ (Népzenénk és a szomszéd népek zenéje) dates 1934. You can find all the so called “classical material” collected by Bartók and Kodály and others in the Musicological Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. By the time Bartók died, about 40,000 folksongs had been collected. This figure now stands at 300,000 of which ‘only’ 150,000 have been transcribed. With their research, the classifying of folk songs and their practical use, Bartók and Kodály produced work of outstanding importance. They published countless articles and books, and presented their collections and the findings of their scholarly work in reports, interviews and at international conferences.

László Lajtha (1892-1963), as well as being a composer, made a name for himself in ethnomusicology. He is linked to the direction of interest in Hungarian instrumental folk music. There is a library’s worth of literature in English too on the work of Bartók, Kodály, Lajtha and others. Anyone interested can find an infinite quantity of material on this. I'd like also to mention the name of

Dr. Bálint Sárosi (1925-), a living scholar of international fame, who has dedicated his whole life to musicology and the research of instrumental folk music. The revival of the instrumental folk music in the last 40 years appeared in the frame of the dance house movement, which has been listed by the UNESCO as one of the best traditional cultural practices. His book Instruments in Hungarian Folk Tradition (Hangszerek a magyar néphagyományban) was published in 1998, and a book in English, The Hungarian Musical Mother Tongue in 2003.10

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V. CONTEMPORARIES, SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS Many others also wrote works in which they used folk songs. In Hungary the name of Leó Weiner (1885-1960) is well-known. He arranged countless folk songs in a Romantic style, at various levels of difficulty.11 The generation born at the beginning of the 20th century also composed countless pieces based on folk songs. This generation had a difficult task indeed: it was almost impossible to escape from the influence of the irresistible greatness of Bartók and Kodály.

Hours could be spent presenting the work of the generation of composers of the first half of the 20th century, whose work was marked by the use of folk songs and folk music. Equally characteristic of these composers’ idioms is the search for their own new style.

I’d like to play a few minutes’ worth of small pieces written for educational purposes, performed by children of six, nine and ten. The composers are:

Béla Bartók Zoltán Kodály Leó Weiner György Ligeti F. Kapi-Horváth

. Béla Bartók: For Children I. 1908, Januj Blanka . Béla Bartók: New Hungarian Folk Song (Mikrocosmos V.) Mátyás András – Polgár Lilla . Zoltán Kodály, Children’s Dances I., 1945, Sárközi Fanni . Leo Weiner, Evening is here, A large Nosed Flea, 1949 Nagy Dorottya, Balogh Zsolt . György Ligeti,12 Three Wedding Dances. III. Mészáros György – Mayum Isogaya . Ferenc Kapi-Horváth. Folk Songs Suite, I.II. Horváth László-Mikio Oyabu

Children’s performances are chosen from various live concerts, organized by Mariann Ábrahám (concert recordings) http://abrahammariann.hu/oslo/childrens_performances.wmv

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VI. EDUCATIONAL LITERATURE piano tutors

Educational literature includes piano tutors, which in the 19th century were published in quite some number, even in Hungarian. In some, as I mentioned, German and Hungarian are both used. To list the dates of publication: 1802,1827, 1844,1862, 1890. These were usually text books for studying singing, playing the piano and organ, composition, and collection of pieces. Many piano tutors were of course published in the 20th century, too. I would like to mention just one of these, which in its pedagogic concept was the most perfect adaptation of Kodály’s ideals to the piano curriculum. It was written by Erna Czövek (1899-1983). The first Piano Tutor she published was released after the war in 1946. This is the first piano tutor based on Hungarian folk songs. I would like to mention that the vocal introduction to teach instrument (piano) for beginners is based on Kodály‘s and Bartók’s idea. (See the Preface of Mikrokosmos.) In the next decades she published several volumes from the beginning to advanced levels (1951 [six volumes], 1975, -77, -79). The overriding principle in her own words: ‘To begin teaching with scales is the worst method’. Alongside her many excellent measures, as director of a music school she categorically forbade teachers to teach scales in the first year. VII.

LATE 20TH CENTURY AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC It is very sorry, that the 21st century fashion is a kind of crossing over of folk music and pop music. The use of folk songs has fallen by the wayside. Young composers believe the time for arranging folk songs is past, and yet more freely used melodic turns of phrase from folk music often appear in their music, primarily in pieces written for educational purposes. Having whisked you through two centuries, let us finish by listening to one of Zoltán Kodály’s acapella folk song arrangements, the Evening Song (Esti Dal). It is performed by the King Singers. Kodály: Evening Song (Esti dal)

Evening darkness overtook me near the woods; I have put my coat under my head (i.e. as a pillow), I have put my hands together To pray to the Lord this like:

Oh, my Lord, give me a place to sleep, I am weary with wandering, With walking around and hiding, With living on foreign land.

May Lord give me a good night, May he send me a holy angel, May he encourage our hearts’ dreams, May he give us a good night. King’s Singers

Zoltán Kodály: Evening Song - King's Singers ( YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2mIUKCaJwI

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NOTES 1. Béla Bartók Essays. Selected and edited by Benjamin Sushoff. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1992. (Originally published by Faber and Faber, London, 1976) 2. János Wohlmuth taught in a German- and Hungarian-speaking area in the city of Pressburg (known as Pozsony in Hungarian, and today Bratislava). 3. The best known of these musicians are János Lavotta, Antal Csermák, and Márk Rózsavölgyi. Liszt was a great admirer of Rózsavölgyi’s virtuoso violin technique. When as a young man he heard this music, ‘as a declaration of his Hungarian identity’ he too began to use the melodies he had heard. For example, Márk Rózsavölgyi’s themes feature in two of Liszt’s Rhapsodies. 4. Very briefly, two facts about the history of music education in Hungary: The official history of Hungarian public education began with a government decree (Ratio Educationis) issued in 1777. This decree was issued by Maria Theresa (1717-1780) of the House of Habsburg, Queen of Hungary (1740-1780) and the Czech Lands (1743-1780), and was a curriculum which also included music education. But primarily the decree was aimed at regulating public education. Music education in school can be considered to start from this period. However, first of all it was Ferenc Liszt who made possible the foundation of music education in organized fashion. On 2 January 1840 he gave a concert, the revenue which he donated to a conservatoire yet to be built. He created a foundation, and in the following decades, too, he continuously helped facilitating the functioning of current institution and to set up the National Conservatoire. In addition to Liszt, many famous musicians, Hungarian aristocrats, noblemen and others helped financing the current institution. 5. Predecessor to the current Hungarian Academy of Sciences. 6. Selected writings of Zoltán Kodály. Budapest: Corvina, Press, 1974. In: Bartók-Kodály: Hungarian Folksongs for voice and piano, 1906. Forward, p.9 7. The influence of peasant music on modern music, 1931. Bartók: Essays, p. 341-342 “The question is, what are the ways in which peasant music is taken over and becomes transmuted into modern music? We may, for instance, take over a peasant melody unchanged or only slightly varied, write an accompaniment to it and possibly some opening and concluding phrases. This kind of work would show a certain analogy with Bach’s treatment of chorales. Two main types can be distinguished among works of this character. In the one case accompaniment, introductory and concluding phrases are of secondary importance, and they only serve as an ornamental setting for the precious stone: the peasant melody. It is the other way round in the second case: the melody only serves as a ‘motto’ while that which is built round it is of real importance. All shades of transition are possible between these two extremes and sometimes it is not even possible to decide which of the elements is predominant in any given case. But in every case it is of the greatest importance that the musical qualities of the setting should be derived from the musical qualities of the melody, from such characteristics as are contained in it openly or covertly, so that melody and all additions create the impression of complete unity.” 8. As a source of texts and melodies Bartók and Kodály used the work Collection of Hungarian Children’s Games (Magyar Gyermekjátékok Gyüjteménye) published in 1891 by ethnographer Dr. Áron Kiss (1845-1908); this was the summary of the results of a vast amount of collective fieldwork. This fieldwork was carried out by schoolteachers in the provinces, and its purpose was to educate the Hungarian nation. Kiss lists 214 colleagues who carried out fieldwork in 48 counties. Several pieces from this source material were used by Kodály as textual sources for his choral works, and by Bartók as melodic sources in his series For Children. All manner of effects from folk music were incorporated. The Hungarian folk music discovered consisted of several types: the ancient folk song, of Asian, medieval origin, and a newer style, dated between the mid-19th century and 1920. One of the great discoveries was that the heritage from Asia was found 100 years ago by Bartók and Kodály as a living tradition, and this is what they incorporated into their music. But the pentatonic music of Central Asia was not the only element of Hungarian folk music: another was the improvisatory melody,

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37th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS OSLO June 26th-29th, 2014 falling stepwise over a limited range, which bore resemblance to the songs of the Finno-Ugric tribes of Siberia. The melodic structure of Cheremissian folk music is close to the pentatonic melodic framework present in Hungarian folk music. At the same time Hungarian folk music retains western traits. One of the oldest melodic structures is the Lament (Sirató). Having encountered this extraordinarily rich tradition, based on a collection of only a couple of thousand songs in 1913 they submitted a general plan for research into folk music to the Kisfaludy Society. Bartók’s book Hungarian folk song (Magyar népdal) was published in 1924, and this was the first scholarly study. He had already published something on Romanian folk music (Chansons populaires roumaines du département Bihar, 1913). In 1937 Kodály published his study Folk Music of Hungary (A magyar népzene), and these works summarize the findings up to that point. In 1953 a research group was formed, and at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences work started on a complete edition of folk songs, the “Corpus Musicae Popularis Hungaricae” (Magyar Népzene Tára). 9. In 1919 Bartók planned to introduce education in public elementary schools, where singing lessons would be given for at least three years by professionally trained staff. The rudiments of reading and notating music would also be taught. Kodály was a professor at the Academy of Music (1907) and after 1910 he set the target that city children should learn 40 songs in one academic year. 10. ‘The beauty and value of a song is given not by the pentatonic scale, or the falling motion, but by the humanity expressed therein. The archaic quality of the song might be at most a historical measure of value' he writes. With reference to the Hungarian Rhapsodies of Liszt (1811-1886) and Brahms (1833-1906), ‘no sharp line can be drawn between folk songs and art songs. To our mind the two types of song mean one and the same: Hungarian,’ writes Bálint Sárosi. 11. As well as countless longer folk song arrangements, two albums have been published for music pupils: 20 easy little pieces for youngsters at the piano (20 könnyű kis darab a zongorázó ifjúság számára) op. 27 - (1949), Hungarian folk music (Magyar népi muzsika) op. 42 – (1953). 12. Few people know that after graduating from the Budapest Music Academy György Ligeti did ethno musicological fieldwork in Transylvania and other parts of Romania, and collected several hundred folk songs. ***

Hungarian, Szekler, Romanian, Slovak [In the title of Bartok s compositions the translation of “Tot” means Slovak], and Ukrainian folk song arrangements in the piano works of Béla Bartók (List of sources of arranged melodies: V. Lampert: Folk Music in Bartók’s Compositions) Three Hungarian Folksongs from the Csík District (1907) 14 Bagatelles (1908) 10 Easy Piano Pieces (1908) For Children (1908-1909) Seven Sketches (1908-1910) First Term at the Piano (1913, 1929) Rumanian Christmas Carols (1915) Rumanian Folk Dances (1915) Sonatina (1915) Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs (1914-1918) Eight Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs (1920) Three Rondos on Folktunes (1916-1927) Mikrokosmos (1926, 1932–1939) Little Suite (1936) Seven Pieces from Mikrokosmos for two pianos (1940)

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Piano works of Zoltán Kodály

Meditation sur un motif de Claude Debussy (1907) 9 Piano Pieces op.3 (1905-1909) 7 Piano Pieces op.11 (1910-1918) (No. 2., No. 6., Transylvanian Székely folk tunes). Dances of Marosszék (1923-1927) Children's Dances (1945) (Many pieces are based on folksong-like melodies). 24 Little Canons on the Black Keys (1945)

VIII. LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES (details)

F.Erkel: László Hunyadi, opera (1844), „PALOTÁS” - ballroom dance (very short detail)

J. Haydn: Piano Trio No. 39 ("Gypsy") in G major Hob. XV/25 (very short detail)

J. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5. (cond. Claudio Abbado Berliner Philharmoniker (very short detail))

P. Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen Op. 20, Itzhak Perlman (two short details) (H. Berlioz: Hungarian March, orchestral version: cond. János Ferencsik)

F. Erkel: Bánk Bán, opera (1861), aria: My country, my country, Placido Domingo (very short detail) Z. Kodály: Woman, woman, Mária Basilides - Béla Bartók (recorded: 1928) CD Source material – fiddler: Patru Mos (6o), Ghilad ((Timis, Romania), 1912 (two melodies on the violin)

B. Bartók: Rhapsody No. 1, 2nd part: Csaba Erdélyi (viola) - Mariann Ábrahám (piano) (concert recording)

Pieces for Children (Bartók, Kodály, Weiner, Ligeti, Kapi-Horváth – concert recordings, 1993-2013) Z. Kodály: Evening Song, King’s Singers

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37th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS OSLO June 26th-29th, 2014

REFERENCES:

ALMÁSI, István: A népzene jegyében 2009 LAMPERT, Vera: Népzene Bartók műveiben: A feldolgozott dallamok forrásjegyzéke, 2005 A Nemzeti Zenede ( The National Conservatory, Collection of Writings) 2005 ITTZÉS, Mihály: 22 zenei írás, (22 Musical Writings) 1999 ITTZÉS, Mihály: Zoltán Kodály, in Retrospect - a Hungarian National Composer in the 20th Century on the Board of East and West, Kecskemét: Kodály Institute 2002 VARGYAS, Lajos: A magyarság népzenéje 1981 BARTÓK Béla: Essays. Selected and edited by Benjamin Suchoff. Originally published by Faber and Faber, London, 1976

KODÁLY, Zoltán: Visszatekintés Vol. 2 1974 Selected Writings of Zoltán Kodály. Budapest: Corvina Press, 1974 CZÖVEK, Erna: Zongora ABC (further publications 1951-1979) 1946 LAJTHA, László: A népzenéről 1933 MAJOR, Ervin: Ratio Educationis és a magyar zeneoktatás “ZENE” 1928 In Bartók-Kodály: Hungarian Folksongs for voice and piano, Forward. Selected writings of Kodály, (p. 9) 1906 WIKIPEDIA YOUTUBE CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCES are chosen from various live concerts, organized by Mariann Ábrahám (1993 – 2013)

Acknowledgments The author expresses appreciation to Prof. Dr. Mihály Ittzés [ President of Hungarian Kodály Society, Budapest] and Prof. Dr.László Vikárius [Head of the Budapest Bartók Archives, Institute for Musicology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences] for valuable and inspiring information.

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37th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS OSLO June 26th-29th, 2014

Links to all music used in this lecture (complete versions) : http://www.abrahammariann.hu/oslo.html

Ferenc Farkas: Two Little Pieces from XVIII. Century, I. Katalin Csillag, (students-concert recording) http://abrahammariann.hu/oslo/Farkas_.wmv Ferenc Erkel: László Hunyadi, opera 1844: ”Palotás”, ballroom - dance (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhk1IPExjnk Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 39 ("Gypsy") in G major Hob. XV/25 EMERALD Piano Trio (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNKPIo6TBKY Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5 , conductor: Claudio Abbado Berliner Philharmoniker (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAMxkietiik Pablo Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Gypsy Airs Op.20, Itzhak Perlman, recorded 1990 - (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeVZURB0IF8 Hector Berlioz: Hungarian March from "Le Damnation of Faust" Hungarian State Orchestra, conductor: János Ferencsik (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ChJk6Qddg Ferenc Erkel: Bán Bánk, Opera 1861, Placido Domingo sings in Hungarian: „My country, my country”, aria (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgz4dGqzuwI Zoltán Kodály: Folk song arrangement: „Woman, woman”, performed by Mária Basilides, at the piano Béla Bartók, CD http://abrahammariann.hu/oslo/Basilides - Track07-Segment 1.mp3 Béla Bartók: Rhapsody No.1, second part: Csaba Erdélyi (viola) - Mariann Ábrahám (piano) concert recording http://abrahammariann.hu/oslo/Bartok _1_rapsodia.mp3 Zoltán Kodály: „The Peacock” Variations on a Hungarian folksong („Fölszállott a páva”), (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlpdlylAA94 Children’s performances are chosen from different live concerts, organized by Mariann Ábrahám (concert recordings) http://abrahammariann.hu/oslo/childrens_performances.wmv Zoltán Kodály: „Evening Song” - King's Singers (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2mIUKCaJwI

37th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS OSLO June 26th-29th, 2014 (Download: http://www.abrahammariann.hu/oslo/oslo.pdf)

Thank you for your attention

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