Hungarian Songs Research Articles

A Somogy megyei Kisgyalán faluközössége által kedvelt népdalok és magyar nóták az elmúlt száz esztendőben

Respect for traditions is still consciousness and character-forming, which is reinforced by folk songs and Hun-garian songs. What is being said is easier and more beau-tiful with the help of the thoughts expressed by their lyrics.In order to study this, I recorded everyone’s most favored song, folk song, and sometimes ballad in my hometown, Kis-gyalán. From a methodological point of view, different ver-sions and variations of folk songs and Hungarian songs were searched. The favored songs varied based on the inhabit-ant’s occupation, character, appearance, different qualities, and also on their different abilities and orientations. Different songs were sung at a wedding, at work, at school, or even during drinking. What one wanted to let others know, s/he told them what was on his or her mind by singing. During the recall of the songs, long-unmentioned images of life also came to life.

The principles of re-intonation of multinational folklore in the work of Ludwig van Beethoven (on the example of the collection of arrangements “Songs of Different Nations”)

The principles of re-intonation of multinational folklore in the work of Ludwig van Beethoven (on the example of the collection of arrangements “Songs of Different Nations”)

Various Bartok Editions

VARIOUS BARTOK EDITIONS Bela Bartok. I. Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester. Revidierte Ausgabe (1998). Vienna: Universal Edition, [1998], c1954. [Pref. (Peter Bartok) and commentary (M. Koren) in Ger., Eng., Fr., p. i-xxx; notes on percussion, p. xxxiii-xxxv; instrumentation, 1 p.; score 189 p. ISMN M-00805797-7; Philharmonia no. 541. Duration, ca. 23 min. euro28.95.] Bela Bartok. 14 Bagatellen fur Klavier, Op. 6. Neue, revidierte Ausgabe herausgegeben von Peter Bartok. Budapest: Editio Musica Budapest, c1998. [Score, p. 3-39; editor's notes in Eng., Ger., Hung., p. 40-47. ISMN M-080-00934-5; Z. 934. $13.95.] Bela Bartok. Allegro Barbaro for Piano Solo. Edited by Peter Bartok. Homosassa, FL: Bartok Records, 2002. [Pref. 2 p.; score, 7 p. ISMN M9012001-1-1; BR 703. Duration, 2 min., 35 sec. $7.] Bela Bartok. Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs for Piano (1914-17). Corrected and edited [by Peter Bartok]. Homosassa, FL: Bartok Records, 2002. [Score, 17 p.; index of the melodies, 2 p.; notes, 2 p. ISMN M9012001-4-2; BR 702. $13.] Bela Bartok. Ten Hungarian Songs for Voice and Piano (1906). Homosassa, FL: Bartok Records, 2002. [Pref. and notes (Peter Bartok), 3 p.; score, 19 p.; texts, p. i-v; MS facsim (bw BR 705. $19.] Bela Bartok. liebeslieder for Voice and Piano (1900). Facsimile of the manuscript, with an essay by Ferenc Bonis. Homosassa, FL: Bartok Records, 2002. [Note (Peter Bartok), 1 p.; pref. (F. Bonis), p. i-v; facsim. (bw BR801. $23.] Bela Bartok. The Husband's Grief for Voice and Piano = A ferj keserve. Homosassa, FL: Bartok Records, 2002. [Pref. in Eng., Hung. (Peter Bartok), 2 p.; score, p. 2-5; notes, 1 p.; MS facsim. (bw BR 701. $11.] Bela Bartok. W. A. Mozart, Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E\> major, K. 365, Cadenzas by Bela Bartok. Fair copy and facsimile of the manuscript. Homosassa, FL: Bartok Records, 2000. [Introd. (Ferenc Bonis), 2 p.; score, 8 p.; notes to MS facsim. (Peter Bartok), 1 p.; facsim. reprod. (bw Romanian Folk Dances; Romanian Christmas Carols; Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs; Suite, op. 14; Etudes, op. 18; Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, op. 20. In the absence of a critical edition of Bela Bartok's opera omnia (a project for which Hungarian musicologists have done a great deal of preparatory work but which, for various reasons, has yet to materialize), we must welcome the publication of individual works based on a careful revision of all available sources. In the last few years, several such editions have been published by Editio Musica Budapest, Universal (Vienna), and particularly Bartok Records -the company founded by Peter Bartok, the composer's younger son, in Homosassa, Florida. Actually, Peter Bartok is behind all but one of the editions under review here, which include one for Editio Musica Budapest (the Fourteen Bagatelles) and one for Universal (the First Piano Concerto). Making use of his extensive archive of his father's manuscripts, Peter Bartok, assisted by Nelson Dellamaggiore, has begun to revise and correct the editions currently in use; he has also published a number of shorter works that have never before been available in print. Intensely active especially in the last ten years, he has most notably produced the facsimile edition of the Viola Concerto's manuscript (Bartok's last, unfinished work) in 1995 (reviewed by Vera Lampert Deak in Notes 53, no. 3. [March 1997]: 988-90), and a fascinating book of memoirs, My Father, in 2002 (reviewed by Lynn Hooker in Notes 59, no. 3 [March 2003]:635-37). Four of Peter Bartok's new editions are critical revisions of well-known compositions. …

Genuine and adopted songs in the Vlach Gypsy repertoire: A controversy re‐examined

This paper analyses the process of transformation that an adapted Hungarian folk song undergoes, as compared with a genuine Vlach Gypsy song, in the performances of a Vlach Gypsy singer. The views of previous researchers are then re‐examined in the light of the findings of this analysis. The songs chosen for this analysis are typical of the two styles and are performed by the same singer, Ibolya Kovács, in order to eliminate individual idiosyncracies. The textual and musical analysis takes into account the views of Gypsy “insiders” that were gained from a year of participant observation and through various musical tests in the community to which the singer belongs. The findings show that the Hungarian song is transformed both melodically and textually and thereby made to conform more closely to Vlach musical concepts whilst still retaining traces of its Hungarian source. It is postulated that these features might be the main cues by which Vlach Gypsies identify the origin of their songs. The “insider” judgement also pays much attention to the specifics of performance style, enabling members of a Vlach Gypsy community to discern whether or not an unknown singer is Gypsy and comes from their own community. A culturally sensitive study of Vlach songs should therefore include an analysis not only of the musical material but also of the manner of performance by individuals and groups of individuals, in accordance with Vlach Gypsy concepts of music‐making.