2013

English Table of Contents 2013/1  

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Tradition in Hungarian Cuisine – Wine and grapes as ingredients for holiday dishes. Many ways of cooking meat using wine, wine vinegar, grapes are discussed. Very old cookbooks from the 1500s, 1600s, 1700s are mentioned and quoted such as: a cookbook by Rumpolt, Bornemisza Anna’s cookbook, an ‘Old Hungarian cookbook’, Balassa Ágnes‘ cookbook, Rézi néni ‘s cookbook, a cookbook from the Zrínyi court, Tótfalusi cookbook. She mentions that later on cookbooks were published emphasizing more economical ingredients such as: Vízvári Mariska’s cookbook (1914) and Horváth Ilona (1955). Includes a note on how in Western Hungary they made a rising agent for making bread from foam collected from the top of the must at grape harvest and pressing time. The foam was mixed with bran and used for making home-baked bread. Recipes using wine provided here: holiday apple soup, stuffed onion soup, deep-fried jam-stuffed dumplings. By Báti Anikó – ethnographer and researcher at the Hungarian Institute of Ethnography.

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Dömötör Tekla: Two wizards of the Dráva River region. The Hungarian ethnographer, Dömötör Tekla died in 1987, some 25 years ago. To this day her writings are classics and used as handbooks of Hungarian folklore and ethnography. Her main areas of research included folk theatre (passion plays), folk holiday customs, and Hungarian folk beliefs. Printed in this issue are excerpts from a later work on shamans. She describes two wizards from the Drava River region (Southern Hungary), their work (mainly making sure the crops of the region would be fruitful), and stories of how they got their powers. One of the wizards’ powers came from the Croatian tradition, while the others’ from Hungary’s Tolna County. From Dömötör Tekla: Táltosok Pest-Budán és környékén. [Shamans of Pest, Buda and the area]. Szépirodalmi Kiadó, Budapest 1987. pp. 203–216.

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Recent release: Anthology of Hungarian Folk Music [Magyar Népzenei Antológia] a multimedia DVD offering the results of a quarter century of scientific work. Includes original recordings, transcriptions, photographs, film documentation, and MP3 files. 2012 Folk Európa. DVD. 9789630832854

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Interview with Ertl Péter – new director of the National Dance Theatre. Ertl is a professional dancer (finished at the State Ballet Academy in 1987 with a specialization in folk dance), choreographer, and teacher. He has worked in many different dance genres, but also studied arts management at Pécs University. He has been working at the National Dance Theatre since 2006, and as of January 1st, 2013, is now the director of this institution which recently gained official ranking as a ‘national institution of the arts’. “...The National Dance Theatre’s task is to secure performance opportunities for Hungarian professional dance companies and to manage their performances...” The National Dance Theatre produces performances in two Budapest venues: the National Dance Theatre on Castle Hill in Buda, and the Palace of the Arts (“MÜPA”) in Pest. Ertl talks about status of funding, professional dance in Hungary and future plans for the Hungarian National Dance Theatre. Interview by Fehér Anna Magda appeared in Fidelio – December 19, 2012.

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Kóka Rozália’s new series: Portraits of Hungarians from outside Hungary’s borders that have spent their lives keeping Hungarian tradition alive. In this issue: Part I. Jókai Mária – born in 1937 in the village of Felsőaha, since incorporated into the town of Verebély [Vrable] in Western Slovakia. Mária taught school in the town of Gímes/Ghymes [Jelenec] from 1962 until retirement and lived in nearby Lédec [Ladice]. She has spent her life teaching, directing/organizing the local women’s chorus, collecting information on traditions, writing books and keeping local Hungarian tradition alive. From a Hungarian family, she learned to speak Slovakian in elementary school when a Slovak teacher was appointed to their village after the war. When her father refused to join the local cooperative, he ended up in prison, then – after attempting suicide – in the hospital. A specific example of the kinds of things that happened to families after W.W.II. in this part of Europe.

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Conversation with singer Fábián Éva. Éva grew up in the village of Györe in Hungary’s Tolna County. Her family and many other families in the area were Székely people from Bukovina, and her childhood was heavily influenced by, and immersed in that traditional culture. The community recognized her singing talent early on and she began performing with the local tradition preserving groups as a child. She studied music and education and became a pre-school teacher, always falling back on Bukovina traditional culture for inspiration in her work. Soon after finishing school she met the group of musicians that soon became the Kalamajka Band and began singing with them, then later (from 1985) also with Egyszólam Ensemble. She led the Kalamajka children’s dance houses for ecades, and often accepted invitations as a story-teller. Today she teaches music to pre-school children at the folk music school in Óbuda and often travels as a story teller. After decades of working with children and people, she observes that: “If a teacher is able to open the channels of love in children, they start to be capable of give-and-take play, and the instinctual selfi shness falls away. The ‘because I deserve it’ mentality ceases and children can be raised/taught to be empathetic.” Interview by Grozsdits Károly.

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Eurasian Connections to Hungarian Folk Music. By Juhász Zoltán of the Research Institute of Technical, Physical and Material Sciences. A presentation given at the 2011 conference on Tradition, Heritage and Public Culture (The role and future of Hungarian Folk Arts in the Carpathian Basin). This is a description of a project that used Kodály and Bartók’s earlier work (1930s) as a point of departure, towards comparing the structure of Hungarian traditional melodies with melodies of other peoples of the world. This project began in about 1991, making computerized examinations of digitalized melodies of 23 ethnic groups from Europe, Asia, and North America. Some 36000 melodies were compared.

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Phototography exhibition: Herdsmen – „Pásztorok” – Photos by Kása Béla (famous for his photos of Transylvanian village folk, Gypsies and Rajasthan, India) can be seen from January 21 – February 17, 2013 at the Öreghegyi Community Center, Fiskális út 93., Székesfehervár, Hungary. Kossuth award winning painter/graphics artist Somogyi Győző spoke at the opening and there was music by the Igriczek Ensemble, Kiss Ferenc and Szokolay Dongó Balázs.

English Table of Contents 2013/2  

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Sad news that Jaskó István “Pitti” of Györgyfalva/Gheorgheni (Transylvania, Romania) passed away in February (1929–2013). Jaskó István was named Hungarian Master of Folk Arts in 1998. He was not only an outstanding traditional dancer, but also a village tailor and farmer. He made his own ‘room museum’ to display local tradition. Films of his dancing are in the Hungarian folk dance archives. A wellknown, willing ethnographic informant, and an endlessly kind and personable human being. Remembered by Busai Norbert.

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On the heels of Hungary’s enlightenment period of the 1700s, going into the reform period – dancing master, actor and choreographer Szőllősy Szabó Lajos was born in 1803 in the village of Kiskászon [Caşinu Mic] in Transylvania. By 1821 he was in Hungary travelling with a theatre company from Gyöngyös. During his career he travelled the entire Hungarian language area performing and teaching dance. An important figure in Hungarian dance history, his famous choreographies were: “A haramiák”, “Nagyidai lakodalom”, “Négyes magyar táncz”, “Körtánc”. Szőllősy died in 1882. By choreographer and former artistic director of the Honvéd Ensemble, Novák Ferenc. Includes list of sources.

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Hommage to Lajtha László (1892–1963): a composer, pianist, conductor, who did research on folk music and dance, was member of the French Academy of the Arts and taught at the Hungarian Academy of Music. He did important research on traditional instrumental Transylvanian music. When collection work in Transylvania became impossible after WW II, in 1953 he began doing folk music research in Western Hungary’s Vas and Sopron Counties. By Antal László.

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The World Folkloriada 2012 was held in South Korea. Folkloriada is a huge gathering of folk ensembles from all over the world, held every four years and organized by a hosting country and CIOFF [International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts]. In the fall of 2012, Hungary sent a delegation from CIOFF-Hungary and an “all-star ensemble” to the South Korea Folkloriada. The all-star ensemble consisted of dancers selected from four amateur Hungarian ensembles (Forrás, Alba Regia, Kéve, Nyírség), with Szigetvári József as director. Report by Szigetvári József.

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2013 summer camps and workshops in Hungary and surrounding countries.

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Part 2. Kóka Rozália’s series: Portraits of Hungarians from outside Hungary’s borders who have devoted their lives to keeping Hungarian tradition alive. Jókai Mária – born in 1937 in the village of Felsőaha, since incorporated into the town of Verebély [Vrable] in Western Slovakia. Mária taught school in the town of Gímes/Ghymes [Jelenec] from 1962 until retirement. She has spent her life teaching, directing/organizing the local women’s chorus, collecting information and writing books on local tradition and keeping local Hungarian tradition alive. She is still active with the regional house-museum in Verebély [Vrable] and has plans to publish further books on local tradition.

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The Transylvanian village of Szék [Sic] during the years of WW II. When German troops, after that the Russian troops marched through the village, the villagers dug bunkers outside of town where several families could spend the nights hiding. Sometimes they hid in the surrounding hills, or went to friends’ places off the main road hoping to hide their daughters from the soldiers, and not to find their own homes totally ransacked when they returned... Another selection from Kocsis Rózsi’s memoires (born in Szék 1932/died 1999), by Juhos Kiss Sándor, Juhos-Kiss János

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Remembering Hungarian dance historian, folk dance researcher, choreographer Pesovár Ernő (1926–2008). Pesovár worked with Martin György to develop a system for scientific analysis of Hungarian folk dances. He is also remembered for his role in fostering the tradition preserving groups, as president of the Muharay Folk Arts Association, and his ongoing activities in the Dunántúl region. Tribute by Antal László.

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On October 26th, 2012 the first Zórándi Mária Meeting of young folk dancers was held in Budapest. Young people studying to be professional folk dancers arrived from five different schools (Nyíregyháza, Békéscsaba, Fót, and Burattino and the Hungarian Academy of Dance in Budapest). The event is named after the late Zórándi Mária (1956–2011) – director of the folk dance department,then rector of the Hungarian Academy of Dance. The meeting provided opportunity for students to meet and perform, and for participating institutions to build contacts. It was a showcase where specialists in the profession could view the next generation of professional folk dancers. Discussions between directors of professional folk dance companies were also organized. Reports by Hortobágyi Gyöngyvér – department head – Hungarian Academy of Dance; and Szilágyi Zsolt – director, dance department, Nyíregyháza College of the Arts.

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Széki Soós János writes great stories from his childhood in the Transylvanian village of Szék [Sic]. This is a tale of the complexities and absurdities of life in Szék during the Ceauşescu era. He weaves in accounts of the technique necessary for handing over “gifts” to the local “milicista”, how and when his parents spoke aloud of matters related to such gifts, of how his uncle became a church builder, and the time he went on an errand with the local “milicista” and a member of the secret police.

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Sütő András: excerpt from [Weekdays on the Cross] from the novel ‘Anyám könnyű álmot ígér’. Sütő (1927–2006) was a Transylvanian Hungarian writer, and politician in Romania; one of the leading Hungarian writers of the 20th century. This selection is full of symbolism and references to song, music, dance, the wedding, family, and death. „…because we’re trains, decked with flowers on the front, that rush clattering into the station, then into death and love…” 1971. Kriterion Press, Bucharest.

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New publication/ announcement: Jávorszky Béla Szilárd: A magyar folk története [A history of folk music, the dance house and world music in Hungary]. In Hungarian. Kossuth Kiadó and Hungarian Heritage House. 2013. Budapest. ISBN:978-963-09-7486-8 Jávorszky is a Hungarian journalist, editor and rock historian. When Hungary’s dance house method was added to UNESCO’s list of exemplary methods for preserving tradition in 2011, he decided to write this book to provide an overview of the now 40 year old revival movement – not only for the movement itself, but also for the general public.

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On November 20th, 2012 the Vadrózsa Folk Dance Ensemble of Budapest’s Angyalföld district celebrated their 20th anniversary with a performance to a full house at the 13rd District’s RaM Colosseum. The performance included all ages of Vadrózsa dancers and the best choreographies of the ensemble’s past and present repertoires. Present artistic directors/choreographers: Hortobágyi Ivett and Fundák Kristóf. Report by Perger Éva.

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Discussion of traditional children’s folk games and child development. The traditional games are an excellent educational tool handed down from generation to generation. „…by playing [such games] children developed skills for communication and handling conflict; learned to accept rules and discipline; gained self-discipline, body awareness, movement skills, a sense of identity, numbers, environment and social relationships…”. By Mrs. Budai Balatoni Katalin.

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List of artists from dance house circles who received state awards of recognition and excellence on March 15th, 2013 – to name a few: Zsuráfszky Zoltán, Szvorák Katalin, Csík Band, Dr. Andrásfalvy Bertalan, Dr. Halmos Béla, Kása Béla. For more complete list of names see article in Hungarian.

English Table of Contents 2013/3  

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We are proud to announce this 100th issue of folkMAGazin, and its 20th year of publication! The Dance House Association publishes folkMAGazin through support from the National Cultural Fund (NKA) and our readers’ subscriptions. In celebration folkMAGazin has started a facebook page, and announced several other programs to inspire new material for the magazine and new readership. By Berán István, folkMAGazin’s designer/editor

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The Nagyvárad Dance Ensemble (Oradea, Romania) premiered a new piece on April 19th, 2013. The piece is based on composer Kiss Ferenc’s work Nagyvárosi bujdosók [Big City Outlaws] and deals with themes of identity, migration and values. This production creates a new world of words and movement that springs from the ensemble’s basis in folklore. Direction, dramaturgy: Novák Péter. Choreography: Baczó Tünde, Bordás Attila, Orza Călin, Polgár Emília. Review by Dénes Ida published in Erdélyi Napló 2013. April 25.

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Conversation with linguist Sándor Klára on the old Hungarian Székely writing known as ’Rovás írás’. Sándor Klára offers some concrete information on this traditional form of writing which she refers to as simply ’Székely writing’. The writing has squared-off characters and was preserved the longest (until the mid 17th century) amongst Transylvania’s Székely people. The oldest examples are from the end of the 13th–14th centuries. This writing form has seen a revival of interest since 1990. By Grozdits Károly.

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Review: The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble’s new choreography Szarvasének – Song of the Stag. ’...a Bartokian synthesis bringing tradition into the present’. A lyrical composition on tradition, Hungarianness, roots and ancient culture. The piece does not attempt to retell this ancient Hungarian legend in folk dance, instead one sees lyricallly composed scenes that evoke atmosphere and feeling. Of course folkore elements dominate the movement, costume, song, and music; but the design, construction and mode of expression is decidedly contemporary. Performed at the Palace of the Arts (Budapest) April 28, 2013. By Kutszegi Csaba (www.tanckritika.hu).

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On April 13, 2013, there was an „ethnographic competition” in the village of Mezőtelegd/Tileagd (Bihar County), Romania. The goal of the event was to acquaint the 12–15 year old participants with the music, dance and costume of the Transylvanian region of Kalotaszeg. It was a juried competition organized by Szoboszlai– Gáspár István, minister of the Mezőtelegd Calvinist Church. Report by jury member Demarcsek György.

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Photo exhibition from the archives of the Janus Pannonius Museum – Pécs, Hungary. An exhibition of photographs taken in the village of Véménd in Baranya County (in Southern Hungary) between 1916–1920. The photographer was principal of the village school. The photos are portraits of people from the village, which at the time was inhabited mainly by Germans, Serbs and Hungarians. Announcement by Csorba Judit.

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A history of the dance house movement in Slovakia. The Vadrózsák (of Őrsújfalu/Nová Stráž) and Hajós (of Komárom/Komárno) ensembles, along with the names Hodek Mária and Katona István are mentioned here as instrumental in starting Slovakia’s dance house movement. In Slovakia the movement has been going on for 25 years. Names of festivals, meetings, summer camps, workshops, more groups and names of the key teachers involved in introducing the dance house teaching methods and approach to material. Material taught has been from: Transylvania, Dunántúl, Tiszahát, Hortobágy and traditional dances/music from the Slovakian regions of: Csallóköz, Mátyusföld, Ipoly mente, Hont, Nógrád, Gömör, Bódva, Hernád, Bodrogköz. Report by Takács András of Pozsony/Bratislava, Slovakia.

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The Kossuth Song. Collection work done honoring the 100th anniversary of the 1848–49 Hungarian fight for freedom, documented more than 600 versions of the well-known „Kossuth song”; including 110 versions of the one beginning with the words ’Kossuth Lajos sent the message....’. Even Romanian versions of the song have been documented in Transylvania. In 1952 folklorist Dégh Linda said: ’[The song] is still popular today; there is no one who wouldn’t recognize it.’. Kossuth Lajos (1802–1894) was a Hungarian freedom fighter, lawyer, journalist, politician and Regent-President of the Kingdom of Hungary during the revolution of 1848–49. This article by Faragó József from 1987, was published in Helikon, 1991, 21. page 10. – Kolozsvár/Cluj.

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Transcribing Authentic Folk Music. An academic paper discussing problems of transcribing authentic Hungarian folk music. It has already been proven that written music is not capable of giving a true rendition of the original traditional music, nevertheless there is a need to have written music for education and research. What can written music do, and where does it fall short? The author ends with the recommendation that ’every practicing folk musician try writing down a few melodies. If nothing else, the experience will be thought-provoking’. By Kovács Márton.

English Table of Contents 2013/4  

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Halmos Béla (1946–2013) Béla passed away on July 18th in Budapest. Béla’s mission was to support and further the táncház movement; the Hungarian folk music and dance revival movement he was instrumental in starting some 40 years ago. He was a fiddler, folk music researcher, teacher, professor, and his activities and circles of friendships, students and colleagues spreads far and wide. Printed here is a summary from MTI, the Hungarian News Agency, of his funeral on August 9th, where Balog Zoltán – Hungarian Human Resources Minister, Fekete György of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, and Kelemen László – Director of the Hungarian Heritage House – all spoke. Also listed are the many, many musicians that played at the funeral and other important figures in Hungarian cultural life that attended. Printed also here are more personal tributes to Béla as a friend and his work: by Henics Tamás (photographer, medical researcher); and by Nagymarosy András – Béla’s long time colleague and fellow musician in the Kalamajka Ensemble.

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Hungarian Heritage was a main theme of the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival 2013, held June 26–30 and July 3–7 on the National Mall in Washington DC, USA. Hungary sent a generous contingent of folk artists, musicians and dancers to share their knowledge on everything from traditional Hungarian cuisine to teaching methods of Hungary’s dance house movement – with the 1.5 million people that attend this annual festival. Report by Diószegi László first published on July 20, 2013 in Magyar  Nemzet Magazin.

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Report on Norway’s 24th Førde Folk and World Music Festival. Performances of more than a dozen groups from around the world are mentioned along with description of the festival, the surroundings and the Norwegian hardanger fiddle. Invited from Hungary were the Söndörgő and Bes o droM bands. By journalist, Fehér Anikó.

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Interview with Éri Péter, musician with the Muzsikás Ensemble, on August 6th, 2013 – the day of a concert celebrating Muzsikás’ 40 years at Budapest’s Sziget Festival. Talking about the early days of Muzsikás and making trips to Transylvania to seek out traditional musicians there, Péter said: “Our trips there were not so much to collect music and do research, we went instead to really learn how to play music – as good as possible...”. About the 40th anniversary concert, he said, “... We don’t want to celebrate ourselves; we are celebrating the 40 years...so we invited our musician friends from Hungary, and Balanescu, Jandó Jenő, Woven Hand, and village musicians, singers, and dancers – people whose level of artistry is fit for Hungary’s greatest stages.” By Kovácsy Tibor, first appeared in Magyar Narancs 2013/31.

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On the death of Transylvanian poet Rafi Lajos. Rafi Lajos was born in 1970 into a Gypsy tinsmith family in the town of Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureş in Transylvania. He graduated from secondary school and lived in Gyergyószárhegy/Lăzarea. He was first published in 1989, then a book of his poetry was published in 2007 by L’Harmattan Press and later another volume of his poetry was published. He was the father of 6 children and supported his family as a tinsmith. The piece here, written by a friend of Rafi ’s, muses on whether suicide was a factor in Rafi ’s death – or not. By Farkas Wellmann Endre, first published on July 13th, 2013 in Magyar  Nemzet Magazin.

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Excerpts from Veres Péter’s writings on a shepherd’s life: Excellent descriptions of details of a shepherd’s life, duties and profound knowledge of the animals’ personalities. From a collection of Veres Péter’s writings published by Szépirodalmi Press, 1973.

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Obituary: Ág Tibor: 1928 April 13 – 2013 August 29. Celebrated Slovak–Hungarian folk music researcher, choir master, composer, music teacher, leader of the Slovak–Hungarian folk chorus movement. Some 20,000 folk songs have been transcribed as a result of his work. Ág Tibor was born in Pozsony/Bratislava; his funeral was held on September 4th in Nagymegyer/Veľký Meder (Slovakia), where he lived since his retirement.

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The erosion of Hungary’s cultural mother tongue. This is a discussion of the importance of local culture and how it has been slowly eroded by social and economic changes of the past century. In particular, the homogenization process of Hungary’s local music culture, clothing and dress, language and dialect are examined. “Uniform, homogenized culture breeds unmotivated, unproductive and sad people”. The study concludes with an appeal for attention to this problem within national governmental planning. Part I. Agócs Gergely, PhD.

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New publication: Pávai István: Az erdélyi magyar népi tánczene [Transylvanian Hungarian folk dance music]. The volume presenting Transylvanian ethnomuscologist Pávai István’s lifework, was first published in Transylvania by the Kriza János Ethnographical Society in December of 2012. It has now also been published in Hungary by the Hungarian Heritage House. In Hungarian, with summaries in English and Romanian. It can be ordered online through the Hungarian Heritage House.

English Table of Contents 2013/5  

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Kiss Ferenc the musician and composer writes about his father, Kiss Ferenc (1928–1999) the literary historian. Here is some personal reflection on his relationship with his father in the process of which we get a good deal of information about the life, work and personality of the elder Kiss Ferenc.

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Excerpts from literary historian Kiss Ferenc’ journal. The first excerpt is from the spring 1975, when Kiss organized a trip to Transylvania for his poet friends: Kormos István, Nagy László and Zelnik József. Then a selection from late 1978 tells about the night Kiss Ferenc and Csoóri Sándor took poet and novelist Illyés Gyula and his wife to a dance house at „FMH” in Budapest. Kiss Ferenc here is father of the composer and musician Kiss Ferenc who often writes for folkMAGazin. The Csoóri Sándor mentioned refers to the elder Csoóri, a poet, father of the folk musician Csoóri Sándor who was a founding member of Muzsikás Ensemble, etc, and who is in turn, father of a younger Csoóri Sándor who plays with Buda Folk Band...

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New publication: Bari Károly: [Old Rom dictionaries and folklore texts]. Volumes I, II, III. Hagyományok Háza, Budapest. 2013. The series of volumes includes: old glossaries of the Rom language from 18–20th centuries, Hungarian Gypsy folk songs, folk ballads, tales.

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Kóka Rozália’s Children’s Column: Excerpts from Szabó Gyula’s [„Once there was a childhood” ] Albatrosz Press, Bukarest, 1980. The story begins hoeing in the fields with his parents who were subsistence farmers in Transylvania. His parents had an ongoing disagreement on whether to allow and how to pay for one of their children’s further education. At which point [Szabó Gyula] throws down his hoe and refuses to do any hoeing for them ever again...Szabó Gyula (1930–2004) became a prolific Romanian Hungarian writer. He was from Homoródalmás (Mereşti) and spent his entire life in Transylvania.

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Singer Szvorák Katalin received Czine Mihály Award – September 30, 2013. Kati has been the recipent of countless awards over the course her very active and prolific career which spans at least from 1980 to the present. Kati hails from the village of Pinc in Slovakia. She lives in Hungary. She has released countless recordings, teaches singing and has travelled the world performing Hungarian folk song. Printed here is Kiss Ferenc’ laudation at the awards ceremony.

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Hungarian State Folk Ensemble on tour in the USA The State Ensemble is presently on a 3 month/63 performance tour performing a repertoire of strictly traditional choreography. This is a review of their performance of the choreography „Magyar Rhapsody–Gypsy Romance” at Downey Civic Center in Los Angeles. At home in Hungary, the State Ensemble has long been experimenting with mixing modern or contemporary elements into their work – though folk always providing the basis. For this tour however, Columbia Artists requested a strictly traditional program for USA audiences because that’s what they can sell: a program which „...is exotic for the non Hungarian audience and takes Hungarians living abroad straight home”. Review by Vida Virag – first appeared at: tanckritika.hu 2013 September 27.

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New publication: Bereczky János: [The New Style Hungarian Folk Songs]. Volumes I–IV. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 2013. „New style” refers to a newer layer of Hungarian folk songs which began to develop sometime in the 1800s and peaked sometime in the first decade or so of the 1900s. Bereczky spent twenty years doing comprehensive research and categorizing existing examples of new style folk songs. His work has defined two historical layers of new style: the ’early’ and ’developed’ periods. Detailed review by Richter Pál – Director of the folk music department, Liszt Academy of Music.

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On Petrás Incze János – by Kóka Rozália. Petrás was a Roman Catholic monk, who was born in the Hungarian village of Forrófalva (Faraoani) in Moldavia on September 13, 1813. He went to secondary school in the town of Kézdivásárhely (Târgu Secuiesc) in Transylvania, studied theology in Eger, Hungary, became a monk in 1834, and in 1836 a priest. He was sent back to his native Moldavia as a missionary and spent the rest of his life there serving the Roman Catholic church in the Hungarian villages of Pusztina (Pustiana), then in Klézse (Cleja) where he died in 1886. During his life he maintained ongoing contact with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, sending them the results of his collection work on the traditional songs, life and customs of the Csángó Hungarian Moldavian people. His collection work was recently honored at a conference in Eger.

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Interview with singer Bognár Szilvia upon release of a new record: etNoé. The formation etNoé premiered with a concert Budapest’s Palace of the Arts in the spring of 2011. Bognár Szilvia describes herself as basically a folk singer that has of late been working in other genres. etNoé is a group of Hungarian jazz musicians with Szilvia as vocalist. By Grozdits Károly.

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Conversation with Fügedi János – ’The scientist who notates dance’. Part I. On the occasion of his 60th birthday, the director of the dance research department at the Institute of Musicology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences talks about how he got to dance research, and especially the field of dance notation, from engineering and how his career has unfolded since. Discussed here are the International Council of Kinetographia Laban, the areas of movement that Fügedi has specialized in notating (certain leg movements, jumps), how and where dance notation has been used in Hungary over the years, who were earlier masters of notation in Hungary, and reasons for notating dance at all. By Misi Gábor.

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On connections between Hungarian and South Slav folk music. Since the early 1950s this researcher has been collecting, analyzing and publishing on the local folk songs and music in two Hungarian – Serbian communities in Southern Hungary along the Danube: the villages of Bátya and Dusnok. He says, amongst other things, that: „...the inter-ethnic influences are natural, given that the Southern Slavs and the Hungarians have lived as neighbors for centuries and they have influenced one another...each ethnic group has made its neighbors’ songs their own by simply translating the words into his own language and then singing it as his own.. .” By Fehér Zoltán.

English Table of Contents 2013/6  

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New publication – Volume 16 of the series: Studies in Roma (Gypsy) Ethnography / Cigány Néprajzi Tanulmányok. Editor: Szuhay Péter. Hungarian Ethnographical Society, Budapest, 2013. 23 studies on Hungarian–Gypsy coexistence. A collection of unique and concrete examples of coexistence studies that approach this social question from a wide variety of disciplines and present both positive and negative aspects. Printed here is a review of the publication by Morvay Judit and Tompos Krisztina that first appeared on October 15th, 2013 at: www.commmunity.eu

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New publication – Volume 16 of the series: Studies in Roma (Gypsy) Ethnography / Cigány Néprajzi Tanulmányok. Editor: Szuhay Péter. Hungarian Ethnographical Society, Budapest, 2013. 23 studies on Hungarian–Gypsy coexistence. A collection of unique and concrete examples of coexistence studies that approach this social question from a wide variety of disciplines and present both positive and negative aspects. Printed here is a review of the publication by Morvay Judit and Tompos Krisztina that first appeared on October 15th, 2013 at: www.commmunity.eu

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Mandache Aurel 1933–2013: A traditional Moldavian fiddler born in the village of Gâşteni in Bacău County, Romania. He bought his first violin at the age of 14 with money made working in the fields, by the age of 20 he was playing for local weddings. For 16 years he played and travelled with the Bacău Orchestra. He also played locally for weddings and christenings. He made his living mainly from music, but also did some farming. His first trip to Hungary to perform Moldavian music was in 1997. He was Romanian speaking Gypsy of the Eastern (Romanian) Orthodox faith; he did not speak Hungarian. Several Hungarian CDs of his music have been released in the last ten years, on the Etnofon and DialekTon labels, often accompanied by musicians from the dance house movement. On these recordings more than 40 melodies from his repertoire can be heard: tunes of the Hungarian Moldavian dance repertoire, Romanian horas, serbas, tunes of balkan origin, and tunes from the repertoire of the city orchestra. Sad to see this musician go, he was one of musician and ethnomusicologist Bolya Mátyás’ main informants and teachers. By Bolya Mátyás.

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Kóka Rozália’s children’s column: A Christmas story by Hungarian novelist, journalist, and museologist, Móra Ferenc (1879 –1934) – his own story. The story of an 8 year old boy, the son of the woman who baked bread in the village. The boy was very poor and very little, but had a gift for recitation and was chosen to recite a Christmas poem in church. Then he got his first ride in a carriage after his feet froze to the marble railing he stood on to recite the poem

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New publication – Süveges Gergő: Csík Zenekar. Trubadúr Kiadó, 2013, Budapest ISBN: 9789630977715 In Hungarian. This year the Csík band celebrates its 25 year anniversary. The band started out like many other dance house movement bands, playing authentic village style Hungarian folk music. Over the last 5–10 years, however, they have come up with their own, now widely and wildly popular (in Hungary), genre of arrangements based on authentic folk, but mixing that material with some well-chosen Hungarian popular or alternative rock tunes. Printed here are excerpts from the book: Süveges Gergő asks well-known Hungarian folk and pop musicians’ opinion on whether or not making arrangements of authentic folk music is sacrilege.

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Conversation with photographer Molnár Zoltán. Discussion of Molnár’s photo album (published in December 2012) entitled Fényerdők [Forests of light] and his approach to photography. „My task is to show the beauty and good – even in a trash heap. If I find a person who is basically not beautiful, and can find in him/her some existing beauty – because it’s possible...when I am able to photograph that;...I feel like the photo is in tune...” Molnár’s photo album features photographs taken in Transylvania and Moldavia between 1996 and 2012. Interview by Grozsdits Károly.

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Obituary: Singer, Ferencz Éva 1951–2013. Ferencz Éva was a folk singer born in Szolnok, Hungary. She competed in the 1970 Fly Peacock TV folk talent contest, sang with Kaláka and the Honvéd ensembles, studied at the Bartók Béla Music Conservatory, and then at the Academy of Theatre Arts specializing in operetta. Then she worked as an actress in Sankt Pölten, Austria for 6 years. In more recent years, she travelled all over Hungary performing religious folk songs. She released 5 recordings and was the winner of numerous awards in recognition of her talents. Eulogy by Kóka Rozália.

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New publication – Jávorszky Béla Szilárd: Muzsikás 40. Kossuth Kiadó, Budapest. 2013. ISBN: 978-963-09-7771-5 In Hungarian. This book has been written in celebration of the Muzsikás Ensemble’s 40th year performing Hungarian folk music at home in Hungary and around the world. It chronicles the history, personalities, collaborations, adventures and travels of this world renown group. Printed here is Jávorszky’s introduction.

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Part II. – Conversation with dance notation expert Fügedi János. On the occasion of his 60th birthday, the director of the dance research department at the Institute of Musicology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, talks about his work. Here we find out what Mr. Fügedi learned from which famous figure in Hungarian dance notation: studying with Szentpál Mária he learned how to read dance notation and to ’re-dance’ what is written. Whereas from Lányi Ágoston, he learned the opposite direction – to accurately describe each movement and notate the actual movement (usually from films of dance – going frame by frame). Also discussed here is Fügedi’s field collection work in the Küküllő and Kalotaszeg regions of Transylvania, as well as the various computer programs they have developed over the years for doing dance notation. Includes bibliography. By Misi Gábor.

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A little girl remembers sitting on her father’s knee in their house in the Transylvanian village of Szék/Sic, and listening to his stories of the 1st World War, when he was taken prisoner by the Russians and spent four years in Siberia. Another selection from Kocsis Rózsi’s memoires (born in Szék 1932/died 1999), published by Juhos Kiss Sándor, Juhos-Kiss János.

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Hungarian folk dance documented in early films. This article examines early films (moving pictures) from the years before 1945 as a source of documented traditional Hungarian folk dance. The films that have survived fall into three main categories: 1) news-reel films and ‘culture films’; 2) films made for ethnographic documentary purposes, and to preserve the dances; 3) feature films of the period. The first film that the author of this article has found is a cultural news-reel type film from 1912 that preserves dancing at a wedding in the village of Mezőkövesd. By Dóka Krisztina.

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Protecting Hungarian folk song. Among other things, this short interesting article includes a great description and opinion on the 7 years Bartók Béla spent travelling the entire Hungarian language area recording, collecting original folk song. „...Bartók is Europe’s leading composer now, and that is where he finds his own calling and pleasure... but for all intents and purposes he put his own music aside for seven years – for Hungarian folk song....” Bartók trained himself in the ethnographical techniques and languages necessary for this collection work. Mentioned here in the meantime are political figures, musicians, composers and „nóta” composers of the time. By Balázs Béla. Reprinted from the Bécsi Magyar Újság II. 139. Vienna, June 15, 1920.

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Millet in traditional Hungarian cuisine. Millet was apparantly part of the everyday Hungarian and European diet until the mid 1800s, when corn, the potato, rice, and the bread grains (wheat and rye) invaded Europe. In Hungary traditional recipes using millet have survived to some degree in the plains region where it was grown. There was recently a whole conference in Hungary devoted to millet – from research and growing to table. Five millet recipes are included here: millet spread, millet baked with sheep cheese, millet with mushrooms, millet-potato pancake, sweetened millet. By Juhász Katalin.

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A review of the connections between folk music and folk dance research and the dance house movement (as a social phenomenon). This study starts with the research of Bartók and Kodály (inspiration), continues through the great Hungarian folk music and folk dance researchers that coddled and encouraged the dance house movement – a revival movement based on a solid background of scientific research. Amongst the researchers mentioned are: Martin, Vargyas, Lajtha, Andrásfalvy, Pesovár (2 brothers), Kallós, Domokos, Olsvai. The study ends with commentary on the 2001 dissolution of the former Folk Dancer’s and Musicians Resource Center – the Szakmai Ház. A paper written and presented by Berán István at a conference held in conjunction with the 24th Kecskemét Folk Music Festival.

English Table of Contents 2013/x  

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Fülemile Ágnes: Magyarvista - A brief summary of the village’s location, ethnic/religious makeup, marriage tendencies, population (some 800 residents), agriculture/animal husbandry, means of livelihood, local architecture, decoration of costume and furniture, personal habits/values typical of the population. Reprinted from: Martin György: "Mátyás István "Mundruc" Egy táncos egyéniségvizsgálata.” Hungarian Academy of Sciences/Mezőgazdasági Kiadó, Budapest, 2004 (pp 53-57).

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Fülemile Ágnes: Traditional dance and its memory in Magyarvista – A rich traditional dance culture existed in Magyarvista until the end of the 1970s. Erzsi Pista (1889-1971) was well-known in the village and in the neighboring villages as a wonderful dancer whose good humor and enthusiasm was welcomed at dance events. Mátyás István Mundruc (1911–1977) was another well-known dancer in the village known particularly for his talent and skill with the local men’s dance, the legényes. Mundruc also taught many young men of the village to dance the legényes. Another good dancer mentioned was Székely János. Dance events included weddings and dances around Christmas, Easter, Pentecost. Dances (or balls) occurred also in connection with the springtime traditions of measuring the sheep’s milk and hiring of a cattle herder. Until the end of the 1950s there were seperate dance events for adults and for the young people with seperate bands hired for each. The bands that served the traditional music needs of the village were: Nagycsipás’ band from nearby Banffyhunyad/ Huedin and later on Samu Banda from Bogartelke/Băgara and Burállók band from Magyarlóna/Luna de Sus. By the 1980s-1990s no new generation that would organize dance events had emerged amongst the youth of the village - thus the spontaneous dance life all but died out. Reprinted from: Martin György: "Mátyás István 'Mundruc' - Egy táncos egyéniségvizsgálata". Hungarian Academy of Sciences/Mezőgazdasági Kiadó. Budapest, 2004. pp 57-59.

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Quote from an interview with villager András Erzsi "Erdei" describing the death of another villager. Interviewer: Bíróné Marsi Andrea - Magyarvista 2013 June 22.

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Quote from an interview with villagers Szállós István "Boka" and his wife. When looking at the photographs, they comment on "…how many villagers have passed away…Families have completely died out…Children are being born, but not many…The number of Hungarians is diminishing…” Interview by: Bíróné Marsi Andrea - Magyarvista 2013 June 22.

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Page 21 - Comments/memories from villager András Erzsi "Erdei" about the end of summer 1940 when Hungarian soldiers were welcomed in the village [following the II Vienna Agreement because of which Hungary briefly regained northern Transylvania]. Interview by: Bíróné Marsi Andrea in Magyarvista 2013 June 22.
Page 23,24 – Villager András Erzsi "Erdei"s memory of a young man that courted her when she was young. The young man was from the village, but was studying at university. She had completed only seven years of elementary school. Even so, he wanted to marry her. Her father didn’t approve. From an interview by: Bíróné Marsi Andrea in Magyarvista 2013 June 22 and excerpt from the book mentioned below. pp 33-36.

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Speech given by dance researcher Felföldi László on July 31st, 2011 commemorating the exceptional traditional dancer and ethnographic informant Mátyás István "Mundruc" native and lifelong resident of Magyarvista, on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

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About the House of Culture in Magyarvista and plea for donations toward its restoration/renovation. By Félházi Zoltán, Calvinist minister of Magyarvista. The House of Culture is located in the center of the village [the restoration project was completed by approximately July 2020].