44th National Táncház Festival & Fair • 4–6 April 2025
Issue:
Starting page: 22
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A Hungarian Gypsy musician’s WWI journal. Fiddler Munczy Béla Jr kept a journal during his service on the front in the army of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The Munczy family had settled in Western Hungary in the Sopron area at the end of the 18th century as agricultural laborers. Documentation affirms that in the 19th century the family made their living by playing music. Gypsy musicians didn’t have to fight on the front line, they played music for the officers for little or no pay. The journal provides important information on history of Hungary’s Gypsy musicians. Historian and archivist D. Szakács Anita prepared the manuscript for publication. Review by Dr. Hajnáczky Tamás.