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In 2023 folkMAGazin was celebrating its 30th birthday – Interview with Berán István – by Varga Veronika (first published on: ritmuseshang.blog.hu/2023/12/27)
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Memories from a Bukovinan Hungarian woman’s childhood. Mrs Pál Boldizsár Orbán Anna was born in the village of Hadikfalva/Dornești in 1913, a year before WWI broke out - years of hunger and upheaval followed. It was a tough life. She tells about the period until about 1928 when she began attending the village dances. A large number of the Bukovina Hungarians were resettled in Serbia (then southern Hungary) in 1941, then because of WWII they had to flee several more times before finding more permanent homes in Hungary. As told to and documented by Szávai József in the mid 1980s in the Hungarian town of Dombóvár.
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In Memoriam: Kovács András Ferenc (1959 Szatmárnémeti/Satu Mare – 2023 Dec. 30 Marosvásárhely/Targu Mures) – a Transylvanian Hungarian poet, essayist, translator who published from 1977 on. He was buried in Marosvásárhely on January 4th. Sebő Ferenc met Kovács in 2008, explored his musical world and went on to collaborate with him on a Transylvanian recording released in 2018. Included here are five selections of poetry from that CD. By Sebő Ferenc. Also reprinted here are death announcements from MTI and székelyhon.ro
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New Publication: Jávorszky Béla Szilárd: Kelemen László – Erdélyből a világ [The world from Transylvania] – Hagyományok Háza – Kossuth Kiadó, Budapest, 2023
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New Publication: Varga Sándor: [Changes in the traditional dance culture of a village in Transylvania’s Mezőség Region]. Hagyományok Háza, Krizsa János Néprajzi Tarsaság. Kolozsvár, Romania. 2023 ISBN: 978-606-9015-36-0. Traditional dance reseacher/ethno-choreologist Varga Sándor began work towards this book in the early 1990s and it became the theme of his doctoral dissertation. The book brings a full picture of the dance culture of the village of Visa/Vișea in Transylvania’s Mezőség region. Printed here is Varga’s introduction to the book.
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Description of a carnival custom that occurs in the village of Moha in Hungary’s Fejér County. Locally the custom is known as "tikverőzés" which can very roughly be translated as "chicken beating” – a custom that was originally part of the circle of wedding traditions. Over time the tradition transformed in this village and became part of the carnival custom involving a group of local men and boys who go around the village in maskarade humorously 'frightening' the other residents. This account describes origins and changes in this custom. Also discussed here is the fact that this custom is now on the list of national intellectual treasures and how the added attention has changed the event. The village now consciously preserves the event by maintaining local leadership and organization. By Nagy Veronika.
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Interview with Transylvanian Hungarian writer, journalist Simó Márton upon his 60th birthday and recent publication of his book "A boldogabb ember” [A Happier Man] – Part I. Many aspects of Simó’s life, the path of his career and the reality of being a writer in Transylvania come to light. He was born in 1963 in the southern Transylvanian mining community of Urikány/Uricani – a town with a Romanian majority. He learned Romanian there and makes a point of saying that his language knowledge has been an asset throughout his life. His parents moved back to their native Székelyföld when he was 10. He attended university in Hungary and lived in Budapest for 15 years before returning to Transylvania where he lives with his family in Székelyudvárhely/Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania. At times it has bothered him that his Hungarian writing world is limited:… "small market, small money". He is always obliged to have some kind of steady employment in order to make ends meet. Interview by Transylvanian writer/journalist Bölöni Domokos.
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Interview with photographer Mohos Zsófia. Zsófia has published two books of her photos. She describes her work that has concentrated on the people and traditional life of two villages: Rimóc (Palóc region, Hungary) and Kupusina (Voivodina, Serbia). She has taken the time to seek out and befriend elderly residents in these villages to get to a deeper level with her photographs. She has been inspired by the work of Hungarian photographer Korniss Péter, who has become her mentor and curated an exhibition of her work in Budapest at Kolta Gallery in Budapest (which opened on February 8th). Interview by Grozdits Károly.
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Traditional Hungarian dances of Visk/Vyshkovo – a town in the Khust region of western Ukraine near the Hungarian border. Historically an ethnically mixed region, 20 years ago about half of the population there claimed ethnic Hungarian origin. The town is located in the historic Northern Maramures region, on the banks of the Tisza/Tysa river. This brief study is based on notes from previous field work and interviews. Until recently the Hungarian dances of Transcarpathia had largely been overlooked by Hungary’s dance house movement. Now there has been slight interest and some choreographies have appeared. According to folk dance researcher Martin György the Hungarian dances of this area belong to the so-called Upper Tisza region and dance dialect. This study looks at local aspects of the csárdás couple dance and mentions the stamping style footwork. By Módos Máté.
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New publication: Szokolszky Ágnes: [The life and family history of Déki Lakatos Sándor] Személyes Történelem, Budapest 2023, ISBN 9786156439277. An oral history told personally by violinist Déki Lakatos Sándor (born Budapest 1945). It takes the reader into the life of a Gypsy musician and member of a famous musician family dynasty. According to Déki-Lakatos, a successful Gypsy musician needs: "…extraordinary instrumental knowledge, large repertoir, excellent memory, high level of artistic and performing talent, musical intelligence, human intelligence, insight into human nature and outstanding leadership, negociation and language skills..." Recommendation by Dr. Hajnáczky Tamás.
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Traditional foods: flat breads in the Hungarian peasant kitchen. Starting with a glance at flat breads in international food traditions, the writer then hones-in on the history of flat breads in Hungarian eating culture, making the distinction between unleavened flat breads and flat breads made with leavening. [A basic understanding here is that today Hungary is a nation dedicated to the raised loaf of bread.S.F.] A brief survey of remnants of variations on flat breads still in existing in Hungarian culinary tradition is followed up with selected recipes: Cornmeal flatcakes baked on cabbage leaves, Buzsák baked paprika flat bread, Kisbajom miller’s wafer, Szatmárcseke paska (or matza type) cracker, Palóc potato flat bread. By ethnographer Juhász Katalin.
By Sue Foy
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New Publication – a privately released volume on the life and work of Hungarian ethnographer and folk dance researcher Pesovár Ernő (1926–2008). Edited by Felföldi László, with Szőkené Károlyi Annamária, Pesovárné Jámbor Márta, Pesovár Zsófia, Horváth János. An interview with Pesovár Ernő conducted in May of 1995 forms the main body of this volume. The interviewer was Pálfy Gyula of the Folk Dance Research Department of the Hungarian Institute of Musicology. Also includes nearly 50 pages of photographs and an explanatory section for people and places mentioned in the interview. Pesovár Ernő’s work focused mainly on Western Hungary. Published by the Western Hungary Folk Dance Association, Körmend, Hungary 2023.
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In memory of folk musician Éri Péter (1953–2023) on his participation in ethnographic field work as a boy with his mother Borbély Jolán and step-father Martin György. Éri Péter had the enviable good luck to grow up amidst an extraordinary group of folk dance researchers and ethnographers during an exciting period of Hungarian folk dance research (1950s, 1960s). From a young age he assisted on trips documenting traditional dance for example in a Gypsy community in Óbuda (Budapest), the Transylvanian village of Méra (in 1963 and 1966) and to Tardoskedd/Tvrdošovce and Kéménd/Kamenín in Slovakia’s Nitra region. This writing is based on audio recordings of interviews with Éri Péter and Borbély Jolán and notes from those collection trips found in the archives. By Maruzsenszki Andor distance learning student in Ethnography, Szeged University.
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This exhibition explores the relationship between the great styles of the early 20th century (Secession – as we call it in Hungary – and Art Deco) and folk art from the unique perspective of female artists. The exhibition presents this period through the eyes of such female artists as Anna LESZNAI, THE ZSOLNAY SISTERS, GITTA MALLÁSZ, Mariska UNDI, KATÓ LUKÁTS or Klára ZSINDELYNÉ TÜDŐS. These pivotal female figures were pioneers in their time. The common denominator in their art is that they all consciously turned to the research, processing and renewal of traditional folk art. We intend to evoke their mindset and professional activities with the help of some characteristic and exciting artefacts while presenting the connection between their lives and traditional art with the tools of story-telling.
Alongside their works, we will also put on display the artefacts guarded by the Hungarian Heritage House (HH) – Museum of Hungarian Applied Folk Art so that we reveal new perspectives for the HH collection, placing the featured works, artists and themes into the forefront. The objects in the HH collection will enter into a dialogue with the artefacts borrowed from public and private collections. Thus, the collection's significance will also become evident to the general public. The HH collection also focuses on female artists: peasant women making embroideries, who also marked an important milestone in the research of the ancient art of embroideries and the design of new motifs. Ilus KIRÁLY, Bori KIS JANKÓ Bori and Mrs József CSUHAI (née Erzsébet Pólik) were such women.
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Music reviews: 2023 Hungarian world and folk recordings – „…fewer recordings were released in 2023 than previous years, largely due to the rapidly changing music industry and technology. Many Hungarian record labels are at a standstill with the exception of the Fonó who nowadays don’t release everything on CD…” Recordings released in 2023 and reviewed here are: Cserepes Remix (Fonó), Kobza Vajk (private release), Korpás Évi (Fonó), Lovász Irén (Siren Voices), Magos együttes (Fonó), Makám (Z. Paraván), Napfonat (Fonó), Paár Julcsi (Fonó), Salamon Soma (Fonó), Takáts Eszter/Molnár Zoltán (private release), Tímár Sára (Fonó). By Rácz Mihály at langolo.hu.
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Exhibition: Hungarian Museum of Ethnography – Budapest – Winter Erzsébet’s photos from the Transylvanian village of Inaktelke/Inucu 2000–2002. The newly opened ’ongoing’ exhibition shows daily life in a Kalotaszeg village that is otherwise well-known for its traditional dance culture. Announcement by exhibition curators Danó Orsolya, Fülöp Hajnalka.
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Exhibition: Hungarian Museum of Ethnography – Budapest – Winter Erzsébet’s photos from the Transylvanian village of Inaktelke/Inucu 2000–2002. The newly opened ’ongoing’ exhibition shows daily life in a Kalotaszeg village that is otherwise well-known for its traditional dance culture. Announcement by exhibition curators Danó Orsolya, Fülöp Hajnalka.
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Reconstructing the traditional men’s costume of Voivodina’s Tisza River region for use in folk dance stage performance. This is a description of the process of researching and reconstructing this costume. The area concerned is in northern Serbia where there is ethnic Hungarian population around the towns of: Magyarkanizsa/Kanjiža, Zenta/Senta, Óbecse/Bečej. The author addresses costume seperately for the turn of the 19th to 20th century; after WWI; accessories and facial hair habits. Informants’ descriptions are used. Includes photos and list of sources and literature. By Resócki Rolland.
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Halmos Béla Program Day – a full day of events held at the Hungarian Heritage House in Budapest at the end of January 2024. The Halmos Béla Program supports folk and world music culture in Hungary and the Carpathian Basin. The event showcased projects that have received support from the HB program. It began with a series of children’s events, continued with lectures, a documentary film screening and concerts. Mentioned seperately here is a project supported by the Halmos Béla Program: a photo exhibit commemorating folk dancer, choreographer and teacher Foltin Jolán (1943–2019). Next location for this travelling exhibition will be in Budapest at the National Dance House Festival 2024 April 6th, 7th. By Tari Dorottya project coordinator for the Halmos Béla Program.
By Sue Foy
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Both Miklós, director of Budapest’s Hungarian Heritage House talks about their project – an online folk music education tool: Folk¬_ME – and it’s achievements in Hungary and abroad. After more than eight years of development the website folk-me.com has recently become available to the general public. They hope that those in other countries with an approach to folk music similar to Hungary’s will be able to use this kind of online folk music learning tool. Interview by Grozdits Károly.
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Folk dance researhcer, ethnographer Felföldi László writes on Hungarian organizations dedicated to preserving traditions and how Muharay Elemér’s ideas on preserving folk tradition can still offer guidance today. Included is a short summary of the professional life of Muharay (1901–1960). Felföldi draws particular attention to the lasting relevance of Muharay’s writings in the 1942 publication "KALOT".
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„Kerekerdő” is a story and music recording for children. The record is by singer, music therapist Paár Julcsi who develops folk material for performances meant to entertain small children with their parents. Here, a preschool teacher and master’s student in ’children’s culture’ takes a closer look at what it is about Paár’s record that makes it so popular with her preschool groups. By Szegedi Izabella Tímea.
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Poem by Fábián Gyula András.
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Interview with Lőrincz Hortenzia. By Asztalos Ágnes (first published 2024. June 14, www.hargitanepe.ro)
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Ancient themes used in Hungarian folk dance choreography – Kicskovics Antal, Novák Ferenc, Mucsi János. This research paper explores how themes from ancient mythology have been used by Hungarian folk dance choreographers. The main body of the paper offers a closer look at four specific choreographies: Kricskovics’ "Iphigeneia"; Kricskovics’ "Páris almája" [Paris’ Dream]; Novak’s "Magyar Elektra"; Mucsi’s "Danaidák" [The Danaides]; all from more than 30 years ago. The author worked from DVD and/or VHS documentation and reviews found in the Dance Archive of the National Museum and Institute of (Hungarian) Theatre History. By Hudák Dóra. Photos by Dusa Gábor, Kanyó Béla, Korniss Péter and Katkó Tamás.
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Review of a recording from 1996 on the ’A Bt’ label: Ökrös Ensemble’s "Kalotaszegi mulató énekek” – the blues at dawn. This review was done fulfulling an assignment for a course on ’knowledge of repertoire’ taught by Árendás Péter at the Liszt Academy of Music’s Department of Folk Music. After commentary on making a recording nowadays as compared with ’back then’ in 1996, the author emphasizes the point that this recording was NOT made for listening on the go via the various mobile technologies (he tried that first). One should take time out from ’hurried modern life’ to sit and have a proper listen. He asks the question: "IS a record this slow-moving, where ’hardly anything happens’ – necessary in this day and age?" Answering his own question: "Most definitely!" Rather than offering a more scientific analysis on how a certain melody is ornamented, what chords and keys are used in accompaniment and so on – this young musician offers his own emotional reactions to an extraordinary recording. By Szilágyi Szabolcs – viola player with Sarjú Banda.
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A short story from the old times. By Kemechey Jenő.
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Halmos Béla memorial awards given by the Hungarian Heritage House Circle of Friends.
By Sue Foy
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Novák Ferenc "Tata" 1931–2024 August 17. Excerpts from the family’s announcement: "Novák Ferenc Tata passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 94….His exceptionally rich, vehement and productive life was full and intellectually active into his last months: this year in April he gave a lecture on dance history to several hundred people at the National Dance House Festival….Hungarian culture and Hungary itself is indebted to him. He loved his country deeply, but not without criticism - he worried immensely about the fate of his country in recent years…Over his long career he acquainted so many generations here at home and abroad with the European values of our national culture. He founded the now 70 year old Bihari Ensemble and led the Honvéd Dance Theatre for three decades*…His unmatched life-work, experience, knowledge and adventurous life story lives on not only in his works but in his friends, students, family, children and grandchildren. We celebrate his life!" [*Translator’s note: In these circles Novák is as well-known as a choreographer and for his large scale dance, music and theatrical projects, as he is also for his early trips (1960s) to the Transylvanian village of Szék where he did ethnographic and folk dance collection work that became the inspiration for the dance house movement. S.F.]
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List of national awards recieved by folks from dance house circles on Hungary’s August 20th national holiday.
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Folkpark – Táncházfesztivál 2024
Budapest Park, 2024. augusztus 15. – Photo report by Orbán Miklós
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Roles, tasks and possibilities for the Hungarian Heritage House [HHH] in Hungary’s folk dance movements – Part II. As part of HHH’s professional renewal program, director Both Miklós invited folk dance researcher Varga Sándor, PhD to do this study. HHH publishes it here in hopes that the ideas and insights therein will also inspire those in the wider public sphere of Hungary’s folk dance movements. An academic, Varga Sándor provides footnotes and sources, and lists more than 40 people whose opinions he sought out – towards this constructive study. Dealing seprately with the dance house and with folk dance for the stage, he identifies problems and makes recommendations for projects and action. Among the many points he makes, Varga writes that "the majority of Hungary’s folk dance groups, folk dancers and folk musicians are city people who practice their folk culture in the city"; he names a community association in the village of Kiscsősz in Western Hungary as example of a positive effort in the countryside. On several occasions he encourages social discussion, open thought, communication, open exchange of ideas and developing the area of folk dance criticism towards identification of further directions for Hungary’s folk dance and folk music movements. He names HHH as an ideal place to organize new initiatives. By Varga Sándor.
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New online release by Fonó – Bére Banda: Talált Tárgyak. The album is available on digital music platforms.
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Report and results of the International Ethnographic Film Festival launched by Dr. Kós Károly Ethnographer’s Foundation, which was hold from 22 to 25 August 2024, Sztána (Stana), Romania.
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Recent publication: Hungarian Translation of Narine Abgarjan’s novel: "Simon" translation by Goretity József. Typotex kiadó. Budpest. 2023. – Part II. Simon the old bricklayer of an Armenian mountain village dies. He is respected, but notoriously fickle. Four of his former lovers arrive to the funeral. After some embarrassment lifts, their memories of Simon come alive. It soon becomes clear that the man wasn’t much more than an episode at difficult moments in each of their lives in the village.
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Kóka Rozália’s series: Moldavian Csángó Hungarian tales. Her first trip to Moldavia to collect ethnographic material was in 1969. After that she went every year to do field work, but in 1995 she went to Moldavia to collect tales for the first time. In the village of Pusztina/Pustiana she collected tales from two woman: Barta Mihályné and László Istvánné. She published the tales collected in her 2019 book: "Aranytojás". This series presents the tales from her book.
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The Vujicsics Ensemble, which plays South-Slavic music, has maintained the same line-up ever since their formation 50 years ago. The goal of the group, who have since reached the very pinnacle of European folk music, is the same as ever: following in the footsteps of Béla Bartók, Tihamér Vujicsics and György Martin, they have succeeded in preserving Serbian and Croatian folk music traditions while making their music enjoyable for people of all nationalities. They will be celebrating their 50th anniversary with a series of concerts throughout the year, culminating in an epic evening at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall. Along with the Söndörgő and several noted Hungarian musicians, the world-famous Israeli mandolinist, the Grammy-nominated Avi Avital will be celebrating with Vujicsicic as an international guest artist.
Presented by: Müpa Budapest
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Report on dance collection fieldwork done in May 2024 amongst the Roma community in the town of Enying, in Hungary’s Fejér County. The report begins by describing previous research done in the area with listing of where it can be found in the archives. The present fieldwork was led by folk dance researchers from Budapest’s Hungarian Heritage House who first made a preliminary trip in April 2024 to establish contacts and lay the groundwork for the actual collection event. In May the collection team consisted of one person taking still photos, one taking notes, one who did audio recordings and one person for video documention. Couple, solo and group dancing were documented of nine women, four men, and four child informants. Their dancing was accompanied by guitar, water jug, spoons, singing, and recorded music. Report by Módos Máté.
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Programme of House of Music: screening and talking about a movie of Szomjas György from 1976.
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Literary column by Széki Soós János.
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Interview with historian Hangodi László on the role of brothels in the Western Hungarian town of Tapolca in the first half of the 20th century. Discussed at some length is the phenomenon of the brothel as the place where boys (the age of 17 is mentioned) acquired their first sexual experience. Prices for services, clientele, locations, management, region served - are also covered. Interview by Grozdits Károly.
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Tata has gone – Here are personal memories of working closely with Novák Ferenc from 1973 on. As music director for the Honvéd Ensemble for years, musician and composer Kiss Feri got to know many sides of Novák’s genius and temperament. "God be with you Tata. You will be dearly missed!" By Kiss Ferenc.
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We celebrate his life! (Novák Ferenc "Tata" 1931–2024) – photos by Korniss Péter
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Novák Ferenc Tata’s Letter to leaders of the Hungarian Alliance of Dancers. This letter addresses the issue of dwindling support for independent contemporary dance troupes in Hungary. Tata urges: "Do not accept a situation wherein the work of talented artists who think differently cannot appear on stage! I simply don’t believe that art can develop [in a vacume] - without something to compare with." Tata cites previous choreographic work of Györgyfalvi, Foltin, Szigeti, Timár, Kricskovics and Galambos. He also urges the Hungarian Academy of Dance to strengthen its curriculum in general artistic knowledge and foreign languages. Budapest. July 4, 2024
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Novák Ferenc Tata Has Died "…the public Novák Tata never spared himself, or his environment…He believed that if folk dance is put on stage then it must change the world - from the begining he insisted that it wouldn’t work without a message …I saw him as a European citizen…with colleagues from Slovakia or Romania he considered this region to be OUR Carpathian basin….He was an ethnographer, did field collection work; he was the analytical type, he formed opinions, he moved people to action, he was a dancer and a contemporary - and perhaps even the best choreographer til now." Excerpts from the obituary by Grecsó Krisztián. First published in "Élet és Irodalom" 34. 2024 Aug 23.
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Székely traditions – Part 1. The inspiration for this college diploma project towards a degree in the department of education, sociology, and Rom language at the Apor Catholic College in Hungary has been this student’s desire to explore her own Székely heritage. In this section of the paper we read about: Székelyföld’s location within Transylvania and Romania; Székelyföld as an ethnographic region; who the Székely people are (…Hungarian speaking Hungarians who are not willing to deny their Hungarianness…whose main lifestyles are traditional alpine animal husbandry, forestry, farming); and about traditional Székely celebrations of the fall season. To be continued. Includes bibliography, list of sources. By Simó Ilona 2024.
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Short stories of a folk dance teacher. By Gőbölös Gábor.
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Photographer Kása Béla – Exhibition: 40 years of Legendary Transylvanian Musicians - 2024 August at Budapest’s Kobuci Kert in Óbuda. This is an interview done at the opening of the exhibiton. Kása Béla talks about travelling to Transylvania to photograph since 1973. This exhibition presented mainly photos of 3 generations of the famous Kodoba family dynasty of traditional Roma musicians in the village of Magyarpalatka/Pălatca, in Kolozs/Cluj County, Tranyslvania (Romania). Quoted here are the words of Hungarian filmmaker Szomjas György: "Béla’s photographs are not just about the exotic or the poverty, he is capable of seeing the nobility in this lifestyle…He raises these people and places to a new kind of aesthetic". Interview by Nagy Krisztián - first published in "Papageno" 2024 July 30.
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Programme of House of Music.
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A short story about a bagpipe player from 1881. – Part I. By Mikszáth Kálmán.
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Hungarian food and tradition: Ottoman Turkish influences in Hungarian cuisine. This article is based mainly on the research and writings of Bartha Judit from ["The Turkish heritage. Common ground in Turkish and Hungarian eating habits"] published by European Folklore Institute. Budapest, 2017. During the Turkish occupation [1541-1699] some 50 to 80 thousand Turks (from various regions of the vast multicultural Ottoman empire) lived in Hungarian territory and left their mark on Hungarian cuisine. Peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and corn came to Hungary via the Turks, as did the sour cherry and apricot. The Turks brought the use of parsely, caraway, anise and horseradish as well as dishes like stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage, strudel and also sweets made from fruit including ’pekmez’ (a molasses-like syrup made from boiling down fruit). Hungary’s coffee drinking culture also arrived with the Turks. Recipes included here: eggplant cream (vinete), 2 versions of stuffed cabbage, Turkish delight with almonds. By ethnographer Juhász Katalin.
By Sue Foy
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Székely Traditions – Part 2. The inspiration for this college diploma project towards a degree in the department of education, sociology, and Rom language at the Apor Catholic College in Hungary – has been this student’s desire to explore her own Székely heritage. This section of the paper continues a kind of survey of Székely folk traditions. We read about customs of the late fall and winter seasons: the "fonó" – parties where the village youth once gathered to do their spinning or other handwork, November 25th Katalin name day, November 30th András name day, December 6th Miklós name day, December 13th Luca name day, December 21st Tamás name day, the Advent period, and pig slaughtering (traditionally done between András day and end of carnival). Includes bibliography, list of sources. By Simó Ilona 2024.
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Interview with Sikentánz Szilveszter – President of the Heritage Association of Hungarian Children’s and Youth Folk Dance Groups. This association organizes a wide variety of programs, conferences, courses, festivals and talent competitions that successfully support the work, quality and community of Hungarian folk dance groups for children and young people all over Hungary. Recently Sikentánz has also been communicating with the Ministry of Education in an effort to reverse a ruling that says folk dance classes in Hungarian elementary schools no longer satisfy physical education requirements. On another matter, he voices his opinion that presently Hungary’s adult folk dance movement seems to be floundering without appropriate leadership to pull it together. He urges more cooperation and communication between organizing associations. He celebrates the generation of Hungarian children and young people now coming up, who in 20-25 years will be the next folk dance movement leaders, choreographers, folk dancers, researchers. Interview by Darabos Eszter.
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How long have they been playing Tambura music in Baja? Baja is a town in Southern Hungary in the Bácska/Bačka Region. This article states that tambura music has been present in the area since the second half of the 18th century. Today the town of Baja is considered the center of Hungarian tambura music. There is mention of a particularly famous band known as the Petrőczi-Petrovác Band who played tambura music as far back as 1896. The Hungarian musicologist Volly István wrote about the Petrőczi-Petrovác band in the 1960s. Like other bands in the area they played not only Serbian music but also the music of the other ethnic groups of the region. By Barvich Iván.
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Kóka Rozália’s series: Moldavian Csángó Hungarian tales. Her first trip to Moldavia to collect ethnographic material was in 1969. After that she went every year to do field work, but in 1995 she went to Moldavia to collect tales for the first time. In the village of Pusztina/Pustiana she collected tales from two woman: Barta Mihályné and László Istvánné. She published the tales collected in her 2019 book: "Aranytojás". This series presents the tales from her book.
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Kiss Ferenc (June 27, 1954 – October 15, 2024). Kiss Feri has passed away. Prolific composer, record label founder, publisher, folk music collector, festival organizer, writer, thinker. Father, grandfather, friend; “one of the last Mohicans”. Frequent contributor to folkMAGazin. He was born in Debrecen, finished secondary school in Budapest, then studied Hungarian and ethnography at ELTE University in Budapest. From 1973 on, he worked mainly as a musician, composer, folk music collector; after the political changes of 1990 he founded a record label and publishing company while continued composing and producing his many musical projects. Printed here are ethnomusicologist/bagpipe player Szabó Zoltán’s memories of travelling with Feri to Transcarpathia to do collection work (Feri’s father was from there; he had relatives there) and working and playing music on numerous projects with Kiss Feri. October 16th, 2024.
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Online folk dance instruction at www.tanctar.hu. This article describes and encourages use of this online Hungarian folk dance learning tool [other dance forms are also addressed on the website. S.F.] The developers of this website say, “Naturally we don’t argue the importance of in-person dance instruction… but would like to extend a helping hand to those folk dance teachers who are open and ready for something new, and would like to teach and learn comfortably.” Developed by two numerous award-winning dancers and experienced Hungarian folk dance teachers, choreographers based in Northeastern Hungary: Antal Dóra and Antal Roland. The website is in Hungarian.
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Online folk dance instruction at www.tanctar.hu. This article describes and encourages use of this online Hungarian folk dance learning tool [other dance forms are also addressed on the website. S.F.] The developers of this website say, “Naturally we don’t argue the importance of in-person dance instruction… but would like to extend a helping hand to those folk dance teachers who are open and ready for something new, and would like to teach and learn comfortably.” Developed by two numerous award-winning dancers and experienced Hungarian folk dance teachers, choreographers based in Northeastern Hungary: Antal Dóra and Antal Roland. The website is in Hungarian.
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A short story about ayoung couple's excursion in the forest by Burgyán Attila.
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Master of Folk Arts – traditional dancer Fülöp Ferenc (1885–1962). Hungarian Heritage House’s folk dance research group has commissioned Taba Csaba (aka: Benji) to write a book on Fülöp Ferenc – the exceptional traditional dancer from Decs in Hungary’s Sárköz region. The book will be released in 2025. Taba Csaba is well acquainted with the heritage of this traditional dancer – his diploma paper for the Hungarian Academy of Dance’s department of dance education was written on him, he has studied Fülöp’s verbunk and beautiful peasant dancing since 1980 – this material has influenced his own dance life and career. Here Taba Csaba tells about his search for Fülöp Ferenc’s grave and his mission to eventually move Fülöp’s remains to his native town of Decs with a grave site appropriately commemorating this traditional master of folk dance. By Taba Csaba ‘Benji’.
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Programmes of National Dance Theatre in November and December 2024.
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Celebrating traditional dancer of Hungary’s Kalocsa-Sárköz region: Cselik Mária on her 80th birthday. Mária recieved the title ’Master of Folk Arts’ in 1995. Her beautiful dancing and life story have been well documented and can be found in the national folk dance archives, a book by Tamás László, a documentary film by Sztanó Hédi and numerous interviews and papers. Born into a farming family in Felsőerek, Hungary in 1944, she inherited her love of dance and dance experience from her mother’s family and dancing in the Drágszél Folk Dance Group. Before retirement she was a mathematics and physics teacher in an elementary school in Kalocsa. For decades her dancing partner was well-known local traditional dancer Vén Ferenc. Printed here is dance ethnographer Felföldi László’s greeting at her birthday celebration on September 1, 2024 in the town of Kalocsa – more information about Cselik Mária: www.nepmuveszetmereserei.hu.
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Photography exhibit at Budapest’s Hungarian Heritage House: "Pixel and Folklore – Hungarian folk art and photography in the 21st century". The exhibition will be up until December 18th, 2024. Curated by photo historian Szarka Klára it displays photographs of Hungarian tradition as portrayed by 24 Hungarian photographers – ranging from esteemed masters of Hungarian ethnographic-style photography to a younger generation. Printed here the speech by Transylvanian writer, poet and literary translator Szabó T. Anna that offically opened the exhibition and exhibiting photographer Korniss Péter’s speech from the opening ceremonies. Quotes from Korniss Péter’s speech: "…. I read recently that artifical intelligence generates 43 million pictures every day…a frightening number…so, let’s stick with this exhibition where we see pictures by living-breathing photographers – the kind that are looking for the truth – reality – because they believe in it… photography doesn’t just record (immortalize), it also confronts and helps us to see our own time more clearly…".
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Interview with Kőrösi Csoma Program grant recipients – under this grant program young folk dance educators from Hungary are placed in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA for nine months of service in the Hungarian community there, teaching folk dance in a number of groups, assisting at cultural events and in the work of Hungarian cultural organizations. The New Brunswick Hungarian community in New Jersey has been hosting young Kőrösi Csoma Program grant recipients for years in order to bring new energy directly from Hungary into the Hungarian diaspora. This interview was with educators Balogh Lili and Molnár István Dániel from Budapest’s Angyalföldi Vadrózsa Folk Dance Ensemble (and other groups). They spent the past year in New Jersey under support from this program. Interview by Antal-Ferencz Ildikó – first published in English at: hungarianconservative.com
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New recording: Vegyes Gyümölcs – Album by Koncz Gergely
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Szászcsávás Band (ROM), Šukovci (SLO) – Programme of House of Music
At this event, two still-active village Gypsy bands with very similar energy will take the stage. One hails from the settlement of Szászcsávás (Ceuaș) in Transylvania, the other from Feketebalog (Čierny Balog) in the heart of Slovakia – the former is the Szászcsávás Band and the latter Šukovci. Another shared quality between the two is that they are both marked by a dynasty-like structure, with musical knowledge passed down from father to son. Though the Szászcsávás Band has established a name in Hungarian circles through the revival scene in the Carpathian Basin, they have also conquered stages around the world – one of their best-known albums is a recording of a concert in Chicago. They are guaranteed to wow the audience with their irresistible, pioneering stage presence as they perform the repertoire of the region as part of our Landscapes and Music programme series. The Concert Hall will have a mix of seated and standing areas, so we are especially looking forward to welcoming people in the mood to dance – though everyone is sure to get that way sooner or later!
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Five new exhibits at Budapest’s Museum of Ethnography. The new permanent exhibition opened on October 11th displays 3600 original objects and 1600 photos from the museum’s collections. Then on October 15th a special exhibit on Transylvania’s Székely people opened. Further special exhibitions are: an exhibition on the history of China’s ancient cuisines (opened on October 16th); an ’international exhibition’ addressing questions of world hunger will open on November 15th; and an exhibition celebrating the memory and work of Hungarian zoologist, ethnographer, archaeologist, and politician Herman Ottó (1835–1914) opens on December 13th, 2024. Announcement from the museum.
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Reports with photos on two September concerts in Vienna: Söndörgő: September 7, 2024 at Theater am Spittelberg – Upon recent release and success of their new album "GYEZZ" (with American saxophonist Chris Potter) the band played material from the new recording as well as their well-loved Southern Slav repertoire. Ferenczi György and the 1st Pest Rackas: September 13, 2024 at AchtUngarn Festival – Collegium Hungaricum – this band plays their own very popular mix of Hungarian traditional music and rock. "…Both Söndörgő and the Rackas…bravely treading the risky turf between genres...are capable of moving toward a completely borderless musical approach, and thus may be able to reach different kinds of audiences, while placing the universality our own musical culture in that same context..." – by Henics Tamás.
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Sára Tímár & Band Presented by Liszt Academy – 15th anniversary concert
Sára Tímár, an award-winning folk singer, founded her ensemble in 2009, which performs both traditional folk music and world music. The colorful program, selected from their released albums, authentically reflects their artistic journey, from original folk music sounds to reinterpreted sacred music arrangements and all the way to songwriter expressions. Their latest album, titled “Ének a határtalanról” (Song of the Boundless), features musical adaptations of poems and folk music arrangements. The “Népdallá vált Petőfi versek” (Petőfi Poems Turned into Folk Songs) album contains music set to the poet’s folklorized verses. “Református hálaének népzenével” (Reformed Hymn with Folk Music) showcases folk songs and hymns closely tied to church holidays, while the album “Minek nevezzelek...” (What Shall I Call You...) was inspired by Sára Tímár’s experiences collecting music in Transylvania. Finally, the album “Feljött immár az a csillag” (That Star Has Now Risen) reflects on notable days of the year.
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A short story about a bagpipe player from 1881 – Part II. By Mikszáth Kálmán.
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Food and Hungarian tradition – old and new roles of traditional wood burning bread baking ovens. An examination of changes in culture around bread baking ovens in the village of Cserépfalu, Borsod County, Hungary. Until the 1960s traditional baking ovens were still in regular use in homes in this village. Since then a variety of social and economic life-style changes caused them to fall out of use and fashion, and people began to forget or never learned how to use wood burning bread baking ovens. For example kitchens there existed with an old bread baking oven, a smaller wood burning stove, a gas stove, and a microwave – all in use. After the political changes of 1990 a renewed interest in peasant foods and lifestyle brought however a shift in use of the old style bread baking oven. Today in Cserépfalu with a population of 1100 there are 11 working bread ovens – some of which were built by Transylvanian oven-building masters, others by their owners. Due to the expense of building a new wood burning oven (about two months wages) and then fueling it, they have become an elite home furnishing for example often connected to barbecue/grill culture of outdoor cooking and presentational hospitality. Includes recipes for: yeasted poppyseed cake, cottage cheese pastry. By Báti Anikó – researcher at the Hungarian Institute of Ethnography.
By Sue Foy
6
English Table of Contents 2024/6
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Kóka Rozália’s series: Moldavian Csángó Hungarian tales. Her first trip to Moldavia to collect ethnographic material was in 1969. After that she went every year to do field work, but in 1995 she went to Moldavia to collect tales for the first time. In the village of Pusztina/Pustiana she collected tales from two woman: Barta Mihályné and László Istvánné. She published the tales collected in her 2019 book: "Aranytojás". This series presents the tales from her book.
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In memory of Kiss Ferenc. Henics Tamás thinks back over his 25 year friendship with the recently passed Kiss Ferenc (1954–Oct. 2024): the musician, composer, publisher, festival organizer, writer, thinker. Speaking to Kiss Feri in a letter format, Henics remembers his first contact with him in 1999 upon discovering Kiss’s recording “Nagyvárosi Bujdosók”. Tamás also muses over the Héttorony Festival that Kiss founded and organized for years which celebrated music and the architecture of Makovecz Imre. He finishes by remembering one of Kiss’s music projects – “Szerelem hava” [Month of love]: as Henich puts it, Kiss’s “wondrous woman period - when he would have liked to ‘write through’, or ‘write himself out’ of his preoccupation with the finer sex”. By Henics Tamás.
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New recording – Tükrös Band: Archív (Folk Europa, 2024). Tükrös Band was formed 38 years ago. From the beginning, this group of musicians from the urban táncház movement has been dedicated to learning and presenting authentic style traditional string music of the Carpathian Basin. Their quest has been to understand and learn in detail the characteristic repertoire and playing style of selected traditional village musicians. They have personally sought out and learned directly from the village musicians themselves and then from archive recordings. This record presents music from five regions of Transylvania reconstructed from 80, 100, 120 year old archival recordings and transcriptions. Notes by Árendás Péter.
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New Publication: Sipos János – Csáki Éva: [Turkish connections to Hungarian Culture – folk music, ehtnography, language] Erdélyi Szalon, Budapest, 2024. ISBN: 9786156502285. Ethnomusicologist Sipos János and Turkologist/linguist Csáki Éva have both been doing fieldwork in the Turkic world for decades. This publication brings together several articles previously published (in English, Turkish, and Hungarian) – now all in Hungarian. The first section deals with folk music, the second section with ethnography and language. The announcement published here includes the authors’ forward from the book.
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New Publication: Sipos János – Csáki Éva: [Turkish connections to Hungarian Culture – folk music, ehtnography, language] Erdélyi Szalon, Budapest, 2024. ISBN: 9786156502285. Ethnomusicologist Sipos János and Turkologist/linguist Csáki Éva have both been doing fieldwork in the Turkic world for decades. This publication brings together several articles previously published (in English, Turkish, and Hungarian) – now all in Hungarian. The first section deals with folk music, the second section with ethnography and language. The announcement published here includes the authors’ forward from the book.
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New recording – Maczkó Mária: Édesanyám rózsafája – kedves dalaim… 2024 "...a true work from the soul”. Folk singer Maczkó Mária – solo singer with the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble for a decade, recognized with numerous awards – performs her favorite songs with students, colleagues, fellow ensemble members from forty years of her career. Included on the recording are religious prayers, love songs and wedding tunes from Hungary’s Galga region, wine drinking songs from Zala and Somogy counties, songs collected by Bartók Béla in her native town of Tura, with other folk and religious selections. Recommendation by writer, journalist Lőrincz Sándor – first published in “Mértékadó” 2024. November 17.
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The Girl Who Was Taken to Heaven published in the form of a book and CD, with illustrations by Andrea Kürti and the accompanying music by Kollár-Klemencz László and Csernovszky Márk, by Gutenberg Kiadó in Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda). Recommendation by Sebő Ferenc.
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New recording – Magonc ensemble: Ez van, s más nincs! – Recommendation by Lányi György
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Interview with Róka Szabolcs – folk musician, awarded bard, high-school teacher of geography and biology, embassador of nature protection. By Török Máté.
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Thoughts following the qualifying rounds for the 27th national solo folk dance competition. Included in the regulations for competing in this national competition: "…The solo folk dance competition gives [Hungary’s] best folk dancers the opportunity to demonstrate not only their knowledge of a given authentic folk dance; but also their own performance style. While helping to preserve and pass on the wealth of Hungarian folk dance." Some tips on performance are offered here for the competing dancers mainly in the form of where on the internet to look for original archive films of dances included in the competition material. Selected studies are recommended for reading, especially four articles (by Martin György, Karácsony Zoltán, Andrásfalvy Bertalan) on improvisation in Hungarian folk dance. There are also a number of quotes from informant interviews with traditional village dancers (most born between the two world wars) mainly addressing the good dancers in a village, the joy of dancing, who they inherited their dancing ability from, and learning and being inspired to dance by watching older generations and/or family members dance. By Busai Norbert.
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Poems by Bágyi Bencze Jakab.
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New Publication: Balogh Sándor – Berta Alexandra: [Hungarian Zither Instruction for Beginning and Advanced Students] Published by Hungarian Heritage House (HHH), 2024. This is the newest addition to HHH’s series on folk instrument instruction. Includes two volumes: one handling playing technique; the other contains transciptions of traditional melodies from all over the Hungarian language area – including melodies especially for zither and melodies for other instruments adapted for zither. Contains also information collected from traditional zither player informants about their instrument and lives. Avaliable through HHH webshop. Announcement from Hungarian Heritage House
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Programmes of National Dance Theatre in January and February 2025.
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Székely Traditions – Part 3. Christmas and winter. The inspiration for this college diploma project towards a degree in the department of education, sociology, and Rom language at the Apor Catholic College in Hungary – has been this student’s desire to explore her own Székely heritage. Part 3 of this paper continues the survey of Transylvanian Székely folk traditions providing descriptions of customs of the Christmas week, carolling, Nativity plays, sending out the Old Year-welcoming the New Year, Epiphany, and name days through Feb 24th. Includes bibliography, list of sources. By Simó Ilona.
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The Concert Hall of the House of Music Hungary will host arguably the most punchy, Balkan atmosphere ball of the carnival season on 26 January. Participation is a must not only for fans of Moldavian dances, but also for everyone who is interested in the joint concert of one of Romania's most respected wedding brass bands and one of the most popular ensembles of Hungarian Moldavian dance houses. It is a telling fact that Cristi Tractor from Vaslui, along with his son Alexandru Cantea and their band, could not commit to the concert after this date, as they will be playing at weddings throughout Romania every weekend until the end of 2025. In addition to guests from Romania and members of Fanfara Complexa, Ion Curteanu, a Moldovan cimbalom player living in Budapest, will also take to the stage.
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Discussions about the contemporary folk dance life. New programme of the Hungarian Heritage House starting in 2025 February.
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Dankó Music Awards of 2024
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New Year’s Greeting
This will be the Hungarian Heritage House’s tenth time ringing in the New Year with a festive gala programme. Taking the stage at Müpa Budapest once again will be a host of outstanding folk musicians and folk dancers here to share with the audience moments both intimate and elevated, once again proving that the beauty and meaning of our folk traditions, refined over the centuries, can also provide people of today with the strength they need to get through everyday life. The show draws not only from the lovely melodies of the Christmas season, from the songs of the various regions of Transylvania, name day greetings, as well as the carols sung around Zala County, but also evokes the artistic work of János Seprődi and Ferenc Farkas, in the 150th and 120th, respectively, anniversary year of their birth. The festive atmosphere we create will be one of heartfelt folk music compilations, Hungarian choral works and the most beautiful dances from our folk tradition. The chief patron of the evening is Dr Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary.
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Interview with professional folk dancer Kakuk Pál – more than active at age 75. Born and lived in a tiny mining community in Hungary’s Borsod County until the age of 13, this is also where Kakuk Pál started dancing. When his family moved to Miskolc, he continued dancing there with the Avas Ensemble. In 1967 he successfully auditioned for the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, but then had to do his 26 months of military service, where he also danced. Over the years he has danced in/worked with many folk dance ensembles including the Hungarian State Ensemble where he was assistant to the director – Rábai Miklós. Then after Rábai’s death he was witness to changes there with the incoming effects of the dance house movement. Following his retirement from the State Ensemble, he talks about his work with Forrás, Vadrózsa, Kéve, Forr-más, Tököli, Sziget, Rőzse, Szerinda ensembles and also with KÖTESZ (Association of Old Dancers’ Ensembles of the Carpathian Basin). He is the recipient a number of awards and of special significance for him was 2006 when he was named ‘Eternal Member of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble’. Interview by Grozdits Károly.
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Ecce Homo – a dance theatre piece based on the works and life story of Hungarian painter Munkácsy Mihály was performed by Háromszék Dance Theatre at Budapest’s Palace of the Arts October 12th, 2024. Director: Tapasztó Ernő; Choreographer/co-director: Farkas Tamás. Háromszék Dance Theatre is a professional group from Sepsiszentgyörgy/Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania, known also for their folk repertoire. The performance uses several of Munkácsy’s paintings as points of departure for a series of “pictures” or scenes performed by the dancers using theatre, dance and mime to tell the story. Review by folk dancer, ethnographer, documentary filmmaker Sztanó Hédi.
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Folk art award given by MMA (Hungarian Academy of Arts).
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"The present of Litlle Jesus" – A short story by Kincs István.
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Remembering Almási István folk music researcher who was born 90 years ago (first published in 2013). By Domokos Mária.
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A Celebration of Folk Music – from dance house to world music
Since 2008, Müpa Budapest has organised a gala event that celebrates Hungarian folk music and world music, featuring an introductory show that presents the diversity of the two genres through the dance house style. Kale Lulugyi, a dynastic Gypsy band from the town of Oroszlány, will set the mood with a dance house performance held in the Atrium. Juhász, a band from Subotica, will then kick off the concert hall event with authentic and energetic songs from the Serbian region of Vojvodina. One of Hungary’s oldest string ensembles, Dűvő, are celebrating their 45th anniversary, while Makám will perform songs from Endre Ady. Anna Sőregi will open the second half of the concert as she reveals the countless faces of the Szék collections. The most virtuoso tambura band in Szentendre, ViGaD, play melodies with Serbian roots, while the Kálmán Balogh Gypsy Cimbalom Band will get your blood stirring as they close out the gala event, accompanied by Branka Básits and the percussionist Szabolcs Mohai.
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Closing concert of the jubilee year of the 50-year-old Vujicsics Ensemble at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music with a selection of the most popular, emblematic songs of 50 years.
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Exhibition: Herman Ottó at Budapest’s Museum of Ethnography. Opening on 2024 December 13th, this exhibition brings materials from collections of the Ethnographic Museum and the Hungarian Parliamentary Museum. Herman Ottó, born 1835 in Breznóbánya/Brezno (today in Central Slovakia) – died in Budapest in 1914; was a Hungarian zoologist, ethnographer, archaeologist, and politician. A polymath recognized as a pioneer of Hungarian natural history research. The exhibition presents his collection methods, ’museum thinking’, activities, unique style of speaking, and his career in Hungarian politics. In Herman Ottó’s time the field of ethnography was just forming. He is known for his collection work on traditional fishing and shepherding/animal husbandry; and his collections of series of traditional objects. Included in the exhibiton are field work diaries and drawings. Announcement from the Hungarian Museum of Ethnography.
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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.
By Sue Foy
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English Table of Contents 2024/x
Page 2
The story of the Utolsó Óra/Final Hour traditional village music collection project
Page 2
“This special issue of folkMAGazin publishes interviews conducted in October 2024 – with some of the creators, organizers and supporters of [Hungary’s] Utolsó Óra/Final Hour folk music collection project. Herein are [the interviewees’] specific recollections related to the project – on the initial planning, communication, meetings, experiences, the work done in the field and at the Fonó [the documentation venue], and making the resulting series of records. They also addressed the reception, impact on the dance house movement and future of this special collection project and the resulting “Új Pátria” CD series [a total of 68 CDs released for the general public]… Special thanks to Zagyva Natália of the Hungarian Heritage House for her assistance in selecting texts and pictures.” (Grozdits Károly)
Each person interviewed was asked to recommend favorite albums from amongst the 68 CDs of the Új Pátria record series – produced from the results of this collection project
Page 3–6 Agócs Gergely (Ethnomusicologist, musician) managed, directed and participated in the collection work done in Slovakia. He is a native of the region and as an ethnomusicologist is a specialist on traditional music of Slovakia. He reminds us that the project recorded the repertoire of Gypsy village musicians, who had neither telephones, nor email addresses therefore each musician had to be personally sought out in their villages and visited beforehand in order to arrange the details of their trip to Budapest to record – the dates, their pay, room and board, perhaps even passports. After that, the van could pick them up at the appointed time. He was pleased that the collection work included not only the music played by these bands for Hungarian communities in Slovakia, but also for the Slovaks, Ruthenians, Gypsies, Gorals and Germans of the region.
Agócs Gergely’s favorite CDs from the Új Pátria series: Guta – Nagymegyer, Horhát, Abújszina – Magyarbőd
Inset p 4, 5, 6 – Agócs Gergely – on the musicians from the northern-most Hungarian speaking area of Eastern Slovakia: the village of Magyarbőd/ Bidovce and the band of musicians who provided for the traditional music needs of this area: Fiddler Potta Géza and his band from the village of Abaújszina/Seňa – both villages are in the region around the city of Kassa/Kosice in Eastern Slovakia.
Page 7–11 Árendás Péter (folk musician, ethnomusicologist, professor at Hungarian Academy of Music – Folk Music Department, Folk Music Specialist at Hungarian Heritage House) describes the work and processes as a leader and/or active participant in so many aspects of this project. He was also actively responsible for leading the collection work of Transylvania’s Szilágyság region and later for the region referred to as "Partium" (Eastern Hungary, Western Romania) and Hungary proper.
Every week a new band would arrive to the Fonó and the recordings were done in their small studio. "…The music collection work (recordings) went like this: from Monday through Friday – each day we recorded 8 or 9 hours of material. We held breaks every hour, during which we’d do back ups, change cassettes, etc….." Begun in September 1997, the active collection work for the whole project was completed by Christmas of 2001. The main work of this immense collection project was completed with the 2010 release of the second set of 50 recordings (after the 18 CDs that had been released earlier).
Árendás Péter’s favorite CDs from the Új Pátria series: A juhait kereső pásztor, Ádámos-Magyarkirályfalva, Zsárolyán-Szamosangyalos-Csenger
Inset Page 8,9,10 – Árendás Péter tells about a special genre of traditional music in these areas – the story of the shepherd that has lost his flock and variations on this theme. The genre is described as a story with a universal theme told in music, speech and dance that has been documented by ethnographers everywhere from Vas County (in Western Hungary) – all the way to Moldavia. A seperate CD in the series was dedicated to this genre. This was also the subject of Árendás’ PhD thesis.
Page 12–14 Both Miklós – musician, director of Budapest’s Hungarian Heritage House – though not a participant in the collection work of the project itself, he describes inspiration he has gotten from the Utolsó Óra/Final Hour collection project. "…the musical milieu which the Final Hour project documented has by now completely disappeared from its traditional environment. The informants that shared their knowledge in person are no longer alive. The experience of field collection work for a new generation of researchers is hardly available. We are able to show the music, we can play the melodies, but everything that radiated from those people [the musicians, the informants] – their lifestyle, their role in their communities – cannot be reproduced or reclaimed."
"….the revival occurs in the present which creates a symbolic connection to the past. These connections are not natural connections, rather they are born of conscious interpretation and that’s why this interpretation becomes the key to a cultural cohesion and preservation of identity….”
"…The Final Hour Collection project with all its related scientific information and artistic archetypes have given us an unprecedented heritage. Now our task is to not only preserve it, but to give it new meaning…."
Both Miklós’ favorite CDs from the Új Pátria record series: Zerkula János keservesei, Kolozsi Kicsi Aladár, Tarnalelesz
Inset Page 13 Pávai István – Kalotaszeg - A summary on the location, terrain and history of Transylvania’s Kalotaszeg region, mentioning the traditional rural occupations of animal husbandry-agriculture, the hand crafts practiced there, and relevant market town. The region’s highly developed traditional handcrafts, music and folk dances attracted outside attention already in the late 1800s. Vikár Béla, Bartók Béla, Balabán Imre and Jankó János were the first to collect folk music in the region. Famous dynasties of Gypsy musicians in several villages supplied the music for the traditional life. The traditional dances began to be documented in the period between the two world wars. "The [traditional] music of the Hungarians, Romanians and Gypsies that lived there was in many respects interwinned though the music of each ethnic group had it’s own characteristics." Includes brief mention of the music of the former Jewish minority there.
Page 15–17 Horváth László – Director of Budapest’s Fonó Music Hall – folk, jazz, world music producer. As director of the venue for this large undertaking Horváth László’s role was signifcant as organizer and supporter, the Fonó provided the infrastructure so that the project could function. He was also an important liason between the project and one of its main financial supporters, Lukács József. Horváth states that the CD series is still selling today. For him personally the musicians from Transylvania’s Százcsávás/Ceuaș, the Palatka/Palatca musicians made the greatest impresssion. Horváth László is from Northern Serbia, where he has been happy to see that the tambura music tradition is still growing there and seeing the bands that have formed. As for continueing with collection work like that of the Utolsó Óra/Final Hour project, he says that perhaps there are still places to collect, naming Salamon Soma as a researcher and ethmusicologist of the younger generation who could lead. He also says that it may be worth finding out what kind of spread the Új Pátria recordings have reached – thinking that since everything has gone digital this may be possible.
Horváth László’s favorite CDs from the Új Pátria record series: Versendi Kovács László és zenekara, Ördöngösfüzes, Zerkula János keservesei
Inset page 16–17 Juhász Zoltán – dance house musician, ethnomusicologist, specialist on shepherd’s flute: Traditional music of Transylvania’s Ördöngösfüzes/Fizeşu Gherlii (Kolozs County, Romania). The music and dances of this Mezőség village were very popular in the first decades of the dance house movement. Here we read about some local legends, Juhász Zoltán’s informant in the village – Kislaposi András – and about when, where and what the shepherds played on their wooden flutes. In the meantime we also get some information on the local dances there.
Page 18–22 Kelemen László – Director of the Final Hour collection project, Director of Hungarian Heritage House, Director of Hungarian Heritage House Transylvania, musicologist, musician – Native of Transylvania: this collection project was his baby. He personally directed the Transylvanian section of the collection work – with the help of other Transylvanians: Tötszegi András, and Pávai István; along with ethnomusicologist colleagues from Hungary: Vavrinecz András, Virágvölgyi Márta, Árendás Péter. Here he tells the story of winning support for the project and the flow of the work week during the collection work at the Fonó. He feels that the project has not had much influence in Transylvania, though it has had a serious influence in Hungary with some of the music collected during the project finding its way into the repertoire of younger dance house revival bands. "…the world has changed, the village musicians’ knowledge has changed and developed with the influence of mass media…" The Final Hour project influenced the 2001 establishment of the Hungarian Heritage House.
Kelemen László’s favorite CDs from the Új Pátria series: Laka "Kicsi" Aladár, Máramaros, Gyergyódomuk
Inset page 19,20: Kelemen László – Gyergyódomuk /Dămuc – Almásmező/ Bicazu Ardelean – These two Romanian villages are located in Eastern Transylvania near – but north of the Gyimes Valley. Their music, instrumentation (violin, hit cello – nowadays with addition of accordion and saxophone for larger events) and dances are similar to those in Gyimes – but they all have Romanian names, of course. Included here is the legend of Gyilkos-tó/Lacul Roșu.
Inset page 21: Staff list for the Final Hour /Utolsó Óra traditional music collection project – this is a list of the names of the people who worked on the project [Venue for the documentation work: Fonó Music Hall – Budapest 1116 – Sztregova utca 3.]
Headings:
Preparation – technical organization
Transylvania: Preparations , program director
Slovakia: Preparations, program director
Hungary, Transcarpathia, Partium (Eastern Hungary-Western Romania), Voivodina
Program directors:
Inset page 21–22: Kelemen László – The two sides of Máramaros – "The historical Máramaros/Maramureș region today lies in two countries with the larger portion in Southwestern Ukraine (Transcarpathia) and a smaller portion in the mostly mountainous Northwestern Romania. The area has been inhabited by Romanians since the 13th century. Bartók collected folk music here (as early as 1913) and identified melodies of a Máramaros ’old’ and ’new style’. Traditional instrumentation: violin accompanied on "zongora" (a guitar) and drum set up with small cymbol.
Page 24–27 Pávai István – is a Hungarian ethnomusicologist from Transylvania (Romania). When he moved to Hungary from Transylvania in 1994 to work with the Hungarian Museum of Ethnography and the Hungarian Institute of Musicology – he already had a couple decades of research in Transylvania and Romania behind him. He was especially active in the Utolsó Óra project during the Transylvanian section of the collection work starting in the fall of 1997 to early the 2000s - when they brought 46 village bands from Transylvania to Budapest to document their music. He says here that the collection work done within this project was particularly useful because the researchers had 5 days with each group of informants – a situation that was difficult to orchestrate in the field. The fact that he speaks Romanian was important as many of the musicians they brought to the Fonó to document didn’t speak Hungarian. After the active collection work was finished Pávai worked on making a database of the collected music. He states here that the newest version of that data base contains the complete collection from the Utolsó Óra Project and is now available on the internet in both Hungarian and English – at: utolsoora.hu. He states that in the Folk Music Department at the Liszt Academy of Music the material collected by this project is utilized and referred to by both the instructors and students.
Pávai István’s favorite CDs from the Új Pátria series: Balázstelke, Héderfája-Gógánváralja, Görgényoroszfalu
Inset page 26, 27: Pávai István introduces us to the traditional music in Transylvania’s Vízmellék region located in Southern Transylvania around the towns of Nagyenyed/Aiud and Gyulafehérvár/Alba Iulia.
Page 28–30 Rockenbauer Zoltán – When Kelemen László first contacted Rockenbauer Zoltán in his search for funding for the Utolsó Óra/Final Hour traditional music collection project, Rockenbauer was working in the office of the Hungarian Prime Minister – soon after he was appointed Minister of Culture. Rockenbauer, a politician who has a diploma in ethnography and is also a music lover, became a supporter and advocate for these projects. He helped secure funding for the Utolsó Óra project, the resulting Új Pátria series of CDs, and was instrumental in securing support for establishment of Hungarian Heritage House in 2001. He says here: "…not only is preserving tradition important, but also the study of changes in tradition – and then the process and documentation of its disappearance."
Rockenbauer Zoltán’s favorite CDs in the series: Ördöngösfüzes, Báré-Magyarpalatka, Gyimes
Inset page 29–30: Magyar Zoltán – Mezőség – Ethnographer, historian, literary historian Magyar Zoltán provides us with information on the type of terrain and history of Transylvania’s Mezőség/Câmpia Transilvaniei region. Bartók and Kodály did not do any collection work in this area. It wasn’t until the second half of the 20th century that research began in this ethnographically rich but remote region. The well-known town of Szék/Sic is in this region, and Szék along with other Mezőség villages, had until the 1990s preserved rites from the Middle Ages. Spontaneous movement of peoples in the 18th century led to a Romanian majority there. By the beginning of the 21st century only a fifth of the 300 Mezőség villages had more than 100 Hungarians. “Thanks to those who started the dance house movement and began to institutionalize preservation of tradition - for ethnographers and researchers the region has become one of the most well-known areas for folklore and in a few of the Mezőség villages this has actually had a retroactive influence on the culture of the original villages.”
February 2025By Sue Foy