Hungarian Review, 1963 (9. évfolyam, 2-6. szám)

1963-02-01 / 2. szám

COMPOSER, SCHOLAR AND TEACHER ZOLTÁN KODÁLY CELEBRATES HIS EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY In December 1962 the world of music celebrated Zoltán Kodály’s 80th birthday. Let us take this opportunity to recall the main events of his career, and to sketch the threefold portrait of Kodály as composer, scholar and teacher. A twofold purpose was his guide in his efforts and achievements: to create a modern Hungarian music based on folk music, and to raise music appreciation to a high standard among the people by putting an end to musical illiteracy, developing music instruction in the schools, and broadening the chorus movement. It was to the achievement of these aims that early in his life he concentrated all his strength and work. From early childhood he devoted all his time and energy to music. He gave his first public recital at the beginning of this century in Nagyszombat, today one of the important cities of Southern Slovakia. His scientific activities began to unfold in Budapest around 1905. At this time the backbone of his work was the study of musical folklore. His first steps were confined mainly to publication of the material he had collected. Later his activity broadened to include reT suits attained in various areas of his collecting. In 1937, after thirty­­two years of exploration, his important study “Hungarian Folk Music” appeared. Kodály officially began his teaching work in 1907 as instructor at the Budapest Music Academy. In the beginning he was only interested in teaching professional musicians. Later, as he recognized the many faults in Hungarian music life, he turned his abilities to the audi­ences—to the audiences of the future in particular. He began with the reform of music teaching in the schools, and nurseries. Finally, taking all the work on his own shoulders, he expanded his activities to adults, to the entire people. But, without a doubt, the most important and most widely appreci­ated work of the master is his art. This art, although linked to the Hungarian people by a myriad of threads, is indivisibly bound up with the history of European music. The Psalmus Hungaricus, one of the most beautiful examples of the music of the 20th century, is the heroic song of human kind. One of the peaks of Kodály’s symphon­­ical art is the orchestral variation of Felszállott a Páva; this work is a true apotheosis of the Hungarian folk song. These works, as well as the monumental Budavári Te Deum, and the Missa brevis; the two symphonic dance poems the Marosszéki and the Galántai dances, the Concerto and the C-niajor Symphony, which was performed for the first time recently, are enduring assets of universal musical history. But we should not overlook, even in this very incomplete list, the Háry János suite and the Székely Spitutery, which raised the Hungarian folksong and the chorus, in their own special style, to the opera stage. Kodály’s children’s choirs opened a new phase in Hungarian chorus singing, as well as in the history of vocal art in all of Europe, while his music for mixed voices, Mátrai képek (Mátra Pictures), Jézus és a knfá­­rok (Jesus and the Hawkers), etc., are worthy continuers of the chorus cultures of centuries of great singers. One of the most important features and values of Kodály’s art is his striving towards a synthesis embracing the ancient song and a new harmony of folk music and written music, of Europeanism and Hun­­garianism. The noble classicism of his music, and his true humanism preserve his works from oblivion, and will guard his name from the erosion of centuries. László Eösze The composer with Mrs. Kodály. Photograph by Zoltán Szalay

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