Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály first met at their private composition student Emma Gruber-Schlesinger’s salon in 1905. A year later they jointly published their first arrangements of Hungarian folksongs for voice and piano. Their close friendship was eventually marked by two concerts, 17 and 19 March 1910, devoted to their works respectively. The date of the first concert fell on Emma Gruber’s birthday; Kodály, later that year, married her. These concerts featured chamber and piano music emphasizing their new stylistic orientation based on the combined influence of folk music and contemporary western composition, particularly that of Debussy. The exhibition investigates this youthful friendship through memorabilia, embroidery and articles for personal use, as well as invaluable original documents, autograph letters and compositional manuscripts.

We are grateful to Mrs. Sarolta Péczely Kodály not only for the innumerable documents and memorabilia she kindly made available but also for her involvement in the preparations for this exhibition, and to Ms. Teréz Kapronyi, head of the Kodály Archives, for her expert help with musical manuscripts of Emma and Zoltán Kodály. Special thanks are due to Mr. Gábor Vásárhelyi, heir of Béla Bartók, Jr., making available indispensable documents from his private collection. We are also grateful to the Gödöllő Városi Múzeum (Municipal Museum of Gödöllő) for generously lending a selection of art works from their rich collection and especially to Cecília Őri Nagy for her expert help in selecting the right items to exhibit.

Pictures of the Exhibition:

Concept and Organization by:
Baranyi Anna
Kodály Zoltánné Péczely  Sarolta
Vikárius László 

Sponsored by:
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Ministry of National Resources, Hungary
Nova Store
Mensator Restaurátor KKT

• Prev
• Next