New-York tribune., 1899-07-30
FOLK-MUSIC STUDIES.
MAGYARS Ana SLAVE
I.
THE SONGS AND DANCES OF HUNGARY-GYP''ts
AS NATIONAL MUsrcIANs-LIszr AND H'~
HUNGARIAN RHAPsoDIEs.

HUNGARIAN RIIAPSoDIES
~rv1gb, 1890 by Tic Tribune Assoca,ion-)
II iu customary to group the people OF Hun
parv with those OF Russia, Poland. Bohemia ana
other countries of Eastern Europe when DISCUSS
ing Slayonic music a whole. Nhy this shou'd
o,or have been done It is difficult to understand.
and II II is done again In the present instance
n is only to point q difference and to snow now
admirably a peoples music may mai lain lines
Of distinction that are forgotten In ordinary
norular comment II the music OF Hungary
were SIayonic II woul. show as much likeness
20 that of Russia Poland and Bohena ('o con-
fine ourselves to the principal slavic peop'e"
os tho nusic of each Of those countries shows 10
that of the others Though there Is as great
mixture OF peoples in Hungary as IN any "e's"
borinp land the dominant race Tor 'houSa"u
ors has heen the Magyar, and 1t is the music
-, tho Mapvars which must be and Is recoghiZeu
nc ,,e national music of Hungary. But the Mag
vors are not Slavs They belong to the fihho-
lIIerian stock; they are Scythians, much iho'e
closely connected with the Turks than with any
of the Slavonis or Gefmanic races 80 too' 'ne"
,anouapa and their characteristic music. Ihe
h.,hmical neculiarties of the Hungarian loih-
A,onos d;Terentiate them from the songs OF ali
other European nation5 The interVaiic peou-
liarites though not quito so Marked point ~ "''
oriental origin. and might be accepted as eitner
or aboricipal product (snce the Magyars Werc
orieinally an Eastern people, or as a coi''iou-
1ion from the gypses who have Deeh d po"e
IA ,neuential element in the population ol
,r.,, over since the fifteenth century, anu
,u tor q century or more been recognized aS
uunrary's minstrels. From the peiio'
:, ,ha cvnsies. as we shall see came the style Vi
..a;o oaIIed "alr ongarese" the style winch 10
GO widely exploited by Hungarian pahu'
; Tho tJunparians have developed no scho'' -
,omnosers though their characteristic ''u''o
bas long exerted a charm upon 'he Fo'"PO'.
Of Germany. Haydn felt TIE influence Vi '"e
Magvar folk-song (see the Rondo all o"e ea'''o
IN his first Trio, but not SO po"eiiu' ~
Scbubert who while he was family music ".a'
Ter for Count Esterhazy. wrote down iiioiou,.'
from the performances OF gypsy pahus anu -"
u,nc;,o ~ the servants One OF the themes OF
hts advertisement la Hongroise. op. o. he
found in the song Of a housemaid. Weber not
,,, orynev ,uusic into his "Preciosa," but
wrote also a "Rondo ongarese" and an Anes'o
oncarese Had Beethoven been less 'o'''''
nolitan or lived after the Romantic movement
ing characteristic modes OF expressioh' VIC
sbould doubtless have seen Hungarian tunes
nut IN good account in his music to hohis
ctenhan" but as it is. Characteristic Magyar
color IL missing there. To brahms. IN his
.'Hunrarian Dances" List in his Hungarian
Rbapsodies." in much smaller degree 10
.Uoacbim in his Hungarian Concerto" foI viohn'
but chiefly to the ubiquitous gypsy musician
the world at large owes its appreciation OF
Magyar music; and 1t is in the performances
of tho gvpsies, which List has initiated 10
greater or less extent. that the che13cteristics
of the music are NEST viyidly exempllhed 10
that we shall recur presently. 1t is true that
Erkel wrote an opera, "Hunyady Laszlo. on
national theme and Doppler another "llka,
but the relation OF these works to the true
national style is like that Of Glinka's Life or
the Car TO the fok-musc Of Russia as eX-
emplined in the music of Rimsky- Korsakow and
his confreres Of the young Russian school
They are Italian music with mild infusion OF
folk-tune.
Mention has been made Of tho influence
which gypsy performances have had upon the
popular conception of Magyar music 10 a
most rnischevous nsconception Of the origin
of Hungarian folk-song List gave currency
in his book "Des BOhemiens ct de lcur musique
en- Hongrle" OIar.;f Chic Pub; Car. Pitts;
Pratt Bklyn. New. Chic. BOSt Pub; n. Y.