Collection Summary
Etelka Freund Collection on Béla Bartók
1903-1971
1907-1936
1903-1971
1907-1936
ML31.B3
Freund, Etelka
Bartók, Béla, 1881-1945
approximately 120 items
2 containers
1.5 linear feet
Hungarian
German
English
Collection material in Hungarian, German, and English
Music Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Béla Bartók was a Hungarian
composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. The Etelka Freund Collection on Béla
Bartók consists chiefly of correspondence between the composer and pianist Etelka
Freund (1879-1977), and printed music for his early works, some of which are
annotated. Additional materials include photographs, clippings, programs, publicity
materials, and journal articles that document Bartók’s professional activities.
Acquisition Information
Purchase, 1990
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Processing History
Wilda Heiss processed the Etelka Freund Collection on Béla Bartók in the 1990s.
Rachel McNellis coded the finding aid in 2021.
Related Material
The Music Division holds a variety of materials related to Béla Bartók. Bartok's
holograph score for [ Concerto for Orchestra] (1943) is
located in the Koussevitzky Music Foundation Collection. The [
Moldenhauer Archives at the Library of Congress] contains an annotated copy
of his [ Violin Concerto no. 2],
as well as autograph letters and other items. The [
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation Collection] contains a small amount
of correspondence that dates between 1934 and 1943.
Copyright Status
Materials from the Etelka Freund Collection on Béla Bartók are governed by the
Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable
international copyright laws.
Access and Restrictions
The Etelka Freund Collection on Béla Bartók is open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Music Division prior to visiting in order to determine
whether the desired materials will be available at that time.
Certain restrictions on using or copying materials may apply.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
[item, date, container or reel or digital ID number], Etelka Freund Collection on
Béla Bartók, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note: Béla Bartók
Date
Event
1881 March 25
Born in Nagyszentmiklós, Hungary (present-day Sînnicolau Mare,
Romania)
circa 1886
Began studying piano with his mother, Paula Bartók
1888
Death of his father, Béla Bartók
1890s
Composed his earliest works, many of which were dances
1892
Performed in his first public concert as a pianist in Nagyszölős,
Ukraine
1894
Settled in Pozsony, Hungary (present-day Bratislava, Slovakia), with his
family after several moves across present-day Ukraine, Slovakia, and
Romania
circa 1895
Studied and worked as an organist at the Catholic Gymnasium in
Pozsony
1899 September
1903 May
Studied piano with István Thomán and composition with Hans von Koessler
at the Budapest Academy of Music
1904 May
November
Stayed in Gerlice Puszta, Hungary (present-day Ratkó, Slovakia), and
notated the traditional Hungarian music of singer Lidi Dósa
1905 March 18
Met Zoltán Kodály, a scholar of Hungarian folksong, in Budapest
1906
1934
Worked as a piano professor at the Budapest Academy of Music
1907 July
August
Traveled to Csík in Transylvania, recorded traditional folk music on two
phonographs, and analyzed its musical characteristics
1908
1910
Composed and published his first collection of Hungarian and Slovak folk
song settings,
Gyermekeknek (For Children)
1909 January 2
Conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in his only appearance as a
conductor
1909 November
Married his student Márta Ziegler (divorced 1923; died December 2, 1957),
who worked as his translator and copyist
1910 August
Ziegler gave birth to his son Béla
1911
Composed the one-act opera
A Kékszakállú herceg vára
(
Bluebeard's Castle
)
1913
Traveled to collect Romanian folk music in Máramaros, Hungary
(present-day Romania and Ukraine)
1913 June
Traveled to collect folk music of the Berber people in Biskra,
Algeria
1914
Composed
Román nepi táncok
(
Romanian Folk Dances
)
1911 May 12
Budapest Opera premiered his one-act ballet
A fából faragott királyfi
(
The Wooden Prince
)
circa 1918
Entered into a publishing contract with Universal Edition in Vienna,
Austria
1921
1923
Completed a two-volume analytical study of 1,800 Slovak folk melodies
that, along with a third volume from 1928, remained unpublished during his
lifetime
1924
Finished orchestrating his pantomime
A csodálatos mandarin
(
The Miraculous Mandarin
)
1918
1930
Promoted his own works in more than 300 concerts in Hungary, Germany,
France, Britain, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, and
other countries
1922 August
Performed in a chamber music festival, later known as the International
Society for Contemporary Music
1923 August
Married Ditta Pásztory, also a pianist (died November 21, 1982)
1924 July
Ditta gave birth to his son Péter (died December 7, 2020)
1927
1928
Toured the United States while on sabbatical from the Budapest Academy of
Music
1929
1930
Composed
Húsz magyar népdal
(
Twenty Hungarian Folksongs
) for voice and piano
1931 January 13
Became a member of the Permanent Committee for Literature and the Arts of
the League of Nations’ Commission for Intellectual Co-operation
1934
Published his study on Hungarian folk music,
Népzenénk és a szomszéd népek népzenéje
Left his position at the Budapest Academy of Music and appointed as
an ethnomusicologist in the Budapest Academy of Sciences
1934
1940
Collaborated with Kodály and other researchers on a comprehensive
collection of Hungarian folk melodies
1936
Composed
Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
for Paul Sacher and the Basel Chamber Orchestra
1938 January 16
Performed with his wife, Ditta, for the first time at the International
Society for Contemporary Music
1938 March
Sought a publishing contact with Boosey & Hawkes after Germany
annexed Austria
1938 April
Began transferring his manuscripts to Switzerland, London, and the United
States to protect them from Nazi possession
1939 November
Published a collection of 153 piano works,
Mikrokosmos
1940 April
May
Embarked on a tour of the United States, which including a concert with
violinist Joseph Szigeti at the Library of Congress
1940 October
Emigrated to New York with his wife Ditta
1940 November
Awarded an honorary doctorate from Columbia University
1941
1942
Studied Milman Perry's collection of Serbo-Croatian field recordings at
Columbia University
1941 November 20
21
Performed his last concert as a soloist
1943 January 21
22
Performed with his wife in his final concert appearance, the United
States premiere of his
Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion, and Orchestra
performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fritz
Reiner
1943 Spring
Appointed visiting professor at Harvard University
Hospitalized for tuberculosis only a few weeks into the
semester
1944 December 1
Boston Symphony Orchestra premiered his
Concerto for Orchestra
, which the Koussevitzky Foundation had commissioned the year prior
1945 July
August
Composed his
Third Piano Concerto
, except for 17 measures that remained incomplete at the time of his
death
1945 September 26
Died of leukemia in New York City
1951
Posthumous publication of
A magyar népzene tára
(
Corpus of Hungarian Music
), which Bartók had edited with Kodály
Biographical Note: Etelka Freund
Date
Event
1879
Born in Budapest, Hungary
1880s
Studied with her brother Robert Freund, an internationally acclaimed
pianist and instructor at the Conservatory of Zürich, Switzerland
circa 1890
1894
Studied piano with István Thomán, who also taught Béla Bartók
circa 1895
1897
Studied piano with Ignaz Brüll, and music theory with Eusebius von
Mandiozewski in Vienna, Austria
Studied with Johannes Brahms, who also appointed her as a member to
the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna
1898
Participated in master classes with Ferrucio Busoni in Weimar and Berlin,
Germany
1901
Performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in her first concert as
a pianist
circa 1902
1903
Began lifelong friendship with Bartók
1902
1907
Performed as a concert pianist in Budapest, London, Vienna, and
Zürich
circa 1910
1936
Married, gave birth to two sons, and stopped all public
performances
1936
Resumed performances as a concert pianist in her first European
tour
1946
Emigrated to the United States
1947 July 6
Debuted as a concert pianist in the United States at the National Gallery
in Washington, D.C.
1948
1977
Gave recitals but was unable to establish a steady career as a concert
pianist
1951
1957
Performed 20 recitals on WYNC’s radio shows “Keyboard Masters” and "Hands
Across the Sea,” some of which were recorded
1950s
Recorded two LPs with Remington and Plymouth Records
1977 May 27
Died in Zürich, Switzerland
Scope and Content Note
The Etelka Freund Collection on Béla Bartók contains materials that document the life
and works of Béla Bartók. These items date between 1903 and 1971, with the majority
from 1907 to 1936. The [Papers](BF01) series consists of autograph correspondence between Bartók and
pianist Etelka Freund, a signed first edition copy of his Hungarian Folk Music, photographs, clippings, programs, publicity
materials, and journal articles. The [Printed Music](BF02) series chiefly contains scores music for
various Bartók’ compositions, including four rare, annotated publisher proofs of his
early works.
Organization of the Etelka Freund Collection on Béla Bartók
The collection is arranged in two series:
-
[Papers, 1903-1971](BF01)
-
[Printed Music,
1910-1920](BF02)
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Bartók, Béla, 1881-1945--Correspondence.
Bartók, Béla, 1881-1945.
Bartók, Béla, 1881-1945.
Bartók, Béla, 1881-1945. Works. Selections.
Freund, Etelka--Correspondence.
Freund, Etelka.
Kodály, Zoltán, 1882-1967. Music, piano, op. 3.
Subjects
Composers--Hungary--Correspondence.
Pianists--Switzerland--Correspondence.
Piano music (Pianos (2))
Piano music.
Piano with orchestra--Scores.
Titles
Bartók-Freund collection, 1904-1970
Form/Genre
Art music.
Articles.
Autographs (Manuscripts)
Clippings (Information artifacts)
Personal correspondence.
Photographs.
Programs (Publications)
Rhapsodies (Music)
Scores.
Container List
1
Papers, 1903-1971
1903-1971
This series consists of diverse materials that document significant moments
and relationships in Bartók’s professional and personal life. Correspondence
comprises the majority of these items and includes nearly seventy autograph
letters and postcards that Bartók and pianist Etelka Freund wrote to each
other between 1907 and 1952. Other items with Bartók’s signature include a
photograph of himself with Freund and her niece Irma, as well as a first
edition copy of his book Hungarian Folk Music.
The remaining items consist of newspaper clippings with Bartók’s published
essays, programs and publicity materials for his performances and other
engagements, and journal articles about his music.
Arranged alphabetically by material type.
1/1
Book. Hungarian Folk
Music.
London: Oxford University Press, 1931
1/2
Clippings, 1932, 1971
1932, 1971
Correspondence
1/5
1903-1942
1903-1942
Postcards
1/3
1907-circa
1908
1907-circa 1908
Holograph letters, signed
1/6
1907-1936
1907-1936
Postcards, signed
1/4
1908-1952
1908-1952
1/7
Photographs, 1908 July, 1940 May
1908 July, 1940 May
1/8
Printed matter, 1917-1971
1917-1971
Journal and magazine articles about
Bartók
1/9
Programs, 1927-1957, undated
1927-1957, undated
1/10
Publicity materials, circa 1940, 1950
circa 1940, 1950
2
Printed Music, 1910-1920
1910-1920
This series includes fourteen compositions that were published between 1910
and 1920. The only work not by Bartók is Zoltán Kodály’s 10 piéces pour le
piano (10 Pieces for Piano). Of note are four publisher proofs dating from
1910-1911 for first editions of Bartók’s early works, which he annotated in
red crayon and pencil. These include selections from Gyermekeknek (For Children), Két
elégia (Two Elegies), op.8b, Ket román tánc (Two Romanian Dances), op. 8a,
and Rhapsodie pour 2 pianos à 4 mains (Rhapsody for 2 Pianos and Four
Hands). These scores document changes that the composer made to these works
during the publishing process, and are significant due to a paucity of
primary source material for his compositions from this time period. The rest
of this series consists of his piano music, such as 3 Burleszk (3 Burlesques
pour le piano), op. 8c, and Gyászinduló (Kossuth), as well as his Rhapsodie pour piano et
l'orchestre (Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra).
Arranged alphabetically by title.
Music by Béla Bartók, 1910-1920
1910-1920
2/1
3 Burleszk (3 Burlesques for piano),
op. 8c, 1912
1912
Score for piano
2/2
Allegro Barbaro, 1918
1918
Score for piano
2/3
Etudes pour le piano (Etudes for
piano), op. 18, 1920
1920
Score for piano
2/4
Gyászinduló (Kossuth),
undated
undated
Score for piano
2/12
Gyermekeknek (For Children),
selections, 1911
1911
Publisher's proofs of score for piano
with Bartók's autograph corrections in red crayon and
pencil
2/5
Gyermekeknek (For Children), parts 1
and 2, undated
undated
Score for piano
2/13
Két elégia (Two Elegies), op. 8b,
1910
1910
Publisher's proofs of score for piano
with Bartók's autograph corrections in red crayon and
pencil
Contents: Vadviragok (Wildflowers);
Változatok (Variations); Játékdal (Play Song); Duhajkodó (Feast
Song)
2/9
Ket román tánc (Two Romanian Dances),
op. 8a, 1910
1910
Publisher's proofs of score for piano
with Bartók's autograph corrections in red crayon and
pencil
2/6
Rhapsodie pour 2 pianos à 4 mains
(Rhapsody for 2 Pianos with Four Hands), 1910
1910
Publisher's proofs of score for piano
duet with Bartók's autograph corrections in red crayon and
pencil
2/8
Rhapsodie pour le piano (Rhapsody for
Piano), op. 1, undated
undated
Score for piano
2/7
Rhapsodie pour piano et l'orchestre
(Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra), 1910
1910
Full score
2/10
Szonatina (Sonata for Piano), 1919
1919
Score for piano
2/11
Szvit (Suite), op. 14, 1918
1918
Score for piano
Music by Zoltán Kodály, 1910
1910
2/14
10 piéces pour le piano (10 pieces for
the piano), 1910
1910
Score for piano