Historical recordings of Bartók's folksong arrangements

248 Pages·2017·5.63 MB·English

Historical recordings of Bartók’s folksong arrangements (1928);
variations of performance practice with striking surprises

Kornélia Pérchy

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment
of requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Musical Arts

Sydney Conservatorium of Music
University of Sydney
2017
Declaration

I declare that the research presented here is my own original work and has not been
submitted to any other institution for the award of a degree. I certify that all the
assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged.

Ethical approval has been granted for the study presented in this thesis from the
University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee on 15 May 2012 (Protocol
number: 14777). Participants were required to read an information statement and
sign a consent form.

Signed: ...................................................................................................................

Date: .......................................................................................................................
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Abstract
His Master’s Voice recorded two of Béla Bartók’s song cycles in 1928, the Five
Hungarian Folksongs (BB 97), and the Eight Hungarian Folksongs (BB 47) with the
composer at the piano. The research primarily focuses on the analysis of the 1928
recordings, analysing the singers’ performance, and identifies the three singers’
musical choices. The performance analysis discusses whether the performers’
interpretation conformed to the score and what specific differences they made. The
analysis also examines how flexible Bartók was with the singers’ interpretation of his
songs.
The final section of the thesis traces how the performance of these songs has evolved
over time. For the comparison, recordings made between 1950 and 2011 are
considered. The analysis examines what specific performance trends emerge from
the artists over this period and how the performing style of the songs has changed
since the 1928 recordings. The link between the research and the D.M.A. final recital
was to attain a comprehensive background to the two song cycles, to highlight the
variety of performance choices in the analysis, and to apply some of the findings in
the recital.
The findings may be useful for modern performers and performer-scholars in terms
of the background of these songs. Furthermore, if current vocal practitioners decide
to perform Bartók’s folksong arrangements, the thesis offers a wide range of musical
choices that they might like to consider in their practice. The thesis also contributes
to the better understanding of Bartók’s performance of his own music.
.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr Michael Halliwell, for the time,
support, and advice he gave me during the writing of this thesis. I am also grateful to
my associate supervisor, Dr Rowena Cowley, for her guidance, particularly in
preparation for the recitals.
My gratitude also extends to the University of Sydney, Conservatorium of
Music who provided financial support in the form of the Australian Postgraduate
Award and the Postgraduate Research Support Scheme. The latter made it possible
for me to participate in three international conferences: Singapore (2012), Porto
Allegre, Brazil (2013), and Cambridge, U.K. (2014).
My heartfelt thanks also go to my singing teacher, Melánia Rosner-Králik †
(Head of Vocal Studies – Ferenc Liszt University, Teaching Institute in Budapest). I
am fortunate for having known her and been taught by her. I would also like to thank
my other singing teacher, Mária Fekete (Head of Vocal Studies at the Béla Bartók
Conservatorium in Budapest) whose wealth of knowledge on Hungarian music and
singers assisted me immensely during the writing process.
I would not have been able to write this thesis without the support of my
family, particularly my husband, Marcos.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge my father † and mother. It is because of
their love and encouragement that I became a musician. They taught me the value of
perseverance and it is to them that I dedicate this thesis.

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Table of Contents
Declaration .................................................................................................................... i
Abstract ........................................................................................................................ ii
Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... iii
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ iv
List of Figures ........................................................................................................... viii
List of Tables............................................................................................................... xi
List of Sound Files ..................................................................................................... xii
INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................... 1
CHAPTER 1 - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ...................................................... 18
1.1 Influences of Bartók’s early compositional style ................................... 18
1.1.1 Urban popular music in the gypsy style .......................................... 21
1.1.2 Bartók’s first encounter with genuine Hungarian folksongs ........... 23
1.2 The phonograph in ethnography ............................................................. 25
1.2.1 Edison’s phonograph ....................................................................... 25
1.2.2 Jesse Walter Fewkes ........................................................................ 27
1.2.3 Béla Vikár and the beginning of folk music research in Hungary .. 28
1.2.4 Vikár’s achievements in Paris 1900 ................................................ 31
1.2.5 Kodály and Vikár ............................................................................. 33
1.3 Kodály and Bartók’s initial field trips .................................................... 34
1.4 Twenty Hungarian folksongs (BB 42, 1906) .......................................... 35
1.5 Pentatonic scale ...................................................................................... 38
1.6 The end of the field trips ......................................................................... 39
1.7 Characteristics and classification of Hungarian folksongs ..................... 40
1.7.1 An overview of the characteristics of the ‘old’ and ‘new’ style ...... 41
1.7.2 Classification based on Ilmari Krohn’s system ............................... 44
CHAPTER 2 - 1928 THE HMV RECORDINGS...................................................... 48
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2.1 Bartók’s recordings ................................................................................. 48
2.1.1 Kuno Klebelsberg and the HMV recordings ................................... 52
2.1.2 Bartók’s correspondence with Universal Edition ............................ 54
2.2 Performers of the 1928 recordings ......................................................... 55
2.2.1 Vilma Medgyaszay (1885–1972) .................................................... 56
The first cabaret in Hungary ..................................................................... 56
Vilma Medgyaszay’s career ..................................................................... 59
2.2.2 Mária Basilides (1886–1946) .......................................................... 66
2.2.3 Ferenc Székelyhidy (1885–1954) .................................................... 69
CHAPTER 3 – ANALYSIS OF THE TWO SONG CYCLES ................................. 75
Characteristics to be considered in the analysis ........................................... 75
Bartók’s views on the interpretation of Hungarian folksongs ...................... 76
Rhythm adjustment ....................................................................................... 77
How do non-Hungarian singers perform Hungarian folksongs? .................. 77
Portamento .................................................................................................... 78
Bartók’s notation .......................................................................................... 80
3.1 FIVE HUNGARIAN FOLKSONGS (BB 97) ........................................ 82
3.1.1 Far behind I left my country ............................................................ 83
3.1.2 Crossing the river ............................................................................. 89
3.1.3 In the summer fields ........................................................................ 96
3.1.4 The horseman ................................................................................ 103
3.1.5 Walking through the town ............................................................. 109
Some conclusions on Medgyaszay’s performance ................................. 112
3.2 EIGHT HUNGARIAN FOLKSONGS (BB 47) ................................... 115
3.2.1 Black is the earth ........................................................................... 118
3.2.2 My God, my God ........................................................................... 123
3.2.3 Women, women; let me be your companion ................................. 126
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3.2.4 So much sorrow ............................................................................. 131
3.2.5 If I climb the high summit ............................................................. 132
Some conclusions on Basilides’s performance ...................................... 137
3.2.6 The forest road is crowded ............................................................ 140
3.2.7 Up to now my work ....................................................................... 145
3.2.8 The snow is melting ....................................................................... 148
Some conclusions on Székelyhidy’s performance ................................. 151
Summary ..................................................................................................... 153
CHAPTER 4 - COMPARISON TO SUBSEQUENT RECORDINGS ................... 155
Considerations for final recital ................................................................... 155
4.1 FIVE HUNGARIAN FOLKSONGS (BB 97) ...................................... 157
4.1.1 Far behind I left my country .......................................................... 161
4.1.2 Crossing the river ........................................................................... 165
4.1.3 In the summer fields ...................................................................... 169
4.1.4 The horseman ................................................................................ 172
4.1.5 Walking through the town ............................................................. 176
Summary ..................................................................................................... 178
4.2 EIGHT HUNGARIAN FOLKSONGS (BB 47) ................................... 181
4.2.1 Black is the earth ........................................................................... 181
4.2.2 My God, my God ........................................................................... 184
4.2.3 Women, women; let me be your companion ................................. 189
4.2.5 If I climb the high summit ............................................................. 193
4.2.6 The forest road is crowded ............................................................ 198
4.2.7 Up to now my work ....................................................................... 200
4.2.8 The snow is melting ....................................................................... 203
Summary ..................................................................................................... 207
4.3 RESULTS OF THE INTERVIEWS ..................................................... 210
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CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 212
Biographical Sketch ................................................................................................. 218
Appendices ............................................................................................................... 219
Appendix A: Program of D.M.A. Final Recital .......................................... 219
Appendix B: Ethics Approval ..................................................................... 221
Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 223
Discography ............................................................................................................. 233
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List of Figures
Figure
1. ‘Székely folksong’ or ‘Red apple’, non-architectonic, three-liner tune.
Tune system (BR-number): Bartók C-III 1083a. ................................................ 24
2. Musical notation of Ucca,ucca, ‘Street, street’ as it appears in the source
catalogue. Vikár collected the original tune in 1898. ......................................... 36
3. An example for a pentatonic scale. ........................................................................ 39
4. An ‘old’ style Hungarian folk tune, Kemény Kősziklának. .................................... 42
5. An ‘old’ style folk tune with rich embellishments, Leszállott a páva. .................. 42
6. Example of a ‘new’ style folk tune, Által mennék én a Tiszán. ............................. 43
7. Transcription of the tune, ‘Far behind I left my country’ (1906).
Tune system (BR-number): Bartók A-I 0580a (01787). ..................................... 84
8. Bartók, ‘Far behind I left my country’, bars 1–4 (Editio Musica Budapest, 1953).
The current version of the 1906 publication. ...................................................... 85
9. Bartók, ‘Far behind I left my country’, bars 1–4 (Editio Musica Budapest, 1970).
............................................................................................................................. 86
10. Bartók, ‘Far behind I left my country’, bars 1–9. Score versus recording (1928).
............................................................................................................................. 87
11. Bartók, ‘Far behind I left my country’, bars 10–14 (Editio Musica Budapest,
1970). .................................................................................................................. 88
12. Transcription of the phonograph recording, ‘Crossing the river’, (1906).
Tune system (BR-number): Bartók B 1482c (09208). ........................................ 90
13. Bartók, ‘Crossing the river’, bars 1–8 (Editio Musica Budapest, 1970). ............. 91
14. Bartók, ‘Crossing the river’, bars 1–8. Score versus Medgyaszay’s recording
(1928). ................................................................................................................. 92
15. Bartók, ‘Crossing the river’, bars 17–24. Score versus Medgyaszay’s recording
(1928) .................................................................................................................. 94
16. Spectrogram display, ‘Crossing the river’ (bars 1–24). ....................................... 95
17. Master sheet of the phonograph recording, ‘In the summer fields’ (1906).
Tune system (BR-number): Bartók B 0442x (06478). ....................................... 97
18. Waveform display of ‘In the summer fields’, bars 1–48. .................................... 98
19. Bartók, ‘In the summer fields’, bars 1–8. Tempo fluctuation of the recording
with MM numbers (Editio Musica Budapest, 1970). ......................................... 99
20. Bartók, ‘In the summer fields’, 1st verse, bars 9–16. Score versus recording
(1928). ............................................................................................................... 100
21. Bartók, ‘In the summer fields’, 2nd verse, bars 1–8. Score versus recording
(1928). ............................................................................................................... 101
22. Transcription of the phonograph recording, ‘The horseman’ (1918).
BR-number: (06389). ........................................................................................ 104
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23. Bartók, ‘The horseman’, bars 2–3 (Editio Musica Budapest, 1970). ................. 105
24. Bartók, ‘The horseman’, bars 2–3. László Somfai made the transcription for the
first edition of the Five Hungarian Folksongs (Editio Musica Budapest, 1970).
........................................................................................................................... 106
25. Bartók, ‘The horseman’, bars 4–5 (Editio Musica Budapest, 1970). ................. 106
26. Bartók, ‘The horseman’, bars 4–5 (EMB edition, 1970). László Somfai made
the transcription for the first edition of the Five Hungarian Folksongs. .......... 107
27. Musical notation of ‘Walking through the town’ in the source catalogue. ........ 110
28. Bartók, ‘Walking through the town’, bars 1–12. Comparison of the phonograph
recording, the score, and Medgyaszay’s recording. .......................................... 111
29. Master sheet of the phonograph recording, ‘Black is the earth’ from 1906.
Tune system (BR-number): Bartók C-IV 1231b (12389). ................................ 119
30. Bartók, ‘Black is the earth’, bars 1–8 (Boosey & Hawkes, 1955). .................... 120
31. Bartók, ‘Black is the earth’, bars 3–8. Score versus recording (1928). ............. 121
32. Bartók, ‘Black is the earth’, bars 11–16. Score versus recording (1928). ......... 122
33. Bartók, ‘My God, my God’, bars 9–14. Score versus recording (1928). ........... 125
34. Bartók, ‘My God, my God’, bars 24–29. Score versus recording (1928). ......... 126
35. Master sheet of the phonograph recording, ‘Women, women; let me be your
companion’ (1907). Tune system (BR-number): Bartók C-II 950a.................. 127
36. Bartók, ‘Women, women’, bars 1–8 (Boosey & Hawkes, 1955). ..................... 129
37. Bartók, ‘Women, women’, bars 10–12 (Boosey & Hawkes, 1955). ................. 130
38. Master sheet of the tune ‘If I climb the high summit’, 1907.
Tune system (BR-number): Bartók A-II 1539j (04896). .................................. 133
39. Waveform display of ‘If I climb the high summit’ (first verse, bars 1–18). ...... 134
40. Spectrogram display of the loudness level in bars 3–6, ‘If I climb the high
summit’. ............................................................................................................ 135
41. Bartók, ‘If I climb the high summit’, bars 1–4 (Boosey & Hawkes, 1955). ...... 135
42. Spectrogram display, ‘If I climb the high summit’, bars 1–18. ......................... 137
43. Bartók, ‘The forest road is crowded’. The vocal part in the score, bars 4–8.
(Boosey & Hawkes, 1955). ............................................................................... 142
44. Bartók, ‘The forest road is crowded’, bars 4–7.
Székelyhidy’s recording (1928). ....................................................................... 143
45. Bartók, ‘The forest road is crowded’. Vocal line in the score, bars 22–28. ....... 144
46. Bartók, ‘The forest road is crowded’, bars 22–27.
Székelyhidy’s recording (1928). ....................................................................... 144
47. Musical notation of ‘Up to now my work’in the source catalogue. ................... 146
48. Bartók, ‘Up to now my work’, bars 8–11 (Boosey & Hawkes,1955). ............... 146
49. Bartók, ‘Up to now my work’, bars 10–11. Székelyhidy's recording (1928). ... 148
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