Hungaroton Records

V. Magyarországi, Táancház Találkozó 
Fourth Hungarian Dance-House Festival
Hungaroton, SLPX 18101
Made in Hungary, 1985

What puzzles me is the proportion with which Hungarian records appear in thrift stores in Southwest Florida. There is no indication to me that there is a large Hungarian community in the area, so where do all those records come from? But the records keep coming. By now I could have dedicated a whole blog to the folk music of Hungary which I will leave it to one who has more affinity with such music and to one who can read the Magyar language. There are some sites out there, not too many, and not many who update very often. But the standard of records with Hungarian folk music as their topic seems consistently high. It's not that such music is superior to that of other countries/regions, it's just great music, all the way across. Hungarian music was put on the map early as Hungarian composers Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók did a lot to document the music. And maybe unlike many other countries the Hungarians, as a nation, are proud of their musical heritage. Another musician who did a lot for Hungarian Folk music is Ferenc Sebő. He is from a later generation than the aforementioned composers. In September I documented the album Folk Music from Lőrincréve with arrangements by Sebő. I mentioned there that he launched the career of Márta Sebestyén. At the time I didn't include a track on which Sebestyén could be heard but this time I can't overlook her again. Sebestyén is currently the best known musician in the field of Hungarian folk music, probably the best known living Hungarian musician in general. Sebestyén's mother, a musician too, had studied under Kodály.  

Folk Music from Lőrincréve was released in 1986, and this Fourth Hungarian Dance-House Festival is from the year before. Interestingly the identification number of the former SPLX 18102 comes directly after the 18101 of Dance-House Festival. The two tracks shared here are both from side B; Somogyi és Nógrádi dallamok is a medley of short tunes featuring a bagpipe played by Zoltán Juhsz and a fiddle by Márta Virágvölgyi and Szállj el feskemadár a voice solo performed by the aforementioned Sebestyén.

Lőrincréve Népzenéje

Folk Music from Lőrincréve
Arrangements by Ferenc Sebő
Hungaroton, SLPX 18102
Made in Hungary, 1986

I found this lovely LP with Hungarian folk music in a thrift store in Charlotte Harbor. A half year ago I also found some Hungarian records at that very same thrift store. Coincidence? It had a plastic sleeve around it—for the protection of the photograph of this lovely man in a Hungarian folk dance pose—that told me the LP had been taken good care of. Despite the title being in English all texts are Hungarian (there is a hint that there once would have been a paper inside with English texts), so I can't give you many specifics or background stories concerning this record. What I do know is that the music on the record are traditional folk songs/tunes arranged by Ferenc Sebő. The track that I selected is vocal without instrumentation. The track consists of three songs performed by the vocal ensemble Tátika Énekegyüttes. Sebő is a well known folklorist, musician, and band leader, he launced the career of the famous singer Márta Sebestyén. Track B4 consists of the songs Kék ibolya, ha leszakítanálak (Blue Violet), Falu végén van egy vályú (There Is a Through), and Én Istenem, teremtőm (Oh, My God, Good Lord). The last two seem vaguely reminiscent of other songs (in a different language) but I can't bring them home. (Listen for yourself.)

Children's songs

01 Haj szén'alja, szén'alja.m4a
http://www.box.net/shared/sfs1hz9z4tpp8xd3045o

Hungarian Folk Music, sleeve design by Gyözö Varga,
presented by the Hungarian Academy of Science,
Budapest, 1964

Often a children's song or two are included in such albums that seek to give an overview of the musical traditions of a certain cultural or geographical group.  I have gathered quite a few but to say I'm collecting is an overstatement, they're simply included in some of the records I collect. My interest in these children's songs is fairly new. I'm attracted to the uncomplicated spontaneous nature of these songs. They're happy songs, playful songs, free from the burdens of the hardness and sadness of life, complex psychological identities, and sexual rejection. I was never interested in their songs, their aesthetic, or their play, but something changed. I think my interest started with teaching drawing and painting to children this summer, I had never done this before, and never thought I would like it, but I did.
—It has recently been discovered that some of the iconic ancient cave paintings have been done by small children. In the recently discovered Rouffignac  caves in the Dordogne, the most prolific artist was a five year old girl. Learning about this fact impacted my worldview and my attitude of how I view children.

The LP Hungarian Folk Music contains a really nice children’s song. it is called Haj szén'alja, szén'alja which translates to Ah, bundle of hay, bundle of hay. The LP Hungarian Folk Music (not to be confused with Bartok's better known Folk Music of Hungary) is so far the year's best thrift store find. The number 194 taped in the top left corner on the record indicates that it once belonged to a collection. I bought 20 records from that collection in one day, the numbers ranging between 185 and 232. All records are from Eastern Europe with a majority coming from Poland. I assume the collection once belonged to an immigrant from Poland. I really should revisit that thrift store to see if other numbers from the collection have been released.