Chapter 16. Hungarian Folk Music in the United States

Audio Examples

Songs of Eva Balint - Kakukk madár az erdben
This is a sweet romantic story and melody about the Cuckoo, the outlaw and love. The characteristics of one can be projected on the other and, thus, they can be projected on the three ideas. The singer, Mrs. Galló was born in Hungary in a wheelwright family in a small poverty stricken settlement known as Nagygej?c. She arrived in America in 1913 with her first husband. She found jobs in cigar and mill factories in New Jersey. In 1916, the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio and remained there for good. Performed by Mrs. Galló and recorded at the Lorántffy Care Center in Akron, Ohio, in late December 1976.
(Smithsonian Folkways Recordings album #04020 1983)

Songs on Violin
Béla Nyári was born in Sopron, a Hungarian city close to the Austrian border. He comes from a gypsy (Roma) musical family where the father as well as the sons played various instruments. The excerpt heard here is a characteristic combination of dance melodies into a csárdás comprised of a medium temp and a fast variation. Performed by Béla Nyári with accompaniment by David Skuse (violin) and recorded in 1980 in New York City.
(Smithsonian Folkways Recordings album #04020 1983)

Gypsy Dance Tune by Gypsy Joe and Orchestra
This live recording was made at a Hungarian Club in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York on October 2, 1982. The occasion was the popular Harvest Dance, also referred to as the Grape Festival. The small club was packed. The event started with a dinner of Hungarian national dishes (stuffed cabbage, roast pork cutlet, and others) and is followed by dancing. This may go on until one of two in the morning. The song cycle (beginning heard here) is a fragment of an eight minute long dance set known as “the gypsy czardas” or “the gypsy dance set”. (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings album #04020 1983)

The audio excerpts heard here and were recorded and edited by László Kürti and released on a Smithsonian Folkways Recording titled Hungarian Folk Music in the United States. The notes included here were taken from the liner notes also written by László Kürti.

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