File:Hungary and the Hungarians (1908) (14778835561).jpg

Identifier: hungaryhungarian00bovi (find matches)
Title: Hungary and the Hungarians
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Bovill, W. B. F Pascoe, William, ill
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, McClure
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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ppointed the most generous heartthat ever beat for them. The whole history of the Hungarian gipsies is sobound up with the life of the Archduke, that I do nothesitate to continually refer to him. So keen was heabout them that he learnt their language perfectly,together with several of the dialects. He then pro-ceeded to compile a czigdny dictionary and grammar,which stands unequalled in the world. It was theirmusic which first attracted him. Herein lies the chiefvalue of these mysterious pariahs to Hungary andto the world. Their music ? It is quite true, it istheir very own unschooled music. In their own waythey are the chief contributors to Hungarian music.Hungary is the home of the born musician. Evenprosaic Englishmen have journeyed to hear a BlueHungarian band, and, having listened, departed,imagining that the name conveyed the truth.Theres nothing in such a name. Substitute theterm Bohemian for Hungarian and you arriveat the truth. Hungarians are not starters in England. Ii» .^^
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STREET SCENE EN POZSONY EEADING TO THE OLD CASTLE THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 213 In Vienna, Belgrad, Bucarest, Sofia, if you like, but notEngland. To these gipsy musicians, Liszt, one ofthe greatest musical products of Hungary, in 1859ascribed the creation of Hungarys national music.To keep in tune with Hungarian musical critics theemphasis must be placed on the term national, In the days now beyond recall the minstrels sangthe heroic deeds of the fallen champions. There wasalso a Dance of Death which was always dancedat the close of the funeral banquet. This, however,was 160 years ago. Times and tunes were differentthen. There was something of the Irish wake aboutthese festive gatherings. The Magyar finds much ofhis happiness in sorrow. At the old-time burials theCantor took leave of the dead in a mournful song.But at eventide his joy was wingless. As one feels acertain measure of paganism about some of the musicto-day, this old Hungarian dance was probably a relicor remnant of some

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