Between Romanticism and Atonality
Paths of Hungarian Music in the 20th Century
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In the 19th century, Hungarian music was under German influence. Through the discovery of folk music traditions, it underwent significant development in the 20th century. Béla Bartók was successful abroad as a genuinely modern composer; Zoltan Kodaly was extremely important within Hungary. Kodaly’s folk-influenced classicism was well-suited to socialist cultural policy. After the 1956 uprising and a period of isolation, Hungarian musical life began to open up. Prohibited works and Western influences were approved. Young composers such as György Ligeti and György Kurtág connected with international developments. Their oeuvre is now part of the modern repertoire.
(Osteuropa 12/2011, pp. 373–382)