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At a crossroads of east and west, Hungary
developed a unique musical life mixing Turkic and Magyar folk
survivals with Gypsy elements. Converted to western Christianity
in the 11th century, Hungary shared the liturgical chant,
polyphony and secular song of medieval Catholic Europe, and
many leading musicians of the era were drawn to the Hungarian
court. Partial Turkish conquest and the spread of Protestantism
in the 16th century brought new diversity but also awakened
a sense of national identity and of a need to preserve Hungarian
traditions.
After 1700, under the rule of the Habsburgs, Hungary was drawn
into an Austrian cultural world, and its elite became part
of baroque cosmopolitan life. Leading Austrian composers held
court or church posts in Hungarian territories--most notably
Franz Josef Haydn, who served the Hungarian ESTERHAZY family.
Nineteenth-century national strivings and uprisings stimulated
a vigorous rebirth of Hungarian cultural consciousness, with
active musical organizations developing. Hungarian by birth,
Franz LISZT was an international figure with ambiguous ties
to his homeland; his use of traditional Hungarian music, although
he mistakenly confused it with Gypsy elements, did stir interest
in the national musical heritage. A more frank nationalist,
Ferenc Erkel (1810-93), produced the national anthem and the
great national opera, Hunyadi Laszlo (1844).
The Germanized late-romantic movement produced such composers
as Ernst von DOHNANYI and Leo Weiner (1885-1960). In the 20th
century, a drastic reappraisal of the true traditions of Hungarian
folk music launched the nation's two greatest composers. Bela
BARTOK and Zoltan KODALY, who did pioneering ethno-musical
fieldwork in the countryside. A prolific folk-inspired composer,
Kodaly was most influential as a teacher: making music and
choral singing a focus in Hungarian schools, he created a
training system acclaimed around the world. From folklore,
Bartok drew a sense of rhythm and color that helped make him
one of the boldest personalities of all 20th-century music.
Despite the upheavals of wars and politics, Hungary has continued
to produce musicians of excellence. Among its composers, Gyorgy
LIGETI has won particular international success. Conductors
of Hungarian origin have included Sir Georg SOLTI, Georg SZELL,
and Fritz Reiner.
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