Bartók's Choral Works

for Children's and Female Voices

　

Bartók Béla Kórusm?vei Gzermek - és N?ikarok

　

１Spring - Tavasz

２Don't leave me here! - Ne hagyj itt!

３Spell - Jószágigéz?

４Letter to those at home - Levél az otthoniakhoz

５Play Song - Játék

６Courting - Leánynéz?

７Hawk! - Héjja, héjja, karahéjja!

８Don't leave me! - Ne menj el!

９I have a ring - Van egy gy?r?m, karika

10I've no one in the world - Senkim a világon

11Bread baking - Cipósütés

12Hussar' song - Huszárnóta

13Loafers' song - Resteknek nótája

14Wandering - Bolyongás

15Girls' teasing song - Lánycsúfoló　

16Boys' teasing song - Legénycsúfoló 　

17Michaelmas greetings - Mihálynapi köszönt?

18Suitor - Leánykér?　　　

19Grief - Keserves　

20Bird song - Madárdal　

21Joyful, cheerful cry - Csujogató　

22Regret - Bánat　

23Had I not seen you! - Ne láttalak volna!　

24The bird flew away - Elment a madárka

25Cushion dance - Párnás táncdal

26Canon - Kánon　

27God be with you! - Isten veled!

　

　

　

　

　

　

　　This CＤ is released to mark the celebration of the 120th anniversary of Béla Bartók's birth and the 25th anniversary of International Kodály Society in 2001. Bartók, a true friend and co-worker of Zoltán Kodály remains one of the most revered composers of the 20th century. Bartók's excellence as a composer is evident in the 27 Choral Works for Children's and Female Voices. The collection includes Bartók's　most beautiful and expressive compositions for women and children. Kodály was so pleased when Bartók composed this collection in 1936 that he wrote a wonderful introduction before publication.

　　Along with Kodály, Bartók is important to the Fukushima Kodály Choir and their compositions are among the choir's favorites. To sing this repertory always gives them great joy. In spring, 2001, Mária Mohayné Katanics conducted the Fukushima Kodály Choir in the first Japanese performance of this entire　collection. Miyako Furiya conducted the entire collection at ESTA＆Kodály Congress in 2001 in Helsinki.

　　Miyako Furiya and the choir would like to think that a choir from a far-away Asian country performing Bartók's entire collection　testifies to the success and the extent of Kodály's influence on music and education.

　

　　In his article, "The Children's Chorus of Béla Bartók", which appeared in The journal "Énekszó" (1936.3-4), Zoltán Kodály introduced these choir-pieces to the public before they had even been published. Kodály wrote:

　

　　The Hungarian child does not know yet that the Christmas of 1936 has brought him a gift that will last him all his life. This is clear to

all who seek to take the Hungarian children into a world where the air isclearer, the sky bluer, and the sunshine warmer; this is clear to all those whose long felt wish has come true now that Bartók has joined their ranks. Bartók has talked to children for years: on the piano, and more recently on the violin. Without these works the piano or the violin could hardly be taught here or, for that matter, abroad, and we would be living in a more artistic and more Hungarian world by now had our teachers of music been quicker to recognize the significance of these works.

　　But how many Hungarian children can afford these days to own a piano or a violin? The great masses grow up unaware of the riches of instrumental musical literature. Bartók is talking to this musically orphaned mass of children now. It is a strange paradox, yet profoundly logical as well, that Bartók began by letting the air of the Hungarian fields in on those children who played their instruments within four walls in the cities; in other words his instrumental children's pieces elaborate on folk-themes; but now he is talking to those children who have lived untouched by music, in the idiom of folk-poetry, yet in his own language of music. This language is readily grasped by children, especially if they are at all familiar with folk-music, whether they were born into it or they just got to know it at school. They grasp it because Bartók's way of speaking to them has none of the pompousness of the 'pedagogue' and because he does not try to use the fake baby-talk adults so often use with children. There is no condescension in his approach. He regards children as fellowmen. He regards them in the way that is possible only for the man whose gray hair has not abolished the child in him. And the things he says are things

he would say as an adult to adults. This is art of full, lasting value, also for the adult world. How happy the Hungarian child could be and what a wonderful man he would make if only men of this kind were talking to him.

　

　　Indeed: one finds an amazing richness of forms and expression in these 27 choral pieces. Bartók has lived up to the task masterfully: he has written new music for two or there voices of relatively small register, music ranking with his monumental works. At quite a number of places we are actually reminded of some well-known Bartók compositions: (Ferenc Bonis,　Explanation for Record: Children's and Women's Choruses. Hungaroton LPX1200)

　

　

Fukushima Kodály Choir

　　The members of Fukushima Kodály Choir are mainly primary school teachers from Fukushima Prefecture and Tohoku, the northern region of Japan. The choir was named in admiration of Kodály and his pedagogical and musical contributions which aim, not only to teach music through better methods, but also and primarily to help people to live life more deeply, happily and richly. Japan is particularly beset by serious educational problems, and the choir's aim is to help primary school teachers educate pupils in a beneficial and meaningful way through joyfully participating in music during and after their school years.

　

　　To date, the choir has held annual concerts in Japan and undertaken three concert tours in Hungary. In 1996 they participated in the 22nd World Conference of the ISME in Amsterdam

where they gave three concerts and a workshop. They　performed　three　times　at　the　IKS　Symposiums in 1997 in Manila, 1999 in Kecskemét and 2001 in Helsinki.

　　The choir has issued three CDs conducted by Gábor Ugrin, Hungarian conductor, and Miyako Furiya, which have received favorable reviews concerning Hungarian a cappella choral works and their multicultural repertory that demonstrates a wide range of vocal styles. Their repertory covers a wide range, from Gregorian chant to modern a cappella European choral music, specially Hungarian (Kodály, Bartók, Bárdos, Kurtág and Kocsár), as well as traditional Japanese folk music, folk dances and folk customs and Japanese modern choral works.

Gábor Ugrin ( Guest Conductor )

　　Graduate of Franc Liszt Music Academy, Gábor Ugrin is a professor at the Béla Bartók Conservatory and F. Liszt Music Academy. His post as conductor of the Hungarian Youth Choir has gained him recognition as one of the Hungary's leading choral conductors. He was awarded the Hungarian Franz Liszt Trophy in 1985 and Zoltán Kodály Trophy in 1997. He has served as a guest conductor of the Fukushima Kodály Choir since 1986.

　

Miyako Furiya ( Director )

　　Miyako Furiya, the Director&Conductor of Fukushima Kodály Choir is a Graduate of Musashino Music Academy in Japan where she majored in piano performance. During 1987, she

studied in Hungary, mainly at Liszt Music Academy, on a scholarship from the International Kodály Society, focusing on choral conducting (under Gábor Ugrin and Mária Mohayné Katanics) and piano performance (under György Kurtág, Valéria Szervánszky and Mariann Ábrahám). After returning from Hungary, she founded the Fukushima Kodály Choir and since has conducted many concerts throughout Japan and in many foreign countries.　She has presented numerous workshop sessions on Japanese traditional music at ISME conferences and IKS symposiums.　In addition to her work as professor at Miyagi University of Education, a national university in Sendai,　teaching piano,

solfege, chorus and music education.