These sites require the free Microsoft Media Player or the RealAudio Player…
Click the icon to download it free.
However, Hungarian World Radio developed software that includes
its own embedded list of Radio and Television stations from both larger
and smaller markets some of which are NOT listed here. It requires a
download of its free software, and they request a voluntary donation for
the service. We tested it, and it works great. To see the list of stations
and to download their software, go to http://www.vilagradio.hu
(in Hungarian)
Civil Rádió – 98 FM (Budapest) – Live Feed(includes
various shows such as The Hungary Page reader Arpad Zsoldos’s Hungarian Literature Radio (Irodalmi Radio)
at www.szinhaz.hu)
Go to the Franz
Liszt page on the Classical
Music Page for an extensive collection of Liszt’s works in MIDI format. Also
provides biographical information on this truly Great Hungarian composer! All works
can be downloaded in Zip format.
The Instituto Liszt,
which was recently founded in Bologna (Italy), is the only Institute in Italy devoted to
Liszt and the Romantic piano.
Christoph von Dohnányi is
recognized as one of the world’s pre-eminent orchestra and opera conductors. 1998-1999
marks his fifteenth year as Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra.
Classics World has a great biography of Béla Bartók and includes an
MPEG video as well as recommended recordings and links to on-line shopping. There is
also a Ferenc Liszt page.
See Hungarian
Musical Opera for RealAudio clips of Hungarian musical masterpieces and folksongs,
including the National Anthem, Székely Himnusz, and Berlioz, Brahms, and Beethoven.
You’ll need to download the RealAudio Player to use these files. A good
investment of time since this also allows you to access Live Radio Broadcasts from
Hungary!
The Hungarian Music Page of the
Hungarian Heritage Homepage has many interesting links and a good list of Hungarian
classical composers.
The National Anthem of the Székelys, are a Hungarian ethnic
group, and one of the earliest permanent settlers of Transylvania.
This Anthem was composed in 1918, when Rumania occupied Transylvania
and 200,000 Hungarians fled to Hungary, among them was 50,000
Székelys. Their cares, despairs, hope in a miracle is chanted in this
slowly moving, sad, very touching melody. Strating with a question
“Who knows where destiny is leading us?”, the song tells
about the suffering the Székelys endured from the Tartars, Turks,
Habsburgs, and it is in fact, a prayer to God to save their land,
Transylvania. See background, sheet music, and an English Translation of Transylvania’s Székely National Anthem. Special thanks to László Szelecki for his help on this project.
Folk Music
Hungarian
folk music is not Gypsy music. ‘Gypsies’ or Roma in Hungary
and Transylvania developed spectacular musical talents and were often
hired to play. Over the centuries, Gypsy virtuosos developed their
own unique style, incorporating elements of Hungarian and Eastern
traditions. This style has in itself become admired world wide.
Traditional Hungarian Folk music is not as stylized and maintains
centuries-old musical elements much of which came from Transylvania.
In fact, many of you heard a beautiful and stirring example of Hungarian Folk music
from Transylvania in Márta Sebestyén’s virtuosity in the “English Patient” themesong,
“Szerelem, Szerelem” (Love, Love), or in her work with Peter Gabriel and Deep Forest in “Marta’a Song.”
With the exception of the violin, the instruments can be quite
primitive. The music surprises many, even in Hungary, for both its
rhythmic nature and its Asian and Celtic feel.
My favorite group which features Márta Sebestyén is Muzsikás.
Another great group is The Téka Ensemble. Their repertoire
emphasizes the traditional style of playing and the original feeling of folk music. They
play string instruments (violin, viola, double bass, cello) and other unique folk
instruments (bagpipe, hurdy-gurdy, cymbalom). With these instruments they reproduce a
colorful picture of village music from all Hungarian – speaking territories.
Includes .wav files recorded from some of their CDs.
Another favorite is Méta, a wonderful
representative of the Hungarian folklore movement. This site also includes .wav
recordings.
There is a great on-line store in Hungary, Folio CD, that carries a
wide variety of music as well as videos. The manager’s name is
Gizella Ruhl and she has done a great job in shipping orders to
us! VERY reliable. Credit card orders accepted and prices
are reasonable. The site is in Hungarian, but if you email Gizi,
she can help find what you are looking for.
Inactive
Go to the Franz Liszt page on the Classical Music Page for an extensive collection of Liszt’s works in MIDI format. Also provides biographical information on this truly Great Hungarian composer! All works can be downloaded in Zip format.
