Bartók, Bèla.

Autograph letter signed ("Bèla Bartók"), in German, to Herr Windisch, discussing arrangements for concerts of his own music



expressing regret that he has not yet heard from the violinist Imre Walbauer regarding proposed performances of his chamber works, stating that he understood that two concerts were to be arranged, one with his string quartets, the other containing a violin sonata, noting that the Waldbauer Quartet may not be available for the concerts and suggesting as an alternative the Budapest String Quartet, about which he has heard many fine reports; Bartok also mentions rehearsing a violin sonata of his with the young Hungarian violinist Zoltán Székely, who plays it very well and would be keen to play the work in Berlin if he could be reimbursed for his travelling costs, and enquires which works of his might be performed at a planned concert in Leipzig



…In der letzten Zeit habe ich…soviel Schönes über dieses Quartett gehört, dass ich in ihre Leistungen Vertrauen haben kann. Was die Violinsonate anbelangt, so habe ich dieselbe diesen Sommer mit einem jungen ungarischen Violonisten durchstudiert, der sie recht gut spielt…



2 pages, 8to (c.21.8 x 14.4cm), Budapest, 6 November 1923; a few small marginal stains, central crease, not affecting signature

The quartets referred to by Bartók are the first two (written between 1908 and 1917) of six celebrated contributions by the composer to the genre of string quartet; the unspecified violin sonata will have been one of two masterworks composed by Bartók in 1921-1922. The Hungarian violinist Zoltán Székely was to became closely associated with the composer, both as a playing partner and as an interpreter of his music. To him Bartók later dedicated his second Violin Rhapsody and the Violin Concerto No. 2.