2002: The Ernő Dohnányi Archives First Year in Retrospect
in memoriam Dénes Legánÿ
On January 1, 2002 Hungarian Minister of National Cultural Heritage
Zoltán Rockenbauer established the Ernő Dohnányi Archives in conjunction with
the Institute for Musicology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in
Budapest. This important event, which represented an unprecedentedly
concrete, long overdue gesture by the Hungarian government in recognizing and
supporting Ernő Dohnányi's heritage in his native country, coincided with the 125th anniversary of the composer's birth.
The initial negotiations and plans for the establishment of an international Dohnányi research institute stationed in Budapest were the work of composer-pianist Dénes Legánÿ (1965-2000). Legány received a Kúnó Klebelsberg scholarship in 2001 from the Hungarian Ministry of National Cultural Heritage [N.K.Ö.M.] for research of Ernő Dohnányi’s years in the United States (1949-1960), when he taught piano and composition at the Florida State University in Tallahassee. The numerous copies of documents and archival sound recordings which Legány succeeded in gathering from various sources in the United States, including the Florida State University [FSU], Ohio University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Carnegie Hall Archives in New York, and other collections, formed the initial inventory of research materials now housed by the Dohnányi Archives. Most of these recordings (52 CD’s), manuscripts, newspaper articles, and various typescripts had been hitherto unknown in Hungary. Although the full realization of Dénes Legány’s detailed and enthusiastic endeavors were interrupted by his tragic, premature death, the Ernő Dohnányi Archives has remained committed to and continues to operate in the spirit of his initial concepts.
In the spring of 2001 NKÖM Fine Arts Department director János Devich
commissioned Dohnányi scholar Deborah Kiszely-Papp to continue negotiations and
plans for the establishment of the Dohnányi Archives, which had initially been
conceived as an independent research center. Her
idea to place the Archives within a larger
scientific institution as a more practical
and effective long-term solution won
the approval of Institute for Musicology director Tibor Tallián, who then signed an initial three-year contract with
Zoltán Rockenbauer. This
agreement guaranteed financial support from the NKÖM for the operation of the archives, including an
initial set-up grant for furnishings, renovation, and equipment, two full-time
salaries, as well as support for the continued expansion of its
collection, additional contracted research projects, and general expenses. The Institute for Musicology made facilities available, consisting of two
rooms on the main floor of the Erdődy-Hatvan Palace, the same building which houses the
Béla Bartók Archives, the Museum of Music History, and the Folk Music, Folk
Dance, Medieval Music, and Hungarian Music Studies departments of the Institute
for Musicology. The new Archives
announced a broad range of goals, ranging from the
facilitation of research for anyone interested in Dohnányi's life and work,
continuous gathering and systematic documentation of as many materials relating
to Dohnányi's lifework as possible, completion of a thematic catalogue of all of
his compositions, and preparation of critical scores of yet unpublished works,
which would represent a first step in planning and implementing a complete
works edition.
During its very productive first year, the Dohnányi Archives
received recognition both internationally and in Hungary for its active role in
initiating and participating in a wide variety of events.
The first such large-scale celebration of the 125th anniversary of the
composer’s birth took place in Tallahassee: a three-day "International Ernst von Dohnányi Festival" (31
January - 2 February 2002) sponsored by the Florida State University.
This festival featured among its five concerts the American premiere of
Dohnányi's magnum opus, the symphonic cantata Cantus vitae (Op. 38),
based on portions of Imre Madách's epic drama, Az ember tragédiája [The Tragedy of Man] which Dohnányi reorganized to
embody his philosophy of optimism and hope. Thirteen
papers and discussion sessions comprised the scholarly aspect of the festival,
including two lectures presented by this author, of which one was devoted to
introducing the newly-founded Dohnányi Archives in Budapest. At the conclusion of the latter, University of Mississippi Professor Emeritus Raymond Liebau, who studied
piano with Dohnányi from 1956 until the composer’s death in 1960, presented a gift to the Dohnányi Archives of an
autograph manuscript of Dohnányi's cadenzas to Mozart's Piano Concerto in C
Major, K. 467, with the inscription: “I would like to
donate this manuscript to the Dohnányi Archives in Budapest in loving memory of
the wonderful man and musician who was my piano teacher during the last years
of his life." Immediately following this, "The American Branch of the
Dohnányi Archives" was officially announced by festival director James A.
Grymes as the new name of the Ernst von Dohnányi Collection at FSU’s Warren D.
Allen Music Library, in
an expression of the ongoing cooperative relationship between the two
institutions.
Through the combined support of the NKÖM and the FSU, a week of intensive research was made possible
immediately following the festival, thanks to which the holdings of the
Dohnányi Archives immediately doubled through the various gifts received and
other materials copied. The collections explored included those at the
newly-renamed American Branch of the Dohnányi Archives and at the home of
Dohnányi's step-grandson, Dr. Sean Ernst McGlynn, where Dohnányi himself lived
during his tenure in Tallahassee. There is still much furniture and other
memorabilia in the house that belonged to Dohnányi, along with a large
assortment of undocumented correspondence and other printed material relating
to his life and career.
Another private collection in Tallahassee about which little has been known is the estate of Dohnányi's lifelong friend and former student, Edward Kilényi Jr. Since Kilényi’s death in 2000, his estate has been in the possession of his two daughters, Ann K. Langston and Ethel Friend, neither of whom are musicians. No one had yet been allowed to examine the contents of the estate, but based on this author’s telephone conversations and written correspondence with Kilényi during the 1990’s, it was known that his estate contained at least several autograph manuscripts. With considerable persistence, contact was eventually made with Kilényi’s daughters, and Ann Langston agreed to transport the boxes containing materials related to Dohnányi to her own home, where the author was granted access to them for one day - the day prior to my departure. Nothing could have prepared me for the amazing amount of autograph manuscripts and other materials of primary importance that I discovered there, and although my visit was originally planned to last only an hour or two, permission was graciously granted for me to stay the entire day. Even so, the time was so short and the materials were in such a state of neglected disarray that only a quick preliminary list and an attempt to organize the materials into somewhat findable units could be made. The Kilényi estate, which can be considered one of the most important Dohnányi collections still in private possession, has recently been placed on loan at the American Branch of the Dohnányi Archives at the FSU. The treasures that it contains include: unfinished and completely unknown works, sketches, onionskin manuscripts, an entire file of documents pertaining to Dohnányi’s political persecution, and in many cases multiple photostatically-reproduced copies of the same manuscripts. Many of these documents contain answers to questions being raised by those who would seek to research Dohnányi’s oeuvre in greater depth, for example: questions concerning the composer’s use of metronome markings in the Op. 48, No. 2 Passacaglia for Flute Solo. The collection of autograph manuscripts found by the author include:
Sonate (juvenile sonata for piano and cello)(1885-86?)
Albumblatt (for piano, 1899)(sketch containing neither clefs nor key signatures)
Fugue (for piano, for one
advanced left hand or two intermediate hands)(31 July 1913); also an onionskin
manuscript with several photostatic copies
Op. 35 Missa in dedicatione Ecclesiae [Mass for Szeged](1930), pencil copy dedicated to Hally (Dohnányi's adopted son) from Ata (Dohnányi)
Two hitherto unknown love songs to Ilona Zachár: "Szomorú vagyok, üres a szobám..." (20 March 1940) and "Életemet Isten adta..." (8-9 April 1940) on a verse by Ilona Zachár.
Op. 41, Six Piano Pieces (1945)
Op. 44, No. 3, Perpetuum mobile (from Three Singular Pieces, for piano, June, 1951)
Op. 48, No. 1, Aria for Flute and Piano (1958); fair copy
Op. 48, No. 2, Passacaglia for Flute Solo (1959); includes many corrections; also a working copy containing sketches
Daily Finger Exercises for the Advanced Pianist (1960)
Unfinished flute trio (1960?)
Sketchbook (size: A5), approximately half of which contains pencil sketches (the other half is empty); "Ernő Dohnányi" appears on the outer cover.
Two other folders of sketches, including manuscripts for the following unfinished works: a crossed-out Op. 29, No. 2 "Hordó közepin...", variations for piano; an Op. 45 (originally Op. 44) "Lustspielouverture" [Overture to a Comedy] for orchestra; and an unfinished arrangement for two pianos by the composer of the Symphony in E Major, Op. 40.
Bound booklet ("gyakorlatok")[exercises] containing the text only of the Cantus vitae in Hungarian.
Other manuscripts, paper copies, and scores found include:
Dohnányi's cadenzas to 10 Mozart piano concertos (K. 15 - C Major; 271 - E-flat Major; 466 - d minor; 467 - C Major; 482 - E-flat Major; 488 - A Major; 491 - c minor; 503 - C Major; 537 - D Major; and 595 - B-flat Major) and two Beethoven piano concertos (Op. 15 - C Major and Op. 37 - c minor). Many of these are onionskin manuscripts from which multiple photostatic copies were made.
"Álmok" [Dreams], song for [male] voice and piano on a verse by József Babay, (1930's?), copyist's manuscript, with Dohnányi's handwritten dedication on the title page to Major Ervin Bp. [Budapest] April 1941
Twelve Short Studies for the
Advanced Pianist (1951)
Op. 45, Concertino for Harp and Chamber
Orchestra (1952)
Lithograph score of the Stabat mater, Op. 46 (1952-53)
Published score of the Op. 13 Winterreigen (for piano), dedicated to Kilényi by Dohnányi (Doblinger, 1906).
First edition (1922) score of the Op. 25 Variations on a Nursery Song for Full Orchestra and Piano Concertante
While
this list is not complete, it is enough to ascertain the immense value of the
collection. Particularly interesting is the large number of onionskin
manuscripts of the cadenzas. Although Dohnányi wrote cadenzas to all 27
of the Mozart piano concerti and to at least four of the five Beethoven piano
concerti, most of these remain unpublished. While the original autograph
manuscripts in pencil of all of the former can be found in the American Branch
of the Dohnányi Archives at the FSU, the manuscripts and/or copies in this
collection clearly indicate that Dohnányi was preparing at least some of the
cadenzas for publication.
Meanwhile
in Budapest, the announcement of the new Dohnányi Archives resulted in a steady
stream of radio and television interviews and articles in various
journals. These included "Dohnányi Archívum Budapesten"
[Dohnányi Archives in Budapest], Márta Papp's interview with the author in
July, 2002, as Part 6 of the Hungarian Radio/Bartók channel's series, "125
éve született Dohnányi Ernő" [The 125th Anniversary of the Birth of Ernő
Dohnányi] (broadcast 7 September, 2002); Hungarian Television features,
including "A Dohnányi Archívum" (Magyar Szalon, 12 January 2002) and
Hétvégi Helikon (3 March 2002); and articles in Muzsika, Krónikás, Zene zene
tánc, Magyar Nemzet, Heti Válasz, Amerikai Magyar Népszava, and HVG
(Murányi, Gábor: Fogáskérdés [Handshake question]. HVG 24/33, 17 Aug.
2002, 77-79), for which the author’s response letter was subsequently also
published (Posta. HVG 24/38, 21 Sept. 2002, 3)
In addition to establishing a suitable working environment and system of documentation and storage of materials, the Dohnányi Archives contracted several researchers to work on individual projects, the fruit of which appears in the various chapters of the new publication, Dohnányi Évkönyv 2002 [Dohnányi Yearbook 2002]. The first of these projects began with an interview conducted by the author on 25 March 2002 with Mr. and Mrs. Ernő Szlabey III., Dohnányi's relatives (Mr. Szlabey's grandfather, Ernő Szlabey Sr., was the brother of Dohnányi's mother, Ottilia Szlabey), who still live in part of the villa that the composer built on Széher Street in the late 1920's. Mr. Ernő Szlabey III moved into Dohnányi's home in 1945, when his father, Dr. Ernő Szlabey Jr. (Dohnányi's cousin) established a maternity hospital in the Dohnányi home. The family has lived there ever since. Through this interview, it was discovered that a large number of letters, documents, scores, and physical memorabilia of Dohnányi’s are still in the possession of the Szlabay family in the very house where the composer lived. Melinda Szlabey (one of the four Szlabey children) accepted a contract from the Dohnányi Archives to inventory all items remaining in the estate, which had never been done. Miraculously, despite the fact that over the years many of Dohnányi's possessions were sold, given to various persons for safekeeping, or simply removed from the house, many fascinating materials, and particularly letters (at present count 372), have come to light. Some of these are currently on temporary deposit at the Dohnányi Archives, and certain photos, letters, and concert programs have already been digitalized (see Melinda Szlabey: "A Széher-úti Dohnányi-hagyaték" [The Dohnányi Estate on Széher Street], Dohnányi Évkönyv 2002, 137-148).
Another research project supported by the Dohnányi Archives was undertaken by Mr. György Horváth, librarian and teacher at the Ernő Dohnányi School of Music (Budapest, eighteenth district), for the gathering of information on the Dohnányi family's history. His research has taken him to Pozsony, Berlin, and any other places that the documents led to, and he has conducted interviews with numerous Dohnányi relatives and gathered copies of hundreds of records pertaining to the family (see György Horváth and László Gombos: "A Dohnányi család története" [A History of the Dohnányi Family], Dohnányi Évkönyv 2002, 77-102, which is an abridged version of Horváth’s work. The entire file detailing his research and containing copies of the numerous source documents that he gathered can be found in the Dohnányi Archives.) Other projects initiated and sponsored by the Dohnányi Archives include a compilation by Ilona Kovács of a complete list of students whom Dohnányi taught at the Liszt Academy (today: Ferenc Liszt University of Music, hereafter LFZE). This list is based on documents - primarily yearbooks - held in the library of the LFZE (see Ilona Kovács: “Dohnányi Ernő, a Zeneakadémia tanár” [Ernő Dohnányi, the Liszt Academy Professor], Dohnányi Évkönyv 2002, 55-66). But such a task was problematic from the perspective that many persons studied "unofficially" with Dohnányi, who, from the late 1920's, taught his piano students every Thursday afternoon at his home on Széher Street in an informal, family-like atmosphere. Not infrequently, references have been found to persons who claimed to have been Dohnányi's students at the Liszt Academy, but no such official record has been found. In other instances people who were officially Dohnányi's students are not always credited thus. In an interview conducted by the author in Budapest on 11 October 2002 with Dohnányi's former daughter-in-law, Mrs. Ferenc Halmy, née Margit Dömötör, she claimed "to have grown up in Dohnányi's Thursday afternoon master classes", and that he was a great influence on her and was always very supportive of her career as a pianist. It is likely that many others could make (or could have made) similar claims.
This
anniversary year saw a welcome increase in the number of concert performances
of Dohnányi's compositions. At least thirty public performances (mostly
in Budapest), eight of which involved participation or sponsorship by the
Dohnányi Archives, featured works by Dohnányi, some of which were heard for the
first time by Budapest audiences. Among the most important was the
Hungarian premiere of the Op.
40 Symphony in E Major (Gennagyij Rozsgyesztvenszkij, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Liszt Academy Main Concert Hall, 15 March 2002). This performance was repeated on March 16th
as the opening concert of the popular Spring Festival, and the symphony was performed again on 9 December 2002 (György
Győriványi-Ráth, Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Hungarian State Opera
House). This undeservedly neglected opus was revised two times by the composer during the period
from 1948 to 1957, but none of the three versions had ever been performed in
Hungary until this year. Another concert premiere was the Op. 3 Walzer
for piano, four hands (Ilona Prunyi és Deborah Kiszely-Papp, Óbudai Társaskör, 31 May 2002). The long-forgotten, still
unpublished Magyar karácsonyi énekek [Hungarian
Christmas Carols] (1931) were resurrected in one of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra’s two
Dohnányi commemorative concerts (Ingrid Kertesi, soprano, and members of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Hungarian State Opera House chamber hall, 8 December 2002). This concert also featured an arrangement for
viola and piano of the “Intermezzo” (IV. movement) of the Op. 9 Symphony in d minor (Péter Lukács, viola and János Kovács, piano). A
lecture-recital by the author (“Dohnányi Ernő ismeretlen művei” [Unfamiliar Works by Dohnányi], Millenium Exhibit lecture series, 17 May 2002) featured performances of some of the unknown songs that were found in
the Kilényi estate, for example "Álmok" [Dreams], on a verse by József Babay (Béla Magyar, baritone) and two love songs (1940) for Ilona Zachár (Magdolna
Kárpáti, soprano); an unpublished song on
a verse by Elza Galafrés, "Widmung" (1926) (Katalin
Koffler, soprano), the manuscript of which is in the Dohnányi estate, Music
Division of the National Széchényi Library;
and a collection of forgotten Hungarian folk songs
arranged for 4-part choir from the anthology "Arany lant
III". Although the famous Op. 1 Piano Quintet in c minor
received the most performances during this year of any single work by Dohnányi,
the Op. 26 Piano Quintet in e-flat minor, which Dohnányi preferred over
the earlier work, was also heard as part of the Dohnányi Memorial
Days, a weeklong series of events honoring the composer
sponsored by the Ernő Dohnányi School of Music (Deborah Kiszely-Papp, piano, and the New Haydn
String Quartet, Rózsa Cultural Center, 5 October 2002), as were selections from the rarely heard Twelve Short Studies (1951) for piano.
Because
from its outset a key goal of the Dohnányi
Archives has been to nurture international relationships among researchers and
performers of Dohnányi throughout the world, a round-table discussion entitled "Ernő Dohnányi Renaissance" was sponsored on 25 June 2002 in the
Bartók Hall of the Institute for Musicology. The featured guest speaker
and moderator was Bálint Vázsonyi, who wrote the first authoritative biography
of Dohnányi and was one of his last piano students. As
the Dohnányi Archives' first major public event, the round-table discussion
drew a large, receptive audience and was given
due press coverage. Following a short introductory concert of songs and piano
pieces (Ingrid Kertesi, soprano; Ilona Prunyi and
Deborah Kiszely-Papp, piano) Vázsonyi gave an
hour-long presentation in which he recounted in vivid detail the story of his
return to Budapest – after having fled Hungary in 1956 - in the late 1960's to
gather documents and find a publisher for his biography of Dohnányi.
Although he met with initial refusal from the Zeneműkiadó (the state-controlled
music publishing company) his request to have his biography of Dohnányi
published was soon accepted. Vázsonyi also claimed that, shortly
thereafter, the Zeneműkiadó offered to publish his biography in many other
languages as well, including English, but he could not accept this offer
because he was already under contract
with a publisher in England for an English-language version. Vázsonyi
also raised many questions about the current evaluation and place in music
history of Dohnányi versus many of his contemporaries. He emphasized what
a particularly sensitive issue this remains for him personally, because of his
sense of indebtedness to many who were his former teachers and/or supporters in
the nurturing of his early pianistic career. These include persons who
were either known to be instigators of the malicious slander campaign against
Dohnányi after World War II, as well as those Vázsonyi implied were guilty
through remaining in silent complicity to the composer's ordeals. He also
digressed into speculation about various people's motives, the nature of their
relationships, and the need to "rewrite" Hungary's 20th century music
history from a perspective of greater objectivity to restore Dohnányi to his
original place of prominence. The need for a second edition of Vázsonyi's
biography of Dohnányi, which had been out of print for more than thirty years,
was emphasized by this author and generally acknowledged by those
present. (Since then, the second edition has finally been published.)[1]
Vázsonyi’s presentation was followed by a personal reminiscence of
Dohnányi by composer Zoltán Pongrácz,
a musical tribute offered by conductor György Győriványi-Ráth, and short papers read by
musicologist László Gombos ("Dohnányi Ernő és Hubay Jenő
kapcsolata" [The Artist-Friendship of Ernő Dohnányi and Jenő
Hubay], see Dohnányi Évkönyv
2002, 37-54) and librarian Éva Kelemen ("Az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Dohnányi
gyűjteménye" [The Dohnányi Collection in the National Széchényi
Library], see Dohnányi Évkönyv
2002, 149-160). After all of these
presentations only a short time remained for questions from the audience, but
even so, the lively discussion that ensued created a distinctly positive
impression that a strong foundation for open communication had begun that would
require continuation in the future.
Preparations were already underway for a major exhibit, "In Commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the Birth of Ernő Dohnányi", co-sponsored by the Dohnányi Archives and the Museum of Music History, which opened on 25 July 2002 in the Bartók Hall of the Institute for Musicology. Dr. József Ujfalussy academe gave the opening speech (see József Ujfalussy: "Dohnányi Ernő emlékére" [In memoriam Ernő Dohnányi], Dohnányi Évkönyv 2002, 25-28 ), which was followed by a short concert of two compositions by Dohnányi: the Op. 48. No.1 Aria for Flute and Piano (Gergely Ittzés, flute, and Deborah Kiszely-Papp, piano) and movement I of the Op. 21 Sonata for Piano and Violin (János Horváth, violin, and Deborah Kiszely-Papp, piano). The multi-faceted exhibit, which remained open through 30 September 2002, featured a wide variety of documents and memorabilia, including autograph manuscripts, scores, photographs, posters, stage designs, relics, paintings, letters, and press material. These were selected from both private and public collections. A further dimension was added by the unique audio-visual exhibit compiled and digitalized by the Dohnányi Archives, consisting of archival films, recordings of Dohnányi performing, and other sound recordings of his compositions. Highlights from private collections included autograph manuscripts from the estate of Dohnányi's close friend, Dr. János Bókay, and photographs, scores, and relics from the Szlabey family's Dohnányi collection, which were hereby made accessible to public viewing for the first time. In addition to the Dohnányi Archives, institutional lenders included the Music, Theatre History, and Brochure Collections of the National Széchényi Library; the Budapest Philharmonic Society music library; the Ferenc Liszt University of Music; the Music Division of the Ervin Szabó Musicipal Library; and the Library and the Museum of Music History of the MTA Institute for Musicology. For a complete list of items included in the exhibit, please see the catalogue, "Dohnányi Ernő emlékére születésének 125. évfordulóján" (Budapest: MTA Zenetudományi Intézet, 2002).
Restoration
was necessary for many items to be rendered presentable for the exhibit, and this work continued later to include most scores and manuscripts in the
Dohnányi Archives that were in any kind of compromised condition.
Although impending major renovation work on the Erdődy-Hatvan Palace necessitated the closing of the exhibit, a significant number
of materials have since been given a temporary home in the Dohnányi Archives,
including a large bronz bust of Dohnányi by György Kovács and most of the
autograph manuscripts in the estate of Dr. János Bókay,
including:
op. 14 Sechs Gedichte von Victor Heindl
op. 11 Vier Rhapsodien
two
songs from the opera “A vajda tornya” [Iva’s Tower] (Op.
30).
A sampling of letters and other documents (nine items) relating to Dohnányi are also included in the Bókay collection. A large assortment of materials from the Szlabey family’s Dohnányi collection have also been deposited in the Archives, including the composer’s metronome, reading lamp, carved wooden case for a conductor’s baton, a marble relief of Dohnányi and Elza Galafrés, family tree documentation, photographs, and numerous letters. Other manuscripts were digitalized from the archives of the Budapest Philharmonic Society Orchestra, a library which contains many scores that Dohnányi himself used when conducting as well as a number of autograph manuscripts, including the Op. 36 Szimfonikus percek zenekarra [Symphonic Minutes for Orchestra], Dohnányi’s unpublished orchestration of Schubert’s Fantasie in f minor, and Dohnányi’s orchestral arrangement of Ferenc Erkel’s Himnusz [National Anthem], which was published by Editio Musica in 1971 without any reference to Dohnányi’s name. Other scores, photographs, and documents were digitalized from the collection of pianist Judit Lajos, as were additional photographs from Margit Dömötör.
At least three other smaller exhibits commemorating the Dohnányi anniversary year took place in Budapest: a chamber exhibit in the Music Division of the National Széchényi Library entitled “Cantus vitae” (after the composer’s magnum opus by the same name), the Budapest Philharmonic Society’s tribute to Dohnányi in the exhibit hall of the Hungarian State Opera House, and one at the Ernő Dohnányi School of Music, featuring the unique collection of documents compiled by librarian György Horváth, which coincided with World Music Day and also served as the opening event of the above-mentioned Dohnányi Memorial Days. The Dohnányi Archives’ participation in the various events of the Dohnányi Memorial Days series included presentation by the author of the opening speech for the exhibit (1 October 2002), a lecture by musicologist László Gombos as part of a music panel discussion (4 October 2002), and performance in the final concert (see above, concert highlights, 5 October 2002). Still another exhibit by the Ernő Dohnányi Conservatory of Music in Veszprém received contributions and technical assistance from the Dohnányi Archives.
Perhaps the crowning event of the year was the dedication ceremony of the new Dohnányi Room (Room XII) at the Ferenc Liszt University of Music (LFZE) on 31 October 2002, featuring a permanent exhibit of photographs and documents selected and contributed by the Dohnányi Archives. The process was initiated through a series of discussions with University Rector Sándor Falvai in the spring, and was followed by the author’s official written request to the University Council on 18 June 2002, which was promptly accepted. The date of 31 October was chosen for the event to coincide with a second, follow-up round table discussion session organized and sponsored by the Dohnányi Archives (“Dohnányi Ernő élete és munkássága” [The Life and Work of Ernő Dohnányi], LFZE Council Room) at Bálint Vázsonyi’s request, who had travelled to Budapest again in October to dedicate the newly-published second edition of his Dohnányi monograph. In contrast to the first round table discussion in June, this second session took place before a small audience of invited listeners in a semi-closed setting with a distinguished group of guest participants. These included musicologists András Batta, Ferenc Bónis, János Breuer, Anna Dalos, László Gombos, Éva Kelemen, Deborah Kiszely-Papp, Ilona Kovács, Zsuzsanna Szepesi, Tibor Tallián, József Ujfalussy, and László Vikárius. The discussion, which concentrated on the reevaluation of Dohnányi’s place in Hungary’s music history, was opened and lead by Bálint Vázsonyi. Due in part to the differences in background, experience, and approach of the various participants, several of whom had prepared detailed reports of their own, a fruitful development of the discussion was hampered to some degree by the fact that Bálint Vázsonyi was unable to accept other interpretations of his beloved Master, and he made every effort to convince those present of the ultimate infallibility of his own deep convictions. Despite this, all of the participants strove for sincere communication, and in the process some valuable ideas were brought to light.
Particularly on that day, it seemed that each event attracted yet another. After the round table discussion had been planned for the morning and the room dedication ceremony for the early afternoon, a third event was scheduled in between the two by the Terézváros Cultural Foundation in conjunction with the Local Council of Budapest’s sixth district: a wreath-laying celebration at the Dohnányi memorial plaque on Ernő Dohnányi Street, the street which borders the LFZE on its north side. The result was an entire day filled with events honoring Dohnányi.
In November two important tasks were initiated: a research trip to
London’s British Library and the planning of the first volume of the Dohnányi
Évkönyv. The British Library houses a huge collection (thirty-one
volumes) of autograph manuscripts of Dohnányi’s works and other original
documents relating to his lifework, including letters, scrapbooks, memoirs, and
other biographical materials. The autograph manuscript collection
consists primarily of unpublished juvenile works, but it also
contains the following major late works: a
vocal score of the Op. 38 Cantus vitae and full scores of the
Op. 39 Suite en valse for orchestra, the Op. 42 Piano Concerto
in b minor, the Op. 43 Violin Concerto in c minor, the Op. 44
Three Singular Pieces for Piano, the Op. 45 Concertino for Harp and
Chamber Orchestra, the Op. 46 Stabat mater for six-part boys’
choir, and the Op. 47 American Rhapsody for orchestra. One of the
highest priorities of the Dohnányi Archives is to gather together under one
roof as many different copies as possible of manuscripts of
Dohnányi’s works and documents that relate to his life. This is crucial
for the completion of a thematic catalogue of the composer’s
works. During this research trip the greater part of the British Library
Dohnányi collection was studied, detailed notes were taken of each volume, and
a priority list for future purchases was established. There were several
instances in which the information from the British Library catalogue required
correction, particularly pertaining to the Hungarian-language documents, but
some errors were discovered in, for example, the pasting in of manuscript
pages. Certain youthful works which are still unpublished contained
errors of this nature, all of which were reported to the Rare Books and
Manuscripts department manager, Mrs. Chris Banks. Discussions were held
with both Mrs. Banks and Mr. Nigel Spencer, the director of the reproductions
and copy service department, in an effort to try to devise a plan for inter-institutional
cooperation and thereby a reduction in the costly process of digitalizing the
materials.
The Dohnányi
Évkönyv represents the best possible vehicle for communicating and
documenting the daily work of the Dohnányi Archives. Included in the
first issue is a new discography compiled by the author of commercially-released
recordings of Dohnányi’s compositions and performances, as well as a
bibliography of Dohnányi-related publications for the year 2002 compiled by
László Gombos. These two databases are considered permanent,
ongoing projects and will be continually updated. Other chapters contain
the fruits of sponsored research projects, feature highlights from the year’s
events, represent contributions by persons who have established a productive
and mutually supportive working relationship with the Dohnányi Archives, and
provide a forum for inter-institutional cooperation.
Table of Contents for the 2002 volume:
1. Kiszely-Papp, Deborah: A Dohnányi Ernő Archívum első éve [2002: The Ernő Dohnányi Archives’ First Year in Retrospect]
2. Ujfalussy, József: Dohnányi Ernő emlékére születésének 125. évfordulóján. Kiállítás a MTA Zenetudományi Intézete Zenetörténeti Múzeumában. Megnyitó beszéd [In commemoration of Ernő Dohnányi on the 125th Anniversary of his Birth. Exhibition in the Museum of Music History, Institute for Musicology of the Academy of Sciences. Opening speech]
3. Baranyi, Anna: Képek a Dohnányi kiállításról [Pictures from the Dohnányi Exhibit]
4. Gombos,
László: Dohnányi Ernő és Hubay Jenő: egy művészbarátság története a
dokumentumok tükrében [Ernő Dohnányi and Jenő Hubay: the History of an
Artist-Friendship As Seen Through a Survey of the Documents]
5. Kovács, Ilona: Dohnányi Ernő, a Zeneakadémia tanára [Ernő Dohnányi, the Liszt Academy Professor]
6. Breuer, János: Dohnányi-meghurcoltatás [The Malicious Slander Campaign Against Dohnányi]
7. Horváth, György & Gombos, László: A Dohnányi család története. Hagyományok, dokumentumok, családfák, ismert személyek. [The Dohnányi Family’s History. Traditions, documents, geneaologies, personalities]
8. Szlabeyné Szentes, Melinda: A Dohnányi-villa története [The History of the Dohnányi Villa]
9. R. Várkonyi, Ágnes: A Dohnányi-kert Budán [The Dohnányi Garden of Buda]
10. Szlabey, Melinda: A Széher úti Dohnányi-hagyaték [The Dohnányi Estate on Széher Street]
11. Kelemen, Éva: Az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Dohnányi gyűjteménye [The Dohnányi Collection in the National Széchényi Library]
12. Kiszely-Papp, Deborah: Dohnányi diszkográfia. Dohnányi Ernő művei és előadóművészi munkássága hangfelvételeken [A Discography of Ernő Dohnányi’s compositions and performing artistry]
13. Könyvismertetők [Book Reviews]:
1. Dohnányi, Ilona von: Ernst von Dohnányi. A Song of Life. Ed.: James A. Grymes. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002 (Deborah Kiszely-Papp)
2. Kiszely-Papp, Deborah: Ernő Dohnányi. (Hungarian Composers 17., series ed. Melinda Berlász). Budapest: Mágus Kiadó, 2001 (Emőke Tari Solymosi)
3. Grymes, James A.: Ernst von Dohnányi: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001 (Deborah Kiszely-Papp)
4. Vázsonyi, Bálint: Dohnányi Ernő.
Second edition, Budapest: Nap Kiadó, 2002 (László Gombos)
One of the most important, ongoing assignments of the Dohnányi Archives is to provide practical assistance to the public on a daily basis, including addressing the questions and needs of institutions, performers, researchers, and students. And, judging by the large number of people who have sought us out for information on how to locate a score or a recording of a particular work by Dohnányi, or where to find source material for research, the need for such a resource center is pressing. Because of the decades of silence that have overshadowed Dohnányi’s lifework in his own homeland, the work of reintegration has to be virtually started over again from the beginning, in the words of Bálint Vázsonyi: “…to purge Dohnányi’s saga of layers upon layers of misinformation”[2]. Thus the responsibilities we as an institution have undertaken often supercede the tasks normally expected of an archives. However, the success of the Dohnányi Archives’ first year, as seen in the positive feedback and the numerous ongoing projects and cooperative relationships established with other institutions and individuals, indicates that our efforts have been worthwhile and it is our hope that others will join us in the process.