BARTOK BELA: (1881-1945) Lot n° 934

BARTOK BELA: (1881-1945) Hungarian composer and pianist. A.L.S., Bela Bartok, two pages, 8vo, Berlin, 11th December 1929, to [Michel-Dimitri] Calvocoressi, in German. Bartok sends his correspondent a German version of an appendix (no longer present) that he had previously mentioned, adding that he had been through it himself and submitted some corrections, and continuing to draw Calvocoressi´s attention to a few points, ´1) “Komitat”: is a German term; the word actually means “county”, doesn’t it? Here it means “department”. I don’t think it’s good to use a German term, rather use “county” or some other English word. 2) S. 97 “Brunn” is the German name; an English name exists, but should we use the Czech name “Brno”? 3) S.98 Turoezszentmarton and Rozsa are the Hungarian place names. Should we use those, or the official Slovak names Turciansky Svatyillartin and Ruzomberok? 4) S.99 Appendix III is overblown! (This was the unfortunate idea the German editors came up with, which is quite impossible to translate into English). Instead, we should insert the new, attached, Appendix III. 5) S.113 “Pandur” or “Pandour”?? The Oxford Dictionary uses the second. 6) “Biro” original means “judge”. But “Dorfrichter” or “Dorfschulze” are used more often, meaning something like “mayor of the village”’; but a mayor is very definitely not a “judge”! Is there then an equivalent word in English? A “biro” in a village is a farmer, who over many years has come to take a lead over official affairs of the village´. Some light overall foxing and with a thin band of discoloration to one edge, G Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi (1877-1944) French-born English music critic and musicologist of Greek descent. Bartok´s letter most likely refers to his entry within Grove´s Dictionary of Music and Musicians which was first published in 1878.