Hungary’s musical identity brings together fiery dance traditions, Romani performance, and composers whose innovations reshaped classical music far beyond the country’s borders.
Hungarian music includes enduring folk, Romani and European classical traditions. In the nineteenth century, Roma orchestras became famous throughout Europe, while styles such as the csárdás and verbunkos came to be closely associated with Hungary. Franz Liszt made one of Hungary’s most important contributions to international classical music through works including the Hungarian Rhapsodies. Later, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály collected rural folk songs and used their themes to create a distinctively Hungarian modern style.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia’s “Music of Hungary” article.
Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 turns the contrasts and virtuosity associated with Hungarian dance music into one of the country’s most recognizable classical showpieces.
Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances reflect the fieldwork through which he preserved regional melodies and transformed folk material into modern concert music.