"Something remarkable happened in Hungary during the 1970s. A folk music revival sprung-up called the táncház (dancehouse) movement – a grass-roots phenomenon that was unique in the Eastern Bloc. Apart from introducing people to a rich and beautiful tradition of music and dance, it had profound social and political effects. Aside from the effects at home, it also introduced Hungarian music to the world through performers such as Márta Sebestyén, Muzsikás and Gypsy artists like Kalyi Jag and Kálman Balogh. The táncház movement has since been recognised by UNESCO.  Béla Jávorszky's book, the only one in English, tells the story of the táncház movement and profiles the artists and personalities involved. It explains how and why it occurred and the ongoing impact it still has today. The are also substantial quotes from all the crucial people involved. The Story of Hungarian Folk is a compelling read that is richly illustrated with rare and revealing archive photos. Essential reading for anyone interested in Hungarian music." – Simon Broughton, Editor in Chief Songlines magazine

"The first táncház in Budapest was held on May 6, 1972. It began as a private event for insiders, but within a year, it was swarming with urban youth. Thus began a grassroots revolution of dance, culture, and lifestyle, organized without political aims, which is referred to today as the táncház movement. And still, the táncház keeps attracting hundreds of thousands worldwide from Toronto to Tokyo.

The expression táncház literally: dance house comes from Szék (Sic), a small Hungarian village in Transylvania, referring to their regular dance nights, and an opportunity for having fun, socializing, and dancing. And it soon became apparent that this rural folk tradition could also work in a contemporary urban environment.

This book is the first comprehensive account of the history of Hungarian folk and world music. It is factual, yet easy to read. It sets out to present the social, cultural, and musical ingredients of folk music. It aims to analyse its trends, show the development of different styles, and introduce the key artists and evaluate their contribution to the genre.

(from the Prologue)

* * *

Contents

Prologue – 7

Precursors and Predecessors – 8
The First Phonographic Collections (Béla Vikár) * Laying the Groundwork of Folk Music Research (Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály) * “Examples of the Highest Artistic Perfection” (Folk Elements in Classical Music) * The Trinity of Music, Song, and Dance (László Lajtha) * The First Authentic Gramophone Records (The Patria Series) * Gyöngyösbokréta, the Intellectual Reserve * István Györffy and the Folk College Movement * Soviet Traditionalism * The Start of the Amateur Folk Dance Movement * The Röpülj, Páva Folk Song Contest

The Pivotal Moment: May 6, 1972 – 24
A Fresh Approach to Folk Dance Research (György Martin and his Colleagues) * The Miracle at Szék and the First Visual Documents (the Choreographies of Ferenc Novák „Tata” and the Photos of Péter Korniss) * “We Thought We Were on a Movie Set” (the Organisers of the First Táncház, Jolán Foltin, Lajos Lelkes and Antal Stoller „Huba”) * “Swallows Descend and Swallows Soar” (the Halmos-Sebő Duo) * “Music and Dance – Just Like in Szék” (the First Invitation-only Táncház in Budapest)

From the First Táncház Towards the First Festival – 38
Táncház Events behind Closed Doors (in the Book Club at Liszt Square) * “First the Dance Idiom, then the Poetry” (the Timár Folk Dance Method) * The Absence of Sebő and the Formation of Muzsikás * The Sebő Ensemble at the Kassák Club * Vujicsics and the South Slavs * The Folk Direction (Vízöntő, Kolinda, Gépfolklór) * A New Form of Entertainment * The First Recordings of the Táncház Movement * Kaláka, the Middle Path

The Eighties – 64
The First Táncház Festival in Budapest (1982) * “The Suba-Wearing Community” (Táncház and Politics) * The Legend of “Sex under the Piano” * Emotional Synthesis (István, a király) * The New Wave of Táncház Bands (Téka, Kalamajka, Méta, Sirtos, Zsarátnok) * “Nomád nemzedék” (the Festival of Folk Arts) * Sonic and Visual Documents of Táncház Movement (the Photos of Béla Kása and the Films of György Szomjas)

Táncház After the End of Communism – 82
Conclusions on the Eve of Political Change * A Paradigm Shift at the Dance Ensembles * Changing Emphasis, Growing Richness * Táncház Clubs versus Folk Pubs * The Most Significant Private Enterprise (Fonó Budai Zeneház) * The Final Hour Recording Project * Village Icons of the Táncház Movement (István Ádám “Icsán”, Károly Dobos, Sándor Fodor “Neti”, Ferenc Varga “Csipás”, Tivadar Kovács, György Moldován “Ilka Gyuri”, János Zerkula, Márton and Béla Kodoba) * The Foundation of The Hungarian Heritage House

The Boom Years – 102
Regional Specialization and Reevaluation * The Hues of Hungarian
Folk Music (András Berecz, Egyszólam, Tükrös, Gajdos, Csík, Fonó, Tatros, Zurgó, “Szalonna”, Poros) * The Folk Pub Generation (Berkó, Buda Folk) * The New Generations of Female Vocalists (Szilvia Bognár, Ágnes Herczku, Irén Lovász, Bea Palya, Ági Szalóki, Kati Szvorák) * From the South Slavs to Irish and Klezmer (Söndörgő, Bran, M.É.Z, Cohen Bob's Di Naye Kapelye) * The Authentic Hungarian Gypsy Genre (Kalyi Jag, Ando Drom, Romaro Drom, Parno Graszt, Ternipe, Kanizsa Csillagai) * Károly Bari, the Bartók of the Gypsys

Táncház Goes Global – 128
From the Book of Ballads to Bodzafa and Barozda (Transylvania) * The Transylvanian
Táncház Festival * The Csipkeszeg story (“Mihály Holland”) * Táncház in other Former Hungarian Territories (Slovakia, Vojvodina, Carpathian Ukraine) * Germany & Switzerland (Cinege, Pendely) * Around the World (Toronto, Syndey, Tokyo)

Magyar Jazz – 144
The Holy Phoenix’s Love Song (György Szabados) * Traveling Without Moving (Mihály Dresch) * Ethno Jazz Variations Heading Towards Free Jazz (Dél-Alföldi Szaxofonegyüttes, Béla Ágoston, Szokolay Balázs “Dongó”, Károly Binder, Mihály Borbély)

Folk, World and Beyond – 154
“Pagan Shamans” (Barbaro, Gőzerő) * Going Balkan (Balkan Fanatik, Nikola, Besh o droM) * Leaving the World of Táncház (Ghymes, Kerekes Band) * Gypsy Folk (Mitsoura, Kálmán Balogh) * Improvised Folk (Makám, Szabolcs Szőke, Félix Lajkó) * The New Wave of World Music (Napra, Tárkány, Cimbaliband) * Vetettem gyöngyöt (4 CD-compilation)

The Present – 172
Fölszállott a páva (A peacock takes its perch) * The Three Levels of Folk Music Education * The New Talent Shows and Anthology Albums

Index – 178