History of the Liszt Society (5)
The
name
of
Ferenc
Liszt
has
long
been
held
in
traditional
respect
in
Hungary,
and
the
composer's
name
has
been
taken
by
circles
other
than
the
Liszt
societies.
As
mentioned
in
A
Magyar
Muzsika
Könyve
(The
Book
of
Hungarian
Music),
a
Ferenc
Liszt
Singing
Circle
was
operating
in
Sopron
in
l920-1922.
A
Ferenc
Liszt
Circle
was
formed
at
Baja
in
the
summer
of
1926,
and
in
1929
it
opened
a
music
school.
It
also organized a 42-member Philharmonic Orchestra.
A
Music
Society
was
formed
in
Sopron
as
early
as
in
1829,
and
in
its
centenary
year
in
1929,
it
took
Ferenc
Liszt's
name.
In
recent
decades
the name has been transferred to the city's arts centre.
For
the
sake
of
completeness
it
should
be
mentioned
that
the
Academy
of
Music
has
been
using
Liszt's
name
only
since
1925.
In
1966
and
1907,
the
Ferenc
Liszt
Academy
of
Music
established
three-year
teachers'
training
colleges
under
the
same
name
in
the
major
cities
of
Hungary: Budapest, Debrecen, Győr, Miskolc, Pécs and Szeged.
State
music
schools
named
after
Liszt
function
in
Budapest,
Baja,
Győr,
Kaposvár,
Szeged
and
Szekszárd.
The
Girls'
Choir
of
the
Gizella
ßerzeviczy
Specialized
Secondary
School
of
Economics
took
on
the
composer's
name
in
1979.
The
Ferenc
Liszt
Chamber
Orchestra
(founded in 1963) is well known all over the world.
After
the
reorganization
of
the
society
in
1973,
a
succession
of
local
groups
were
quickly
set
up.
The
Budapest
choir
and
Sopron
group
were
formed
in
the
first
year,
and
the
Youth
Group
of
the
Ferenc
Liszt
Academy
of
Music
in
1975.
In
1976
the
cities
of
Pécs
and
Szekszárd
followed
suit,
and
in
1980
groups
at
the
Semmelweis
Medical
University
and
the
Ferenc
Liszt
Group
of
Health
Workers
were
formed.
A
local
group has also been active in Kalocsa since 1982.
As
mentioned
already,
one
justification
for
re-forming
the
Hungarian
Liszt
Society
referred
to
by
the
organizers
was
the
existence
of
similar
societies
active
abroad,
and
that
it
would
be
only
proper
to
have
one
in
Hungary
as
well.
Ever
since,
the
Liszt
Society
has
assisted
newly
established
societies
with
its
advice
and
experience
and
maintained
running
contacts
with
its
counterparts
all
over
Europe,
in
North
and
South America, Japan and Australia.
Having
looked
at
what
the
Society
has
done
towards
the
objectives
laid
down
in
its
statutes,
let
us
now
turn
to
the
members,
whose
tasks,
again according to the statutes, are these:
All
members
of
the
Society
are
obliged,
according
to
the
objectives
laid
down
in
the
Statutes,
to
display
a
worthy
activities
through
their
work,
and
social
and
moral
attitude.
They
are
bound
to
take
an
active
part
in
the
work
of
the
Society,
tocarry
out
the
tasks
entrusted
to
them
and undertaken by them, and since finance is the vehicle of intellectual values, to pay membership fees regularly.
(In terms of the financial position of the members, this membership fee is practically nominal.)
All
this
should
be
performed
in
the
spirit
of
the
idea
that
Liszt
took
over
from
Széchenyi:
"A
pure
spirit,
a
pure
intent,
whether
there
is
success
or
not."
The
society
issues
annual
memorial
plaques
for
achievements
in
further
popularizing
Liszt
(to
both
Hungarians
and
foreigners). The plaque was designed by the sculptor Miklós Borsos (1906--1990).
"Have
you
a
word
for
the
ailing
land?"
The
answer
provided
by
history
to
this
question
quoted
at
the
beginning
of
the
account
of
the
re-
establishment of the society in 1973 is YES.
With
his
artistic
fame
steadily
increasing
Liszt
after
1840
bore
voluntarily
and
conscientiously
the
character
of
a
Hungarian,
which
involved
many
sacrifices.
He
put
great
effort
into
creating
a
cultivated
musical
scene
in
Hungary,
acting
as
a
selfless
champion
of
the
cause
of
his
fellow
musicians
and
offering
huge
amounts
for
charitable
purposes
to
the
poor,
orphans
and
flood
victims.
Though
a
professed
Catholic,
he
showed
a
self-evident
tolerance
towards
all
forms
of
outlook.
He
was
a
stranger
to
all
kinds
of
narrow-minded
enmity
or
jealousy
on
a
national,
religious
or
social
basis.
Indeed,
he
considered
generosity
and
chivalry
to
be
typical
Hungarian
national
characteristics.
He
professed
himself
a
Hungarian,
but
he
never
tired
of
warning
his
compatriots
that
they
must
attain
a
European
standard
of
cultivation
and
become acquainted with the language, music and other cultural forms (literature, etc.) of other peoples.
In
our
age,
so
lacking
in
ideals,
it
would
be
hard
to
find
a
more
inspiring
and
exemplary
paragon.
Liszt
if
anyone
was
the
true
embodiment
of
the
concept
of
a
Europe
without
borders,
inhabited
by
free
and
equal
peoples.
The
society
would
like
to
work
in
this
spirit
-
in
a
sovereign,
free
and
democratic
country.
It
wishes
to
popularize
the
personality,
principles
and
art
of
Liszt
in
the
broadest
possible
field,
in
Hungary
and
also
in
the
outside
world
by
forging
closer
relations
with
fraternal
societies
and
encouraging
the
establishment
of
such
societies
in
places
where there are none functioning so far.
Representatives
of
some
of
the
fraternal
societies
met
in
Budapest
in
the
Liszt
year
of
1986.
To
mark
its
centenary
in
1993,
the
Ferenc
Liszt
Society
has
invited
representatives
of
all
the
societies
in
the
world
to
an
international
conference,
entitled,
after
an
article
by
Béla
Bartók
in
1911, "Ferenc Liszt and Today's Public".
It is hoped that the conference will provide an opportunity for establishing an International Association of Liszt Societies.
Plans
for
the
jubilee
include
the
release
of
a
limited-distribution
CD,
containing
a
selection
of
the
prize-winning
recordings
from
the
past
15
years.
The society's targets also include a rejuvenation of its membership and encouragement of the establishment of new local groups.
All
this
work
was
already
awaiting
the
new
general
secretary
who
took
over
the
post
from
Professor
Forrai
in
1992,
but
who
hopes
to
profit
from his advice for many years to come.
By
June
1992
the
society
had
a
membership
of
867.
Its
only
fixed
income
comes
from
membership
fees,
and
so
it
must
look
for
sponsors
in
order
to
function.
It
wishes
to
take
this
opportunity
to
express
gratitude
for
the
sums
it
has
so
far
received
as
subsidies
from
the
Ministry
of
Culture,
the
András
Fáy
Fund
of
the
National
Savings
Bank,
the
Post
Office
Bank,
the
City
of
Budapest
and
the
Táncsics
Foundation.
The
Academy of Music has provided the society with premises, heating, electricity and cleaning, which it all receives free of charge.
These,
then,
are
the
past,
the
present,
and
the
future
plans
of
the
Ferenc
Liszt
Society.
It
awaits
the
cooperation
of
its
tried
members,
and
it
also
expects
to
gain
new
members
who
wish
to
serve
mankind
as
a
whole
and
the
little
country
of
Hungary,
in
the
spirit
of
the
composer.
In
this
way
the
centenary
celebrations
in
1993
and
the
daily
routine
to
come
should
induce
many
people
to
realize
the
message
in
the
lines
Mihály Vörösmarty wrote to Liszt:
... In passion pure awakened then,
May deeds in our great sons mature,
And weak or strong, may ardent men
Unite to act and to endure.
The officers of the "FERENC LISZT SOCIETY 1893" in 1992:
Honorary President: Georges Cziffra
President: Béla Bartók Jr
Co-Presidents: Dr László Eősze, Miklós Forrai
General Secretary: Dr Klára Hamburger
Members of the Presidency:
Mária Eckhardt, Dr János Fábián, István Gábor, Dr Dezső Legány, László Lukin,
Dr Miklós Marschall, Mrs Puskásné Franciska Ispán, Dr Endre Úry
Office Staff: Rózsa Somfai, Dániel Ujváry
HEADS OF THE LOCAL HUNGARIAN GROUPS OF THE SOCIETY
Szekszárd: Rezső Husek
Pécs: Judit Csery
Kalocsa: Ferenc Fuchs
Sopron: Alpár Nagy
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