Hungarian FolkEmbassy is a musical ensemble of young musicians whose goal from the very start was to popularise – both in Hungary and abroad – the folk music and culture of the Carpathian Basin. The band, which showcases common cultural characteristics of Central European nations, is a frequent visitor to Poland. Set up more than a decade ago, Hungarian FolkEmbassy has already recorded three albums and performed in over a dozen countries on three different continents.
Hungarian FolkEmbassy at the 2014 International Book Fair in Kraków. Photo by Jacek Bednarczyk / PAP
"He who does not belong to a nation cannot belong to humanity" – the words of Zoltán Kodály, the famous Hungarian composer who developed a method of learning music for children by teaching them simple and well-known folk songs, is the key motto of Hungarian FolkEmbassy. The musical group, whose aim is to popularise unarranged authentic Hungarian folk music in Hungary and abroad, was founded in 2011 by Prima Junior prize winner Mihály Rosonczy-Kovács.
– My wish was to create a string folk ensemble whose cultural diplomacy is not only a consequence but a predominant goal. Music that is devoid of language barriers can captivate crowds with its beauty and give rise to a unique sense of community. I wanted to employ musical diplomacy on a practical level and develop programmes to represent content that is important to Hungarian diplomacy through folk music – explained Mihály Rosonczy-Kovács in an interview given to Fidelio.hu on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Hungarian FolkEmbassy.
Another motto of the band is much shorter: "Believe in the authentic". The musicians showcase the common cultural characteristics of Central European nations, emphasize the enduring bonds unifying the Hungarian and European culture and popularise the tradition of Hungarian dance houses. The band has operated in its current line-up since spring 2018. Its nucleus is the previously mentioned Mihály Rosonczy-Kovács, who plays the violin and recites, with other band members including Bálint Könczei (who plays the Hungarian three-stringed and four-stringed viola), the double bass player Dávid Lakatos and the singer Júlia Kubinyi.
Source: YouTube / Liszt Institute Brussels ׀ Liszt Intézet Brüsszel
From Jakarta to Taiwan
As befits musical ambassadors, the band has given numerous concerts outside the borders of Hungary. The members of Hungarian FolkEmbassy have performed in over a dozen countries on three different continents, including Italy, Estonia, Germany, Canada, Indonesia, Pakistan and Taiwan. Also, Polish fans of Hungarian and Central European melodies had the pleasure of listening to the band on several different occasions. In October 2021, with a view to promoting its third album entitled "Báthory–Balassi–Bem–Balatonboglár", the band played a concert as "Hungarian FolkEmbassy and Friends" at the Agnieszka Osiecka Music Studio of Polish Radio. The audience was treated to a performance divided into nine parts. The central theme of the first part entitled "May the union of these two find favour with God" was a Kurpie song and a Transylvanian folk song traditionally sung when getting a bride ready to be married – it was played in honour of the election of Stefan Batory and Polish-Hungarian dynastic marriages. The next three parts of the concert comprised Bálint Balassi's "Polish Song" according to the words and melody of Blohoslav nas * Chorea Polonica (from the Levoèan collection of tabulatures), "Przyjechał Jasieńko z dalekiej krainy" – a Polish folk ballad sung to the melodies of Lublin and Hungary and "Marcin Melczewski Canzona Prima à 2 * 3 Currant" (from Codex Vietoris). The theme of the fifth part was "We were with you until the end" and was devoted to Transylvanian music from Bonțida and Ceuaș, as well as soldier songs sung in honour of the Polish legionnaires who took part in the Hungarian battles for freedom of 1848–1849.
"Saddle up your horse and ride through the meadows..." was the motto of the concert's sixth part. This part featured – in memory of the Polish refugees welcomed to Hungary in 1939 and the world's only legally operating Polish middle school located in Balatonboglár – a Kurpie song and a Hungarian folk song from the county of Somogy. The seventh part of the concert treated the audience in the music studio of the Polish Radio to the "Music of the Mountain Dwellers" with the Hungarian musical ambassadors playing melodies of both Polish and Transylvanian highlanders from the Gyimes region. The penultimate section was devoted to Professor Wacław Felczak's – the patron of the Polish-Hungarian Cooperation Institute – favourite carol and a Transylvanian Christmas song from the Mezőség region (Câmpia Transilvaniei in Romanian). The theme of the ninth part was "Queen of Poland and Most Holy Patroness of Hungarians, Mother of the Heavenly Lord, Blessed Virgin Mother". The band's concert held at the Warsaw studio was met with the overwhelming appreciation of the audience, who rewarded the band members with a long standing ovation.
Music for peace
The "Báthory-Balassi-Bem-Balatonboglár" album skilfully combines the famous characters, towns and historical facts crucial to the friendship between the two nations with Hungarian melodies and Polish songs. The album comprises musical pieces – mostly soldier songs and verbunkos – from those regions of Hungary through which ran the route of independence battles of 1848–1849. At that time, the Hungarians were following the command of the hero of both Hungary and Poland – general Józef Bem. The latest album of Hungarian FolkEmbassy also features a mourning song from the Kalotaszeg region. Other songs are atmospheric Polish carols and Polish soldier songs performed on Hungarian instruments, including flute melodies from the Somog county. The album was consulted with the distinguished historian and professor István Kovács, Polish language scholar and the former Consul General of Hungary in Kraków. In addition to playing live music, Hungarian FolkEmbassy also run workshops in Hungarian dance on several occasions.
– It may sound grandiose, but I believe that every musical note can serve as a tool for promoting peace – explained Mihály Rosonczy-Kovács in his interview for Fidelio.hu. – Many people still entertain a misconception about string folk music, although there is no doubt how much progress we have made in recent years – the group's founder added. On 30 November, a celebratory gala was held in Hungary to celebrate the anniversary of Hungarian FolkEmbassy. The audience of the two-part concert listened to music performed by the core members of the band and musicians who have been collaborating with the group in the last ten years. Acclaimed singers such as Mónika Lakatos and Andrea Navratil also made an appearance.
Source: YouTube
(JAP)