Ditta Pásztory-Bartók

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Ditta Pásztory-Bartók (born October 31, 1903 , † November 21, 1982 ) was a Hungarian pianist and the second wife of Béla Bartók . She is the dedicatee of some of his works, including his third piano concerto .

biography

Edith (Ditta) Pásztory was born in 1903 in Rimaszombat, Austria-Hungary (today: Rimavská Sobota , Slovakia ) as the daughter of a piano teacher and a high school teacher. She studied piano at the Mór Somogyi Conservatory in Budapest, where she graduated with a diploma in 1921. In 1922 she became a student of Béla Bartók at the Royal Music Academy in Budapest. The two married a year later and their son Péter was born in 1924.

Ditta Pásztory-Bartók became her husband's constant duo partner at concerts with two pianos and piano four hands. In 1938 she made her public debut with her husband in the world premiere of his sonata for two pianos and percussion. On October 8, 1940, the two artists gave a farewell concert in Budapest, in which Pásztory also appeared as a soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto in F major KV 413 (387a). On October 30, 1940, she went into exile with her husband in New York (their son Peter followed two years later). On January 31, 1943, Béla and Ditta Bartók gave their last solo concert with the New York Philharmonic under Fritz Reiner.

In the years up to the death of her husband on September 26, 1945, she accompanied him on spa stays to Saranac Lake in New York State or to Ashville in North Carolina, but also gave piano lessons in order to help make a living. The world premiere of Bartók's 3rd Piano Concerto by her as the dedicatee was made impossible by his death: the work was intended as a birthday surprise, but he died a month before the occasion.

In 1946 Ditta Pásztory moved back to Hungary and lived in seclusion for several years. The 3rd piano concerto was premiered by György Sándor . Later she and her son Péter devoted themselves to the care of her husband's work and also worked as a concert pianist again. Many years later she recorded the 3rd Piano Concerto with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Tibor Serly for the Keyboard Records label. Ditta Pásztory died in Budapest at the age of 79.

As her will, the Béla Bartók – Ditta Pásztory Prize was launched in 1983, which is awarded to Hungarian composers, soloists and ensembles by the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ditta Pásztory. In: Lexicon of persecuted musicians from the Nazi era. Claudia Maurer Zenck, Peter Petersen, March 30, 2017, accessed September 9, 2017 .
  2. ^ A b Peter Bartók: My father, Homosassa (FL): Bartók Records, 2002.
  3. ^ Eleanor Blau: Ditta Pasztory, 80, pianist and widow of Bela Bartok. New York Times, November 23, 1982, accessed September 9, 2017 .
  4. ^ Liszt Academy: Judit Varga and Gábor Takács-Nagy Gábor received the Bartók-Pásztory-Prize. (No longer available online.) March 28, 2017, archived from the original on September 8, 2017 ; accessed on September 9, 2017 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / zeneakademia.hu
personal data
SURNAME Pásztory-Bartók, Ditta
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Hungarian pianist and second wife of Béla Bartók
DATE OF BIRTH October 31, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Rimaszombat , Austria-Hungary
DATE OF DEATH November 21, 1982