Rákóczi March

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The Rákóczi March ( Hungarian : Rákóczi-induló ) is a Hungarian national song and an unofficial anthem of Hungary .

A first version of the marching song was probably written around 1730 as the work of one or more anonymous authors, although following tradition it is said to have been the favorite march of Francis II Rákóczi (1676–1735). This early version, the Rákóczi-nóta (Rákóczi song), was a lament that mourned the misfortune of the Magyars and the oppression of the Habsburgs . The song implored Francis II Rákóczi to return to save his people. It was very popular in Hungary in the 18th century, but was overtaken by the more sophisticated Rákóczi March in the 19th century .

The Rákóczi nóta was one of the interessantesten pieces of the poetry of the Kuruc . It quickly became a folk song, of which more than 20 versions have survived, and was sung even after the fall of the 1848 revolution . It served as inspiration to poets such as Sándor Petőfi , Ferenc Kölcsey and Kálmán Thaly .

The Rákóczi March was played by János Bihari between 1809 and 1820. Hector Berlioz included an adaptation of the march in 1846 in his dramatic legend La damnation de Faust op. 24 and moved the plot of the first part of this work to the Hungarian Puszta . Franz Liszt composed a number of arrangements, including his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 , which is based on this theme . Further arrangements are made by Johannes Brahms , Ferenc Erkel and Richard Franck (Suite op. 30) , among others . The pianist Vladimir Horowitz composed his own variation on the Rákóczi March, which is based on the work of Liszt.

The text for the marching song was written towards the end of the 19th century and is of poor literary quality. Nowadays the march is usually performed purely instrumentally. Berlioz's version became a popular piece of Hungarian folk music, especially at wedding parties. Nowadays, the Rákóczi March is often played during state and military celebrations.

Rakoczy March (1933) is also the title of an Austro-Hungarian feature film by Gustav Fröhlich .

See also

  • Himnusz , the official national anthem of Hungary

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