Choreae hungaricae

Compared to the rich heritage of popular songs, the old dances and melodies, which have come down to us through codex and tablature books, hold a much more modest place in our Hungarian music.

It was in the 1940s that I first became interested in this music. I found it so fascinating that I decided to revive it. Using the stylized harmony and counterpoint of the early Baroque period to recreate a “provincial” Hungarian Baroque style, I composed a suite of dance for piano which was published in 1952 under the name of “Early Hungarian dances from the 17th century”.

In 1961, I orchestred these dances under the name “Choreae hungaricae” by adding other movements which I gathered according to their sources: 4 dances from the Vietorisz codex, 5 dances from the Kajoni codex and 6 dances from the Löcse tablature book. — Ferenc Farkas