János Bihari [antikvár]

János Bihari(1764-1827))For the last 75 years, scholars seeking reliable information on Bihari have had to rely on Ervin Máj or's thorough and authoritative dissertation, written to mark the centenary of the composer's death. However, certain emphases in the study are perplexing. Major writes, 'Both Cseimak and Lavotta are characteristic musicians of the period, but it is only Bihari 's works that reach the authentic pinnacle of the verbunkos era. The great profusion and spontaneity of his output, together with its broader sweep marks him out as truly representative of his age. A contributory factor in this is that it is Bihari among the three virtuosi who discovered the connection with Hungarian folk song, as his folk song arrangements testify. This in no small measure heightens the impression that it is he who consciously reaches back to and again popularises the traditions of the Kuruc period. 'On the basis of our present knowledge can it be asserted unreservedly that Bihari represents the pinnacle of the verbunkos period? Moreover, what exactly do we understand by 'Bihari's works '? What do we mean by folk song arrangements' and the 'conscious' reaching back to the Kuruc period? In seeking answers to these questions we need to look again at Bihari's life, music and social circumstances. We must examine, perhaps from a wider perspective and in more detail, the creative legacies attributed to him.His LifeIn 1853 János Bihari's first biographer Gábor Mátray wrote, 'He is the disseminator of our national music in the first three decades of this century, popularising it with numerous foreigners. He, the most illustrious of our country's folk musicians, has appeared with universal acclaim before foreign potentates, and before the magnificent Imperial and Royal courts on the occasion of the most glittering celebrations. ' He recommends 'seriously considering' the merits of the famous folk musician Bihari 'to those who, perhaps sneeringly condemn my pen in as much as I was not loathe to use it to write the biography of a gypsy musician'.In Mátray's biography, as augmented by Major, the date of Bihari's birth is corrected from 1869 to 1764, following an examination of the Register of Births. Bihari was born in the county of Pozsony in Nagyabony (today Velky Abon in Slovakia).^ His father was also a violinist, and he spent his childhood with relatives in BDny, in the