A typical carnival
In addition to dance, theater and music, which are among Hungary's most important arts, the country also has a tradition of puppetry and circus arts, the most popular of which is undoubtedly the Busò carnival in Mohács, which takes place in early spring on the borders of Hungary, Croatia and Serbia. For six days, Hungarians known as the Busò cross the Danube and parade through the city, dressed in large woollen coats and wooden masks. Since 2009, this tradition has been part of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage.
Classical music in the country's DNA
Beyond the sacred music embodied by Gregorian plainchant in the Middle Ages, which is widely practiced in Hungary, Hungary's musical heritage only really emerged in the 19th century. Folk music practices were present long before classical music, which only came into its own with the arrival of great musicians and composers such as Liszt, followed in the 20th century by Bartók, Kodály and Ligeti. The latter drew inspiration from, and became ambassadors for, this traditional music, which has survived the passage of time and political crises, forging the identity of Hungarian culture. Indeed, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály collected donations during their careers to preserve 60,000 folk songs!
This distinctive Hungarian style draws its inspiration from folk dances performed by Gypsy orchestras. Gypsy, traditional and classical music are intimately linked in Hungary! These dances, which were performed when soldiers were recruited, were based on movements by the great European composers. To get the full measure, we recommend a visit to the House of Hungarian Music or the Franz Liszt Memorial Museum and Research Center, both in Budapest.
Folklore at the crossroads of Hungarian cultures
Traditional Hungarian music is a complex blend of gypsy sounds, classical influences and elements of Magyar custom. The predominant instruments are the violin, cimbalom (a kind of zither), köcsögduda (percussion) and accordion. This Hungarian music, specific to the territory of Hungary, is said to have existed for several centuries. Its origins date back to the cultures of the Urals in the 8th century, which explains its similarities with Asian music, particularly its use of pentatonic scales. This music continues to be played today on a variety of occasions. Many Hungarian bands are bringing it up to date by including a few electric sounds, but retaining the essence of Hungarian music. In the early 20th century, the táncház movement, a kind of cultural house for young people, organized balls where they could learn folk music and dance, thus keeping the tradition alive.
Gypsy orchestras, for their part, appeared in the 15th century and played their own music, called Cigány Zenék. They were initially ignored by the Hungarians. It was when Gypsies began to serve Hungarian music that the two aesthetic currents merged.
A festival culture
Long banned by communist policies, popular music emerged with the fall of the Eastern European regime in the early 1990s. Since then, rock, pop and electronic music have become popular in the country. International artists regularly come to perform at the multitude of festivals, of which the Sziget Festival is undoubtedly the best known. The event symbolizes the wind of freedom that blew through the country at the beginning of the decade: Sziget was born in 1993, driven by young students who needed to unwind after the summer. A sort of "springbreak" as it's known in the U.S., it was anchored on the Danube island of Óbudai. Today, the festival attracts some 60 nationalities, with around 300,000 spectators each year. Hungary's second best-known festival is VOLT, held in Sopron on the Austrian border.
Folk music is a source of inspiration for all the other, more contemporary trends practiced in Hungary. Such is the case with rap: take the example of Joci Pápai, sent to defend his country at Eurovision in 2017 with the track Origo, which features Hungarian lyrics with traditional sounds. Today's new generations of rappers are making a name for themselves in just a few years, and bringing with them a very wide audience. Some of them take aim at the current authoritarian government. Majka, a great success in Hungary, is joined in his protest movement by the younger Azahriah, whose career has taken an international turn thanks to his viral videos on the Internet. Several Hungarian rap collectives, mostly born in Budapest, are now recognized throughout Eastern Europe.
Rock music, on the other hand, tried to break through earlier in Hungary, in the 1960s, despite the communist regime. Omega, probably the best-known band at the time, didn't risk censorship and went on to make a career for themselves in Germany. In the 1980s, bands began to assert themselves a little more, offering disco- or folk-tinged rock in defiance of the authorities. At the end of the decade, the punk and new wave waves suffered from numerous arrests, until the fall of the Communist government allowed rock to flourish more freely in the country. Metal enjoyed a particularly happy period in the years 2000-2010, with bands such as FreshFabrik, Blind Myself and Superbutt. Other more singular projects such as Kispál és a Borz, Vágtázó Halottkémek, Pál Utcai Fiúk, Sexepil and Nulladik Változat managed to make their mark on the international scene. Then, at the end of the 2010s, it was Amber Smith's turn to make a name for herself among rock fans, just before the decline of this style in Hungary. Even today, however, the country's rock scene remains strong, with many bands developing in more alternative circuits.
Traditional dance, a village ritual
Known as "Hungarian dances", the traditional choreographies that originated in the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and are still performed today in Hungary and neighboring countries, take a variety of forms: some are sung rounds composed by young girls, others are men's solos, still others are dances by shepherds in traditional costumes. The best-known Hungarian dances are undoubtedly the couple dances, renowned for their variable tempo. This custom, known as csárdás, first spread to the upper middle classes, then to popular festivals. These dances inspired the German composer Johannes Brahms to write his famous "Hungarian Dances" for piano and symphony orchestra.
Hungarian dances are naturally performed to traditional Hungarian music, a blend of gypsy and classical music. These choreographic cultural rituals are still performed in Hungarian villages, and are also performed abroad by well-known folklore groups.
The great names of contemporary dance
The first modern dance schools were founded in Hungary in the early 20th century. A number of great figures, such as the American Isadora Duncan, came to teach their methods, thus giving impetus to new institutions in the country. But the fate of dance was linked to that of music, and the momentum was hard to sustain from the 1930s onwards.
Since the 1990s, when the fall of communism in Eastern Europe brought cultural liberation, dance has once again opened up to new forms. Contemporary dance has taken on an important role in the country, giving companies free rein to create original pieces evoking Hungary's history (notably the Szeged Contemporary Dance Company, led by Tamás Juronics, but also dancers József Trefeli and Gábor Varga), often with reference to traditional Hungarian music and dance.
A theatrical stage linked to freedom of expression
Hungarian theater came into its own in the 20th century. The inter-war period saw the forging of a dense theatrical identity, albeit one closely linked to the rise of communism. Under pressure, programming continued to multiply and build audience loyalty. In Budapest, the Királyi Színház (Royal Theatre) and the Fővárosi Operettszínház (Capital Operetta Theatre) were very active during this period. Outside the capital, theater troupes were also numerous: certain directors and actors such as Ödön Palasovszky, Ferenc Hont, Alice Madzsar and Magda Róna innovated and offered theater that was avant-garde in form. The art of puppetry is sometimes involved. With a particular emphasis on movement and gesture, whether through theater, ballet, folk or contemporary dance, Hungary favored artistic practices far removed from the text, for fear of upsetting the political regime in power.
However, after the Second World War, many private theaters closed their doors, unable to yield to the cultural axes set by the government.
After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the cards were reshuffled. New companies and new venues emerged, and creation once again took center stage, as did text. Some plays blend traditions that are still very much present in the heritage of authors and directors. Among them, for example, director István Tasnádi borrows the traditions of classic Hungarian cabaret and turns them into absurdity. Other playwrights such as Kornél Hamvai, Lazslo Darvasi, Katalin Thuroczy and Pal Békés bring new aesthetics, new ways of writing and new ways of seeing their country through a critical and artistic lens, making Hungarian theater a multiple and singular genre.
