Musica Sacra Hungarica: Sacred Choral Music from the 20th Century

Featuring

Éva Kollár
Budapest Monteverdi Choir
László Halmos
Ferenc Farkas
Zoltán Kodály
György Orbán

Lajos Bárdos
Gábor Lisznyai Szabó
Artúr Harmat
Ferenc Kersch
György Deák-Bárdos

Did you know?

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Historical Context

At the end of the 1940s, the training of choirmasters and Kantors was abolished in Hungary, and a major music publisher had its license withdrawn, driving church music underground.

Historical Context

After World War I, Artúr Harmat led the musical life of the Catholic Church in Hungary, founding the church music department at the Budapest Academy of Music and compiling an essential Catholic hymn book.

Historical Context

Franz Liszt, a devout Catholic, introduced the Cecilian movement to his Hungarian contemporaries, which aimed to renew church music.

Historical Context

Ancient Hungarian church chants were characterized by pentatonic scales, unlike other European liturgical chants which were diatonic, until the Council of Trent's liturgical order replaced them in the 17th century.

Performer Biography

The Budapesti Monteverdi Kórus (Monteverdi Choir Budapest) was founded in 1972 and has achieved international success at various competitions, including Grand Prix awards in Arezzo and Sligo.

Performer Biography

Éva Kollár, the founder and conductor of the Monteverdi Choir Budapest, is a Professor at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and was awarded the Franz Liszt Prize in 1994.