Demythologizing the Genesis of the Hungarian National Anthem

• Main Author: Katalin Kim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Österreichische Gesellschaft für Musikwissenschaft 2021-04-01
• Series: Musicologica Austriaca
• Subjects: 19th century; ferenc erkel; géza gárdonyi; hungarian national anthem; hymnusz; heinrich klein
• Online Access: http://www.musau.org/parts/neue-article-page/view/103
• ISSN: 1016-1066; 2411-6696

Hungary’s state anthem is the musical setting of Ferenc Kölcsey’s 1823 poem "Hymnus …," composed by Ferenc Erkel for a competition announced by the National Theater of Pest in 1844. With Erkel’s award-winning melody, the already well-known poem soon became a national prayer, sung throughout the country. Based on recently surfaced sources, the study examines the genesis of the musical setting and surveys the process of its canonization in the nineteenth century as well. The concordance of the melody with one of the pieces from the collection of Catholic hymns of Heinrich Klein, Ferenc Erkel’s former teacher in Pressburg, seems to substantiate the anthem’s inspiration from the Catholic church music. This inspiration is also supported by a number of hitherto neglected or unknown spots/fragments in Erkel’s operas, where the composer quoted both the melody and the lyrics of the "Hymnusz" in the context of "religioso" scenes. The Catholic musical background of the music leads us to reconsider and reinterpret the only contemporary account dealing with the birth of the "Hymnusz"—and at the same time with Erkel’s composition method—originating from the famous Hungarian writer Géza Gárdonyi. The Catholic musical inspiration of the "Hymnusz" certainly contributed to the Kölcsey poem, embedded in the Protestant tradition, becoming a commonly acclaimed folk anthem.