Tänze aus Galánta

Galánta is a small Hungarian market-town known by the travellers from Vienna to Budapest. The composer has passed through there many times during his childhood, at the time there existed a famous Gipsy-band which has disappeared since, their music was the first 'orchestral sonority' which came to the ear of the composer.

The forbearers of these gipsies were known already more than a hundred years ago, about 1800 some books of Hungarian dances were published in Vienna, one of which contained music 'after several gipsies from Galantha'. The composer has taken his principal subjects from these ancient editions. (ZoltánKodály, 1934)