Once upon a time in Békés-Tarhos

Abstract

In 1946, a choral school was established in the town of Tarhos, Békés county, Hungary, and it achieved worldwide fame, even though it existed only for a short time, until 1954. Following a brief overview of the school’s historical background, I outline the struggles overcome by the school’s director, György Gulyás, while establishing this institution. The creation of the necessary conditions for the school’s operation involved a number of challenges: throughout the nine years of its existence, teaching at the school encountered considerable difficulties. In addition to the constant shortage of rooms, problems in finding adequate accommodation for students and teachers, food shortages, inadequate equipment, and so on, political attacks and the uncertainty of Tarhos’s future were constant concerns for the school’s director and management.  My study reveals the essential, historical facts, based on a timeline from the school’s foundation to its closure. Over and above the many obstacles, those in the school took part in numerous fine and memorable events, such as the concert for the Congress of World Youth, radio broadcasts, visits by famous composers, the construction and opening of the Music Pavilion, and Zoltán Kodály’s visit to the premises. The Tarhos School’s exciting and eventful life has been examined by such experts as Béla Csendes, Zsuzsanna F. Pálfy, György Gulyás, Olga Gyarmath and Zoltán Kodály. It is therefore not my intention to present the legend and mission of the Tarhos School, nor to detail the unique and high-quality musical education provided by the school, or its achievements. My research is based on the available literature in Hungarian articles and journals and on internet materials.