ZOLTÁN KODÁLY BORN 125 YEARS AGO

16 July 2007

Zoltán Kodály (born Kecskemét, 16 December 1882 – died Budapest, 6 March 1967) composer, scholar of music, music instructor, folk music researcher and member of the Hungarian Academy of Science. He started his studies in 1900 in the Budapest Conservatory and graduated in 1904. In 1905 he acquired his teaching diploma from the Pázmány Péter University. It was here that he became acquainted and made friends with Béla Balázs. He travelled with Bartók all over where Hungarians lived collecting folk music. In 1906 they published their first folk music collection. In 1907 he became professor of the Budapest Music Academy. In 1923 Bartók and he received a commission to compose music for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the joining of the cities of Buda and Pest. The result was the Psalmus Hungaricus written for tenor, choir and orchestra, which brought international fame for the composer in 1926. 1926 saw the premier of the musical play entitled Háry János. In 1930 he composed the work entitled the “Dances of Marosszék”, in 1932 “Székelyfonó”, in 1933 the “Dances of Galánta”, in 1936 the “Buda Castle Te Deum” and in 1939 “Concerto”. He became a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1943, and from 1946 to 1949 was the chairman of the Academy. In the same period he toured abroad giving concerts. In 1959, after the death of his first wife, Emma Sándor, he married Sarolta Péczely. Up to 1966 he travelled abroad touring, and even lived to see the first publishing of the Hungarian Folk Music Collection.The every day music teaching carried out according to his principles was introduced in 120 schools in Budapest. The musical education concept of Zoltán Kodály today forms the foundation of Hungarian public music education, and even has a significant role in higher education. These basic principles were developed and formed gradually, and then put into practice. (Source: www.hu.wikipedia.org)

125eveKODALY1

The stamp design – referring to his academic collecting work covering several decades – shows Zoltán Kodály working at the gramophone. The background print shows a piece of written music referring to the composer and the act of composing, also in the background people can be seen singing. On the first day cover belonging to the stamp the artist can be seen as a teacher as he is writing a piece of music on a blackboard, in the background there is a children’s choir singing. The graphic design of the special cancellation stamp shows a stylised drawing of the solmization signs.

Order code number:
2007122010011/stamp
2007122060012/FDC

Date of issue: 16 July 2007
Total face value: HUF 200
No. of copies: 400,000, in sheets of 50 stamps
Printing procedure: Offset
Perforation size: 40 x 30 mm
Printing press: Állami Nyomda Nyrt.
Graphic artist: László Dudás