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Step 1
Listen for the musical influences adopted from surrounding countries, including Slovakia, Poland and Romania--particularly Transylvania. The Hungarian people combined the neighboring musical cultures with their own folk styles and created a blend which is uniquely Hungarian. Twentieth century composers added the classical qualities of Western music to the traditional folk styles.
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Step 2
Notice the distinctive characteristics of Hungarian music. The peasants clung to their rural traditional aspects, which gave their tunes the label of "gypsy music." Hungarians used a pentatonic (5-note) musical scale as opposed to the western 7-note scale, and used a style termed "dactylic" in rhythm, placing stress on the first syllable. They also employed a style which continually transposed a bit of melody to create a theme.
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Step 3
Observe the instruments used in Hungarian music. The violin takes a prominent place in Hungarian music, along with the zither, the bagpipe and recorder (called a "shepherd's pipe"). The most unusual Hungarian instrument is the Hurdy-gurdy; a violin-shaped instrument on which strings pass over a wheel. There are two melody strings and multiple drone strings, and the music is played on a keyboard while cranking the wheel around.
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Step 4
Visit Mohacs for the Busojaras Carnival. This is the most famous Hungarian music festival, in which the various rural folk styles are brought together and presented to visitors. Notice Hungarians prefer vocal singing styles to the use of instruments and listen to the rich intonations of the rustic folk music.
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Step 5
Listen to well-known classical Hungarian composers. The most famous is Franz Liszt, who amplified the presence of traditional Hungarian music in his classical works. One of his most beloved and beautiful pieces is the "Hungarian Rhapsody," a difficult piece for even a talented violinist to perform. Other famous Hungarian composers are Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly who made their presence known in the late 1900's.
