Hungarian music has a bittersweet flavor blended of sufferings and high spirits, of laughter and tears, of passion and ordeal. An ancient Hungarian saying offers a better explanation of its character than any number of learned dissertations: "Sirva vigad a magyar;' which means, freely translated, "When a Hungarian has a good time, he weeps."
Devastated by Turk, Tartar, and Russian, subjugated for centuries by alien emperors, Hungary has nevertheless endured proudly for a thousand years. It is no wonder then that when a Magyar sings of love, of sweethearts and mothers, of freedom and fighting, his exuberance is always tempered with sorrow, his joy ever softened by melancholy. Even his national dance, the csárdáses, reflects this pattern of extremes. Its tempo varies from a slow, almost motionless, rhythmic stomping to wild and furious whirling.
Hungarian music is most closely identified with gypsy orchestras. At Saturday-night dances in village taverns, and at sophisticated mink-and-white-tie balls in gay, pre-war Budapest, a gypsy ensemble was always present. Today, too, in Hungary,the music of gypsy violins is as greatly loved as ever, for it reminds the Magyar of happier days gone by, of happier days to come. The authentic gypsy orchestra is composed of first and second violins, viola, double bass, and cimbalon. This last instrument is made of metal wires strung over a sound box and struck by light, padded hammers, similar to those in a piano. It has a range of about three octaves. The melody is always carried by the first violin alone, and the other instruments provide contrapuntal accompaniment, although the cimbalom is occasionally given a solo.
The first violinist, called the primás, is the leader and undisputed boss of the band; he gives it not only its name, but its style and form. Gypsy ensembles scarcely ever use written music – even when accompanying singers, the musicians play by ear – and many a famous primás never learned to read music. The leader dictates the tempo and sequence of tunes, he invents embellishments and flourishes, and it is his flair for improvisation that brings fame to his orchestra.
The primás performing here conduct and play in this grand tradition. Pál Kalmár and Imre László, the featured vocalists, are both outstanding interpreters of Hungarian songs.

SIDE ONE
Pál Kalmár with orchestra
öszirózsa, Fehér öszirózsa (Aster, White Aster).
This immensely popular song is by Lôránd Fráter, the Stephen Foster of Hungary. Although Fráter died in 1930, his popularity in his native land is as great as ever today. In Aster, White Aster, the singer bemoans the swift passing of time and carefree childhood days, the loss of parents and friends. Only the asters, those white flowers of autumn, planted long ago by the loving hands of his mother, survive from the singer´s happy youth.

Sándor Bura and his Orchestra
Medley: Hogyha ir majd,Edesanyam (When You Write Me, Mother)/HOLLó Lovam Lá Banyomát (My Raven-Black Stallion´s Tracks). The first selection in this instrumental medley is a folk song about a homesick lad. He asks his mother for news of his village, of his family and friends, but not of his unfaithful sweetheart. The second folk tune is about an embittered wanderer who wishes to leave behind no trace of himself. He is even pleased that the tracks of his raven-black stallion are slowly covered by softly falling snow.

Imre László with orchestra Volt egyszer egy gyönyörúszép álmom (Once I Had A Beautiful Dream)."...´twas a beautiful dream about a beautiful girl, of love and kisses, of happiness. We strolled hand-in-hand, our radiant faces beaming a smile that warmed the heart of everyone who looked at us. But ´twas a dream, a dream only, and I am alone in my cold and empty room..."

Pál Kalmár with orchestra
Medley: Idegen itt nekem minden (I Am A Stranger Here)/Edesanyam is volt nekem (I Once Had A Mother). The first selection is a nostalgic tune by Zsigmond Bodrogi that speaks of homesickness and yearning. I Once Had a Mother tells of an orphan lad who remembers with grateful affection his mother and the loving care she gave him.

Sándor Bura and his Orchestra
Medley: Nincsen annyi tenger csillag az égen (There Aren´t Enough Stars in the Sky)/ Hajlik a jegenye (So Bends the Poplar). These two love songs are deeply rooted folk tunes performed here instrumentally. The first is concerned with the countless times a love-sick young man thinks of his beloved. The well-known So Bends the Poplar reminisces about secret meetings at a garden fence, underneath the swaying, whispering poplar trees.

Sándor Bura and his Orchestra
Medley: Lakeodalom Van Mi Uccánkban (There´s a Wedding in Our Street)/ édesanyám, A Kendom (Mother, My Lover Stole My Handkerchief)/Debrecenbe Kene Menni (Let´s Go To Debrecen and Buy a Turkey). All three of these colorful and light-hearted selections are csárdáses.

SIDE TWO
Pál Kalmár with orchestra
Amerre én járok, Meg a fák is sirnak (Where I Walk, Even the Trees Are Weeping). This is a song of remorse by a young man who has killed his flirtatious sweetheart. As he is led, handcuffed, past his mother´s house, he grieves over the pain and humiliation he has caused her.

Imre László with orchestra
Hosszu volt a tegnap este (Last Night Was a Long One). In this recent song by Jenó Sándor, a love-lorn boy who has sat up all night, drinking wine and mourning over the girl he has lost, is teased and finally cheered by the primás, who has stayed with him through the night.

Pál Kalmár with orchestra
Anyám szive (My Mother´s Heart). Almost thirty years old, this ballad is still extremely popular in Hungary. A jilted lover, whose heart lies by the roadside where his girl threw it, sees a gray-haired little old lady pick it up, lass and caress it. He is astounded to see that the figure is the spirit of his long-deceased mother, still guarding him from loneliness and sorrow.

Imre László with orchestra
Szerelmes Vagyok én szépasszony magába (I´m in Love With You, Beautify Lady). The song is a haunting and melodic tribute to a blue-eyed, fair-haired young woman.

Pál Kalmár with orchestra
Azt beszélik Tefelõled (They Say You´re Getting Married), Another composition by the popular Jenó Sándor, this song is a jilted lovers farewell to his girl friend, who is about to marry a rich man.

Béla Berkes and his Orchestra
Medley: Kis Kertemben, igaz-e Babám (In My Little Garden, Lover)/
Nyisd ki babám az ajtót (Open the Door, Sweetheart). The concluding selections are both csárdáses. The first is an instrumental version of an old folk song. The last song, like a drop of sea water that contains all the elements of the ocean, reflects in miniature all that goes into the making of the Hungarian character: recklessness, tenderness, daring, and passionate love: