October 1, 1899 |
Lajos Bárdos was born in Budapest the third of five children. He learned to play violin and was an active participant in the scout movement. |
1917 |
Soldier. |
1919 |
Studied one year at the Mechanical University. |
1920 |
Admitted to the Music Academy. In the first year he studied under Albert Siklós, later under Zoltán Kodály. |
Summer of 1921 |
Composed his first work for mixed choir (“Szello zúg távol”) at a Boy Scout camp in Bakonybél. In an interview he said: “it happened here for the first time that young men from the town sang folk songs.” |
January 1925 |
Travelled to Turkey, became acquainted with oriental music and collected Turkish folk songs. |
Fall 1925 - Summer 1929 |
Taught singing and conducted a choir at the Attila street Secondary School. |
Fall 1925 - Summer 1942 |
Conducted the Cecília Choir of the Városmajor Church. |
1926 |
Married Irén Waliczky. Part-time teacher at the Music Academy. |
1928 -1966 |
Professor at the Music Academy. |
1930 |
Together with Gyula Kertész he started the Magyar Kórus Kiadóvállalat (Hungarian Choir Publishing Firm). |
1932 |
Performed the mystery dramas “Eight Beatitudes” and “Saint of Roses” written together with Valéria Dienes. With the Palestrina Choir they performed Stravinsky’s Psalm Symphony with great success. |
1933 |
Collected folk songs in the Hódmezovásárhely area. April: performed in Vienna with the Palestrina Choir. August: musical leader of the World Jamboree in Gödöllo. |
1934 |
The first “Singing Youth” concert at the Music Academy. He conducted the final combined choirs. |
1935 |
First performance of his Missa Prima. |
1936 |
A festive concert at the Music Academy celebrating his tenth anniversary as a professor of the Academy. |
1938 |
Wrote the school book Énekes Ábécé together with György Kerényi, Gyula Kertész and Benjamin Rajeczky. He was the president of the St. Cecília Society, an organisation for sacred music. |
1939 |
Toured with the Cecília Choir in Western Europe. First performance of the oratorio “St. Margit from the House of Árpád” on Margaret Island. |
1940 |
Toured with the Cecília Choir in Belgrad and Zimony. |
1941 |
Combined the Cecília Choir and the Palestrina Choir to create the Budapest Choir. |
1942 |
Singing Youth concert in Máramarossziget and Kolozsvár. Performed Stravinsky’s Psalm Symphony with the Budapest Choir as well. As an innovation he added explanations to the music. August: He was appointed to be the conductor of the Matthias Church, a position he held until 1962. |
1946 |
Performed the “Alexius Suite” with the Choir of the Matthias Church on Hungarian Radio. (Based on the text by Sándor Sík.) |
1947 |
Became the art director of the Bartók Federation and president of the National Federation of Hungarian Song Clubs. |
1948 |
First performance of the canon “Boldogasszony” in Makó with four choirs. Received the Order of the Knights of Saint Gregory the Great from Pope Pius XII. |
October 15, 1950 |
The Hungarian Choir Publishing Firm was nationalized. |
1951 |
The Music Science Faculty was started at the Music Academy, where he was the professor of music theory and prosody. |
1953 |
Erkel Prize, Distinguished Worker of Higher Education. |
1954 |
Meritorious Artist. |
1955 |
Kossuth Prize. |
1961 |
Conducted the united choir of 17 choirs at the Helikon Festival in Keszthely. His theoretical work Modal Harmonies appeared. |
1962 |
Stopped conducting the Choir of the Matthias Church due to severe heart problems. |
1966 |
Retired from the Music Academy. |
1969 |
Concerts on his 70th birthday countrywide: Pécs, Szeged, Vác, Dunaújváros, Miskolc, Gyor, Nyíregyháza. He was awarded the Order of Labour. |
1970 |
Distinguished Artist. |
1976 |
His theoretical book Ferenc Liszt, the Composer of the Future appeared. |
1977 |
Bartók Melodies and the Folk Music appears. |
1979 |
On his 80th birthday concerts all over the country. Received the Flag Order of the Hungarian People’s Republic and became Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great. |
1980 |
Audience Award of the Hungarian Radio for the choral work “The Supplication of Jeremiah” |
1984 |
85th birthday concerts countrywide. Bartók-Pásztory Prize, Via Giulia Prize from the Hungarian Institute of Rome, Flag Order of the Hungarian People’s Republic Decorated with Laurels. |
1985 |
“For the Children” Prize. He became Doctor of Academy of music theory. |
November 18, 1986 |
Died. |