Survey of Hungarian and Style Hongrois Music for Violin

This treatise will explore the history of Hungarian culture, composers, violinists, and music written for violin in the Hungarian and style hongrois style. This treatise will also discuss the nineteenth-century musical style, style hongrois, and explore whether an understanding of Hungarian music can inform practice performance for compositions in the style hongrois. The purpose of this document is to provide the reader a brief history of Hungarian culture, music, and influences that have led to several great works for violin and piano that have become standard in today's repertoire. This treatise will also discuss several great Hungarian and Romanian violinists to trace how Hungarian violin playing has evolved and been passed down through the years. Recordings of these specific violinists will be discussed to add to the understanding of the playing style and technique. Several pieces for solo violin and violin and piano will be discussed in this treatise. These works are the most well-known violin works in the Hungarian style and range from authentic interpretations of Hungarian music to overly romanticized interpretations of what Hungarian music is. Both need to be discussed and researched to understand this genre of music, and although some can be considered more "authentic" than others, a composer's interpretation of a culture and its music can be informational and still adds to this wonderful body of repertoire for the violin. This study can be used to educate and facilitate proper performance practice of Hungarian violin music by exposing readers and performers to six major violin works in the style, as well as nine other works that contain Hungarian elements that involve violin. As a result, this research will contribute to the research of Hungarian violin music through history and analysis, and lead to more informed performance practice and knowledge of the subject.