Zoltán Kodály

Psalmus Hungaricus

Kodály's composition has been printed in many editions since its first publication in 1924. The corrections, changes and improvements that were undertaken over the years partially in printed editions but also sometimes only in manuscript, seemed to require a thorough revision of the work. For the new corrected edition all sources which could be found in the archives of Universal Edition, Vienna, and the Kodály Archivum Budapest have been consulted. This newly-revised edition represents the definitive version of the work since the overriding principle was to fulfill all of the composer's intentions. The preface of Aladár Tóth (1898-1968), a brief characterization and evaluation of Kodály's works, as well as an introduction to the music and text of the Psalmus Hungaricus, was already printed in the first edition in 1924. These should serve to help us understand the work better, to appreciate its value, and Kodály's great art. (Imre Sulyok)