Klarinet Archive - Posting 000495.txt from 1996/05

From: niethamer@-----.EDU
Subj: Tarogato Congress
Date: Tue, 21 May 1996 22:01:04 -0400

Received by ICA President Gerry Errante, and copied here for your
information:

16 December 1995

Dear Mr. President

I am Csaba Nagy, a Tarogato artist from Hungary. We met each other on the
programme of the Hungarian Clarinet Association in November 1994.

I would like to ask a favour of you.

Next summer we will organise a Tarogato World Congress in Hungary. We
know there are not too many people all over the world who can play this
instrument, but to the best of my knowledge some people live in the U.S.A. too.

I would like you to help me so that our advertisement could be published
in the International Clarinet Journals.("The Clarinet" - DN) Enclosed
please find two of them.

We hope this meeting will help us to become acquainted with other
tarogato players, and this instrument will be reborn again.

Sincerely,
Csaba Nagy

********************************

WORLD MEETING OF TAROGATO PLAYERS

In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the rebirth of the
tarogato, this oboe-like Hungarian shawm, a World Meeting of tarogato Players
will be organized at Adam Vay's Castle at Vaja from 1 to 7 July 1996. The
castle at Vaja is one of the places where the traditions of the Hungarian
insurrectionists from the 17th and 18th centuries are well preserved.

Organizers welcome the application of all players and owners of
tarogatos. We are making efforts to send the detailed programme of the
meeting to them all. For those who are not able to attend the meeting, we
would like to send the text and musical notes of the meeting.

If you know anyone around you who plays this instrument, you are most
kindly requested to inform the artist about this event.

Our Address:
RAKOCZI TAROGATO EGYESULET
Mr. Csaba Nagy, Arts Director
H-4400 Nyiregyhaza, Korhaz utca 37.
Hungary
Telephone: +36 42 437 046
*******************************
One of the traditional Hungarian musical instruments, tarogato was
resurrected at the Schunda Company, manufacturers of instruments in Budapest
in 1896. The first tarogatos were brought to Hungary during the
Turkish-Hungarian wars in the 17th century, and they soon became widely
popular. They were often used at weddings and funerals. During the War of
Independence of Prince Ferenc Rakoczi II, from 1703 to 1711, tarogato became
one of the symbols of the freedom fighters. Its sharp, powerful sound was
used to give signals in battles, and in the evening the warriors played songs
with it and danced to its tunes around the campfires.

With the fall of the War of Independence, the sound of the tarogatos also
vanished. Master Schunda enlarged the body of the tarogato and added keys
to it. The double reeds were replaced with a clarinet head. Now it combines
the tones of three instruments: oboe, clarinet, and bassoon.

The repertoire of the tarogato consists of solo and chamber pieces. Due
to its special tone it is sometimes even used in operas.