Hungary's contribution to classical music is disproportionate to the country's size. Three Hungarian-born composers, Franz Liszt, Bela Bartok, and Zoltan Kodaly, fundamentally changed the direction of European music. Their legacy continues to shape how music is performed, taught, and understood worldwide. This guide traces that heritage and explains where you can experience it firsthand in modern Hungary.
Franz Liszt (1811-1886): The Virtuoso Who Changed Everything
Born in Raiding (then part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now in Austria), Franz Liszt was the most famous pianist of the 19th century and arguably the first modern celebrity musician. He invented the solo piano recital as a concert format, developed techniques that expanded the instrument's capabilities, and composed over 700 works that remain staples of the repertoire.
Liszt's influence on Hungary was immense. He founded the Academy of Music in Budapest in 1875, which remains one of Europe's most respected music institutions. He championed Hungarian musical identity at a time when the country was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, composing the Hungarian Rhapsodies and other works that drew on (and popularized) what he understood as Hungarian folk idioms.
Visitors can explore Liszt's legacy at the Liszt Memorial Museum in Budapest, housed in the apartment where he lived during his last years. The museum preserves his pianos, personal effects, and manuscripts. The building is located within the Liszt Academy on Vorosmarty utca. More information is available through the Liszt Museum website.
Bela Bartok (1881-1945): The Collector Who Redefined Modern Music
If Liszt put Hungarian music on the European map, Bartok fundamentally changed what music could be. Beginning in 1904, Bartok and his colleague Zoltan Kodaly undertook an extraordinary project: recording and transcribing thousands of folk melodies from peasant communities across Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and other regions. Using an Edison phonograph, they documented musical traditions that were rapidly disappearing.
What made Bartok revolutionary was how he used this material. Rather than simply quoting folk tunes in a Romantic framework, as Liszt had done, Bartok absorbed the scales, rhythms, and structural principles of folk music into an entirely new compositional language. Works like Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, the Concerto for Orchestra, and the six string quartets are considered among the greatest compositions of the 20th century.
The Bartok Memorial House in the Buda Hills preserves the villa where the composer lived from 1932 to 1940. The house displays his folk music collection equipment, furniture, and personal library. It hosts regular chamber music concerts in an intimate setting. Learn more at the Bartok Museum website.
Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967): Music Education Pioneer
Kodaly worked alongside Bartok in collecting Hungarian folk music but pursued a different path with the material. He developed the Kodaly Method, a comprehensive approach to music education that uses singing, hand signs, and moveable-do solfege to develop musical literacy. This method is now used in schools across more than 60 countries.
As a composer, Kodaly created works that successfully bridged the gap between folk tradition and concert music. His Hary Janos Suite, Psalmus Hungaricus, and Dances of Galanta remain beloved concert pieces that give audiences an accessible entry point into Hungarian musical identity.
The Kodaly Memorial Museum and Archive in Budapest preserves the apartment where Kodaly lived for decades. The collection includes his personal library, folk music recordings, and correspondence. It is located near the Opera House on Kodaly korond. Visit the Kodaly Institute website for details.
Where to Experience Classical Music in Hungary Today
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Founded in 1983 by Ivan Fischer, the BFO is consistently ranked among the world's top orchestras. Their home venue is the Palace of Arts (Mupa), but they also perform at the Liszt Academy and tour internationally. The BFO is known for innovative programming and community concerts that break down barriers between audience and performers. Details at bfo.hu.
Hungarian State Opera House
After a comprehensive renovation completed in 2022, the Opera House on Andrassy Avenue has been restored to its 19th-century glory with thoroughly modern stage technology. The season runs from September through June with opera, ballet, and orchestral concerts. Standing-room tickets make performances accessible to visitors on any budget.
Liszt Academy of Music
The Academy's Art Nouveau Grand Hall is one of Budapest's most beautiful spaces and hosts regular concerts throughout the academic year. Professional recitals, orchestral performances, and student concerts ensure a full calendar. Free student recitals are an excellent way to experience the hall and hear emerging talent.
Palace of Arts (Mupa Budapest)
The Bartok National Concert Hall within Mupa offers acoustics designed to match the world's best. Beyond the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the hall hosts visiting international orchestras, soloists, and chamber ensembles. The broader Mupa complex also programs contemporary classical, new music commissions, and crossover events.
Hungarian Composers Worth Knowing
Beyond the three major figures, several other Hungarian-born composers have made significant contributions to the classical canon:
- Ernst von Dohnanyi (1877-1960) - Pianist and composer whose Variations on a Nursery Song remains a concert favorite. He led the Budapest Philharmonic and the Liszt Academy.
- Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-2006) - His innovative orchestral works like Atmospheres gained worldwide recognition when Stanley Kubrick used them in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- Gyorgy Kurtag (b. 1926) - One of the most respected living composers, known for concentrated, emotionally intense miniatures. His works are performed by leading ensembles worldwide.
- Peter Eotvos (1944-2024) - Conductor and composer who bridged contemporary classical music and Hungarian folk traditions in operas and orchestral works performed at major international venues.
The Verbunkos Tradition
Understanding Hungarian classical music requires knowing about verbunkos, the 18th-century recruiting dance music that became the foundation of what the world calls Hungarian style in classical music. Characterized by alternating slow (lassu) and fast (friss) sections, ornamental melodies, and distinctive rhythmic patterns, verbunkos influenced Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies and later composers' understanding of Hungarian musical identity.
Bartok and Kodaly's fieldwork revealed that authentic Hungarian peasant music was actually quite different from verbunkos, which had been significantly shaped by Roma musical traditions and urban entertainment. This discovery was controversial at the time but led to a richer, more nuanced understanding of Hungarian musical heritage.