Vinyl and LPs - Analogue Music Goodness

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Sunday Spin: Imre Magyari Orchestra - Hungarian Gypsy Music (midwest.social)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/vinyl

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This is from an interesting corner of my collection. An old roommate found a bunch of Hungarian records at the local Goodwill and got a couple of them, including a record of a Hungarian folk music which was absolutely incredible. We went back and scooped up the rest of the collection (i assume someone's Hungarian father died and his descendants didn't know what to do with the records so they just donated them since they all had the same name/initials on them). Unfortunately this album isn't nearly as good as the folk music, but i enjoy listening to it. The violins are very beautiful, even if there isn't anything particularly remarkable about the music. It's a lovely record to spin up while you read with a cup of tea.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I've tried to find information on Imre Magyari, but all i can really find is a Hungarian Wikipedia page. From what i can gather through a quick and dirty google translate, he came from a long line of prominent Hungarian musicians, and his father enjoyed much popularity in Hungry in the inter war period. This particular album was printed in the US in 1957, as American Cold War propaganda. The back of it gives a very dramatic account of the Hungarian Uprising from the year before, but only mentions that the music is from Imre Magyari and his orchestra. I can find no information on where or when it was recorded, or how Remington acquired them as it seems Magyari only visted the Americas in a tour of Canada in the 60s.

My running theory is that the previous owner simply saw the album at a store on day and purchased it in a bout if homesickness for his home country that he would never be able to see again.

Edit: i found an obituary that i believe to be him. He was born in Budapest 2 months before the siege, and emigrated to the US following the Uprising of 56, so of course he would have bought this album when he saw it, or would be given it as a gift by someone he knew. He died last year. It seems he moved into a hospice before he passed, which is how i came across his collection a year before he passed. His obituary is loaded with condolences from his community and people sharing stories about him, so it seems he made a big impact on a lot of lives. If you have any old records, it is definitely worth looking into their history so you can also appreciate the journey they have gone through and the lives that they have touched.