Zoltán Kodály's op. 1, Énekszó (Singing), this series of songs written on Hungarian folk poetry, first appeared in 1921 at Rózsavölgyi Publishing House. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first edition, a facsimile edition of the work and a new edition with Hungarian and English texts has been published, with great help of Mrs. Kodály née Sarolta Péczely. The series of songs written between 1907 and 1909 simultaneously reflects the composer's first encounter with Hungarian folk songs and Debussy's song poetry. Kodály, who later composed numerous arrangements of folk songs for both solo voice and choir, uses only the texts of folk lyrics in these songs, the melodic world, although reminiscent of Hungarian folk songs in several ways, stems from his own melodic invention. And in piano accompaniments, you can feel the experimental spirit and atmosphere-creating power of the young composer at the same time.
Harom ut elottem / Three the ways Jojj te hozzam / Come to me Kinyilt a kalitka / The cage is open wide Sem szantok sem vetek / I neither toil nor spin Isten adta kis barnaja / My delightful brown-haired mistress Jaj de regen nem lattalak / Oh, how long it is since we met Ha ki szepet szeret / He who loves a fair one Csak aztat csudalom / I have always wondered Vekony a pokhalo / Slender is a silk thread Azt gondolod rozsam / Ah, my beloved Ne sajnald galambom / Let not your anger rise Ki-kiderul, meg beborul / Now it's clear Sohasem cselekszem / Never again Azt gondolod, hogy en banom / Do you think that I would sorrow Tudtad, tudtad / Ah, but you know Kotottem bokretat / I plucked the fairest flowers