LibRadio is a careful selection of the musical treasures of the University and National Library of the University of Debrecen. We have collected musical rarities from our Music Collection in the Spotify system that can provide inspiration for studying and relaxation.
Blues Forever
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On September 17th, at the age of 77, the "Hungarian King of Blues", Gyula Deák Bill passed away. He started his musical career with rock music, but the blues became the defining part of his life. In the late 1970s, he became a member of the Hobo Blues Band, which brought him national fame. In 1981, he appeared in the film Kopaszkutya (Bald Dog), and in 1983 he played the role of Torda in the rock opera István, a király (Stephen, the King). These further increased his popularity. In 1983, he began his solo career and later toured successfully with his own band, the Deák Bill Blues Band. He released several albums and received numerous prestigious awards, including the Fonogram Lifetime Achievement Award, Artisjus and Péter Máté Awards, as well as state honors. In his childhood, his left leg had to be amputated due to a medical complication, but this did not stop him from achieving an outstanding musical career. In 1984, he performed together with Chuck Berry at the Budapest Sports Arena, who said of him: "He is the blackest-voiced white singer I have ever heard." We pay tribute to his work and life achievement with LibRadio's blues compilation. Selection from our collection:
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DEENK is 25 years old - 25 songs from 2001
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In 2001, when CDs still ruled music listening, but the digital age was already knocking on the door, these songs were playing around the world. 25 years ago, this was quite a turning point in the music world. Several things happened that are great for building the mood of such a compilation: in 2001, the CD era is still going strong, but the digital music revolution is already beginning. The debates around Napster made it truly visible by this time that music listening would radically change. In 2001, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Destiny's Child and other artists defining the early 2000s truly burst into the mainstream. At the same time, the dominance of boy bands and teen pop slowly began to decline. Mainstream pop and the radio world were dominated by Christina Aguilera, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and hip-hop was also getting very strong (e.g. Eminem was at his peak at this time). Selection from our collection1. Vespertine [Sound recording] / Björk - K.HCD 19181 2. Reverence [Sound document] / Richard Bona - K.HCD 26069 3. Twilight [Sound recording] / Ed Calle - K.HCD 20453 4. Border [Sound recording] : la linea / Lila Downs - K.HCD 25557 5. Quiet as it is [Sound recording] / Mihály Dresch - K.HCD 18392 6. Flirting with Twilight [Sound document] / Kurt Elling - K.HCD 27410 7. Homeward [Sound recording] / Gábor Gadó - K.HCD 18671 8. Risks and Side Effects [Sound document] / János Bródy - K.HCD 21139 9. Déja vu [Sound recording] / Ágnes Vanilla - K.HCD 21129 10. Now [Sound recording] / Klári Katona - K.HCD 18456
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In Memory of Ferenc Sebő
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At the age of 79, Ferenc Sebő, Artist of the Nation, Kossuth Prize-winning performing artist, composer, musicologist, and one of the pioneers of the Hungarian dance house movement, passed away. His career started together with Béla Halmos. During their collaboration, they opened a new path in the Hungarian music scene with sung poems and folk music adaptations. Under the influence of the folk music of Szék, he turned towards authentic folk music and played a defining role in launching the dance house movement, as well as in making younger generations love folk music. He created a lasting legacy as the musical director of the Bartók Dance Ensemble, and later as a researcher and editor. As the founder of the Sebő Ensemble, he released more than thirty albums, and his poem adaptations – including the works of Attila József and Sándor Weöres – brought poetry to life for generations. His legacy is an inescapable part of Hungarian culture. Our library's collection offers rich resources for all those who wish to delve into his work:
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In Memory of Tamás Vásáry
Flowers in Music – Thematic Music List
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Flowers have been an inspiration for the arts for millennia: their symbolism has rich meanings in poetry, painting, and music alike. In our latest thematic list, we have collected musical pieces in which flowers play a central role. An outstanding piece on the list is Sándor Petőfi's poem "Flowers", which we can also listen to set to music. The sheet music is available in the Electronic Archive of the University of Debrecen: Petőfi sheet music. The French sheet music adapting the "Sleeping Beauty" story guides us into the enchanting world of Art Nouveau, impressing the viewer with its cover decorated with stunning floral motifs: Sleeping Beauty sheet music. To gain a deeper understanding of the literary and cultural historical role of flowers, we recommend three books:
An excellent insight into the linguistic appearance of floral motifs is provided by the study of Judit Porkoláb and Károly I. Boda, which examines floral metaphors in Hungarian poetry using a hypertextual method. The full text of the study is available in the DEA: Folia Uralica study. Discover the magical connection between nature and art. |
Music for Relaxation
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Beyond the music, look around in our collection too! For example, look for the book Jazz World by János Gonda in our catalog! „János Gonda's book is about the venues, professions, business-economic background of jazz, the relationship between politics and the genre, co-arts, jazz education, media and institutions. It's a guide if we want to understand jazz.” Or there is a small visual "journey" in Zoltán Kárpáti's book, where he collected the most impactful photos of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Festival into one volume. And did you know?We can do a lot for our physical and mental health with jazz - as revealed in an article by William Klemm PhD, professor of neuroscience. Listening to music stimulates the hypothalamus area of the brain, which is also responsible for functions such as breathing and heartbeat. It turns out: It is worth listening to slower jazz music before falling asleep or after surgeries, as softer jazz has a pain-relieving effect – it can even reduce the length and intensity of migraines – and promotes quality sleep. If we listen to more upbeat jazz, we can also stimulate our heartbeat, blood circulation, and oxygen supply. The rhythms, the dynamics, and the variety springing from improvisation stimulate brain function, which also has a positive effect on our performance. |
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Music for Studying
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Interesting facts about the musical pieces on the list: The name of the world-famous violinist, pedagogue, and composer Jenő Hubay (1858-1937) could hardly be mentioned during the party-state era. His wife was a countess, with whom he inherited estates, castles, and a factory, and his palace in Buda exuded an elegant atmosphere. For fifty years, he worked to elevate the Hungarian music scene to the forefront of the world. He made not only the Hungarian violin school world-famous, but also the Academy of Music itself. His colorful life spans nearly a century. He met the most renowned artists and statesmen of this era. He also played a lot of music with Franz Liszt. The book written by his son uses confidential diary entries and letters, which are not only familial in nature but also embedded in the historical atmosphere and events of the era. The interest of the volume is enhanced by the unique introductory study of its proofreader, István Reményi Gyenes, on the history of Hungarian violin playing, and within it, the international role of the Hubay school. The Hubay Jenő composition titled Before Farewell, which can be found on the list, was dedicated by the author to Erna Rubinstein (1903-1983), a violinist who became internationally famous at the time but is now somewhat forgotten, and who, moreover, starting from the Debrecen Conservatory, became a student of Hubay in Pest at the Academy of Music. We can read about her life in this interesting article. By the way, a poster of one of Erna Rubinstein's contemporary concerts in Debrecen can be found digitally in our collection. Moreover! A Hubay piece was also performed at that concert, which can already be found digitally in our database. |
Hungarian Folk Music - Thematic Music List
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About the musical pieces found on the list: Traditional Hungarian folk music in the modern world: how we preserve our cultural heritage. Hungarian folk music has been one of the most important pillars of the nation's cultural identity for centuries. The experiences, traditions, and worldviews of generations are embodied in its melodies, rhythms, and lyrics. However, facing the challenges of the modern world, ever greater efforts are needed to preserve this unparalleled cultural treasure and pass it on to future generations. Globalization, technological advancement, and social changes are all factors that influence the methods and possibilities of preserving traditional culture. The technological achievements of the 21st century create new opportunities for documenting and distributing folk music. With the help of digital archives, sound recordings, and video documentation, we can now preserve traditional performance styles in a way that was previously not possible. Online platforms allow the folk music treasure to reach Hungarians living all over the world, as well as foreigners showing interest in our culture. Recommended ethnographic collections: A Bartók writing from our online accessible database: Gypsy Music or Hungarian Music? And a Kodály article: Folk Music and Art Music in Hungary Recommended CDs: Cross-talks [Sound recording] : Hungarian folk song variants |
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Snowflakes & soundwaves - tracks for the winter season
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Snowflakes & soundwaves faithfully reflects the "spontaneous and subjective" description: it is not a traditional Christmas list, but a musical imprint of winter's thousand faces. The mood of the songs is a varied rollercoaster between frosty landscapes and inner warmth. There is a dreamlike movement evoking Celtic mysticism on it, and also more danceable folk music with a medieval atmosphere that smuggles the warmth of an old inn into the room. The backbone of the list, however, is provided by slow, deep (chill) pieces: elegant melancholy evoking smoky jazz bars and the bossa nova pulse delicately mix with crystal clear, almost chilling instrumental melodies. There is something very human and honest in it: sometimes it brings the loneliness of dark, cold nights, sometimes the intimacy of the quiet waiting before the holidays. It's the perfect background for the approaching winter, when you want to focus inward a bit while escaping the freezing cold outside with a hot drink in your hand... Discover the magical connection between nature and art. |
Would you like to immerse yourself in our other musical treasures?
Our sheet music is available here>>
The online repository of our digitized sheet music is available here>>
And you can listen to our Christmas compilation here >>
You can find our compilation made for the ball season here >>
You can find our summer vibe music here >>
For further works and requests, please contact our colleague responsible for the Music collection!