Szokolszky_Agnes_Ciganymuzsikus_let

This study traces the centuries-long history of the so-called „coffeehouse” Gypsy musicians in Hungary through the family history of a famous dynasty of lead violinists. An approximately 40-hour interview series with Sándor Déki Lakatos serves as the starting point for the overview, spanning a long period from the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, through the Horthy, Rákosi, and Kádár periods, down to the transition to democracy and the present. The main events and turning points in the narration reveal the favourable and unfavourable conditions for the seven-generation history of the dynasty in broader historical context. The story of this specific family sheds life to the history in general of their community, which successfully integrated into Hungarian culture and history across the consecutive eras of Hungarian history. The study also delves into the factors that led to the seemingly irreversible collapse of this community after the regime change. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the importance of exploring and understanding the historical narrative of Hungarian Gypsy music across different eras, and of integrating its enduring values into our perception of both the Hungarian and the Hungarian Roma culture.