The text of the Hungarian national anthem was created by Ferenc Kölcsey in 1823 in the village of Szatmárcseke as a poem with the subtitle A magyar nép zivataros századaiból "From the stormy centuries of the Hungarian people". It is accordingly influenced by the spirit of the time and the circumstances of the time. Less warlike than other hymns, the text contains in its first verse a prayer to God to help Hungary and give it a happier future, because "this people has already atoned (enough) for the past and the future".
In order to set to music Kölcsey's Himnusz, which very soon became popular, the director of the Hungarian National Theater held a competition in 1844. The proposal was awarded a prize by Ferenc Erkel, the most famous Hungarian opera composer.
According to the judgement of experts, Erkel's melody is one of the most musically valuable national anthems - however, with its wide range of more than one octave, it is also quite difficult to sing.
We now hear a kind of chorale arrangement, as it was used in the baroque period, especially by Bach. The composition was composed a few years ago under the impression of Bach's "Schübler" chorales. So it is written for 3 voices, with the chorale voice in the pedal. The sample set of the organ in Lochtum fits the character of the piece perfectly.
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