’If lacks a horse an ass will do it’

Kodály Zoltán és a Nemzetközi Népzenei Tanács elnöki tisztsége (1961–1967)

Abstract

The International Folk Music Council elected Zoltán Kodály as its third president in 1961, and he held the post until his death. Thus, during the last years of his life and as the head of the most prestigious international and professional forum,
Kodaly was given the opportunity to look after, promote, and influence the cause of folk song and folk music in a way he viewed as ideal. This was a cause that he personally considered important from an artistic and scientific perspective, as
well as from a moral and social standpoint that included its benefits to society. Kodaly envisioned international folk- music research as a network of individual national research workshops. The basic research work that the members of this
network would carry out is shown by the main activities of his (the Hungarian) research group. In addition to systematizing, analyzing, and comparing music, as well as conducting historical research, Kodály had another important programme
that was in perfect alignment with the plans of the IFMC: the publication of as many high- quality recordings of original folk music as possible. It was during his presidency that the study of the social background of music, including folk music,
began to become increasingly important for research, alongside the more typical historical and musical approach. This was a development that was to open a new chapter in the history of the discipline, by then already designated ‘ethnomusicology.’