Károly Bura

Károly Bura (October 21, 1881 – June 1, 1934) was a Romani Hungarian first violinist and activist, best known for his involvement in various associations for Romani musicians' rights in the early 20th century.

Early years Bura was born on October 21, 1881 to József Bura and Rozália Síró in Debrecen, Hungary. At four years old, his family moved to Nagyvárad, Hungary (today Oradea, Romania).

His father, József Bura, was a musician in many celebrated Romani orchestras, including a well known band led by Miksa Hamza. József taught his sons to play violin at home, setting them up to succeed in the Romani music scene. Bura's younger brother, Sándor Bura, eventually also led his own orchestra.

The family has further ties as Romani musicians, descending from famed 18th century first violinist Panna Czinka. Her band became famous throughout Hungary and set the stage for her ancestors to carry on her musical legacy.

Personal life Marriage After performing in Budapest, Bura met Annuska Radics, a young woman from a prominent Romani family. They were engaged in 1911 and married in 1912. This marriage brought Bura deeper into the Romani Hungarian music circle, as Radics' family was one of the most influential Romani music families of the era. Her father, Béla Radics, and grandfather, Vilmos Radics, had a hand in the establishment of the Hungarian Gypsy Musician's Journal and Hungarian Gypsy Musicians' Association in 1908.

Annuska died at thirty-two in 1925. Bura never remarried, and he went on to travel to her grave in Budapest weekly following her death. As he gained popularity, his fame became known outside Nagyvárad and he was invited to play in other cities. From 1906 and onward, Bura performed regularly for audiences in Budapest.

Budapest In 1927, the restaurant of Budapest's Royal Hotel offered Bura a desirable job, spurring his official move to Budapest. Given that Nagyvárad became part of Romania following the Treaty of Trianon, Romani musicians in Budapest no longer considered him Hungarian—seeing him instead as unfair musical competition. Bura created and dedicated compositions for various historical figures. In 1902, he created a piece for the crown prince Franz Ferdinand. In a local newspaper, the Nagyváradi Napló, it was noted that in return for this gift, Bura was rewarded with a note of thanks and gold tuning pegs adorned with Ferdinand's monogram. Years later, he was rewarded with a similar note of thanks from the new Hungarian King Charles IV after writing him a "Coronation Memorial March."

Later, in the early 1930s, Bura took time off from activism to focus on his music career. He composed works for state and religious dignitaries, like the "United States March" (also known as the "Hoover March"),

In 1924 they launched the Hungarian Gypsy Musicians' Journal, whose 1929 mission statement was: “Our goal is the recovery of the orphaned and abandoned Gypsy musicians’ society, ruined in the storm of time, to improve its economic and social situation and to ensure its cultural and societal progress.” It offered information including domestic and foreign tours, lawsuits, literature, history, awards, funerals, and weddings.

In 1929, elections for the association were held and Bura ran for the position of acting president. Promising reforms, management of finances, social advancements and training of the young generation of Romani musicians, he was voted in unanimously. His goals as president were to gain recognition of the harm caused by the Treaty of Trianon for Roma communities, and to enroll musicians in the national Social Security Institute. However, his primary goal was to foster Romani musical education in the midst changing trends and the rise of jazz. The accusal created a scandalous event, causing the drawing up of a lawsuit and division within the association. Eventually, August 5, 1930, a general meeting of the Hungarian Gypsy Musicians' National Association convened. Sándor Bura, his brother, donated 18 of Károly’s items to the Historical Department of the Hungarian National Museum in 1935, including medals, badges, awards, and an oil painting. Károly Bura's burial occurred on June 4, 1934, and he was laid to rest in the Fiume Road Graveyard next to his wife and former father-in-law. Many people attended to pay their respects, including a 150-person orchestra that accompanied the procession and hundreds of police to ensure order.

Identity as Romani Hungarian A defining part of Bura's life lies in his identity as a Hungarian citizen with Romani descent.

Personal Connection Following WWI, the Treaty of Trianon was signed in 1921 and saw that two-thirds of Hungary's population and territory was ceded to Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia. Romania was given all of Partium which included Bura's hometown of Nagyvárad. Roma are known to have a great ability to adapt their performance based on their audience. Therefore, some say that a Romani ensemble is just an instrument, as their audience is the real artist.

Romani Hungarian music is known to be the least ‘Roma’ out of all Romani ensembles because of its strong integration with Hungarian culture. In the 19th century, nóta became the most popular form of folk song in Hungary, and is one of a few styles that directly translate to ‘Romani Music.' Romani Hungarian music became a form of national pride and affliction, as all of Hungarian society felt closer to it than any other form of music, going as far as to call it ‘Hungarian National Music’ during the Interwar period.

For Hungarian Roma, music was a common career to pursue, but it was difficult to find success and poverty was common. There were 3,000 Roma musicians in Budapest in 1920, but 2,000 of them were unemployed. As time and technology progressed in Hungary, developments like the radio, gramophone, and jazz genre became rivals to Romani music.