Zoltan Kodaly was born on December 16, 1882 in the central Hungarian village of Kecshkemet. Much of his childhood was spent in Hungarian villages. It was here that he developed a great love for the Hungarian countryside and for the folk traditions of his culture.

Even from a very young age, Kodaly showed great aptitude and interest in music. Kodaly's father, an amateur musician, encouraged his son's interest, particularly his interest in composition. By the time Kodaly was 16, he was already busy composing music. In 1900 he went to Budapest to study with Koessler at the Academy of Music, and in 1905 he began his partnership with Bartok. With him, Kodaly began collecting and transcribing folk songs. They also worked together to begin composing, and in 1910 their first quartets were played in companion concerts, marking the beginning of twentieth century Hungarian music.

The year 1911 marked the end of Kodaly's education and the...