In January 1899 Bela Bartok was auditioned in Budapest by Istvan Thoman, a professor at the Budapest Music Academy and a former student of Franz Liszt. Later that year Bartok entered the academy, where Thoman became his piano teacher. Under Thoman’s guidance Bartok continued his formal piano studies in the institution where Thoman had been a leading pedagogue since 1888.
The teacher–student relationship endured in professional respect: Bartok later expressed his gratitude by publishing a congratulatory article honoring Thoman on the 40th anniversary of his artistic career, highlighting the formative influence Thoman had on his development as a pianist.
