Funeral of Fodor Sándor "Neti"

Fodor Sándor "Neti" was the most charismatic fiddler of Kalotaszeg, the treasure region of Transylvania.

A good friend of mine, a musician, called one late night in October 2004. He wanted to know if I was willing to travel with him to Kalotaszeg, Transylvania.

“It will be the funeral of “Uncle Sanyi Neti”” (that´s what he said).

“We will hit the road at 3am in the morning”- he said.

We hit the road.

Sándor Fodor “Neti” was one of the most influential fiddlers of Kalotaszeg. He was born in Gyalu (Transylvania) in 1922 into a gipsy musician family. He was nicknamed “Neti” after his mother. He was one of those musicians who were born into the middle of the thriving Transylvanian bow-instrument music tradition. From the age of twelve, he had been playing music in all occasions (baptism, wedding, funeral). Neti spent most of his life in Kalotaszeg, however he also lived in Hungary for a short time. He made his money with music and from the 1980ies on. More and more folk musicians from Hungary visited him and he always accommodated and took care of them with enormous joy. Neti became the master for many prominent figures of the Dancehouse Movement. He made concert tours not only in Transylvania and Hungary but also in the United States, where he played –among other places – on the stage of the Metropolitan Theatre in New York City with enormous success. In 1998 Neti was awarded with the prestigious “Master of Folk Arts” title. His musical heritage is being carried on by his son, Sándor Fodor Jr., and also by the numerous musicians all over the world who had the luck to be able to learn from him.

I have never felt such a close musical contact among people unknown to me, like at this occasion.

Bálint Pörneczi