Kodály summarized the significance of folk music in the preface to the first edition of this publication: ''It is such an integral part of the life of a healthy nation that we find it everywhere: it is present in art, in public education, in the manifestations of social life. It is always a sign of the stagnation of national life when folk music is pushed into the background in some way.”

One of the most important guidelines for learning about Hungarian folk music today is Kodály's summarica...