Margita Lázoková

"Our people - my mum, father, grandma - all commuted on foot to the Brzotín village to work at the farmers'. Hungarians had lived there - noble people who owned palaces and who held the Romani people in high esteem. They invited them for work, the musicians to various celebrations. Brzotín was a village renowned for its musicians. Whatever was happening in there or in the nearby Rožňava, they'd invite musicians from Brzotín. Even the women. My grandma from my mummy's side recalled working as a housekeeper since fifteen years of age at a countess in Brzotín. They were trusted and liked."

"My parents got a farm. Families which moved there were given a farm house unihabited after WW II. They settled in there, had it furnished with the help of engineers from the village. They came over, helped our people out and our guys went to work at theirs. We cooked, did the laundry there - one could say it was a similar life to the settlements in Slovakia. Several families living together, cooking together..."

"The ensemble played folk songs - eastern Slovakian songs and dances. As the name suggests, it was mostly Slovak repertoire - čardáš and čapáš dances and who knows what else. Dance music from various parts of Slovakia was represented there, along with the folk costumes and all. Ever since its beginning in the 1950s the ensemble was composed of sixty people. My father at the request of the musicians brought in a bit of Hungarian and Romani folklore. They were successful, travelling all around the country and the ensemble survived to this day, linked to the Technical University in Brno. Once a generation of students leaves, new students interested in music and culture join in and it carries on. So, that's very beautiful and I like it. During the times of my dad there were plenty of musicians, dancers and singers taking part in it. Luboš Holý was one of the singers, Milan Križo the founder and my dad was the first violinist. I have very nice memories of that time and for several years I was myself a member. Then I had to go study and didn't have as much time but it was a good thing."