The grave of Imre Karátsony

IMRE KARÁTSONY (Réte, June 24, 1928 – Bratislava, April 3, 1985), music teacher, conductor. ; He was raised in Réte, and completed his school studies in Szentendre, Komárom, Érsekújvár and Bratislava. He completed the three-year conductor training at the District Folk Culture Institute in Bratislava. ; In 1951, he was transferred to the Hungarian-language elementary school in Bátorkesz. He founded his first singing group from upper-grade students, which sang single-voice folk song bouquets with accordion accompaniment. He was actively involved in choir conducting from 1958: he led three choirs, the choir of the little ones (lower grade), the choir of the older students (upper grade), and the choir of the adults, into which he gathered villagers who loved to sing. The school's children's choir won countless first prizes at district and regional singing competitions, and was a regular participant in the Galántai Kodály Days held every three years, thanks to which they were given the opportunity to perform at several cultural events. Imre Karátsony regularly made recordings of the school choir and soloists' learned songs, which came to light by chance over the years and were processed using modern technology. On one occasion, the Budapest music editor of the Hungarian Radio also visited the choir and made a recording, which he also included in the radio program. ; His name became associated with the Hungarian elementary school in Bátorkesz, where he worked for 34 years until his death. He raised his students to honor, honesty, and respect. They loved him for his openness and sincerity, and he was known throughout the country as a kind and modest person. He loved his work very much, which was not a burden for him, but a need that served the good of the people. He was always able to give selflessly to others, he dedicated his whole life to the school and the education of the young generation. ; He was a founding member and a permanent member of the Central Choir of Hungarian Teachers in Czechoslovakia until the end of his life. He actively participated in the cultural work of the local organization of the Csemads, as a choir leader, but he also performed the work of treasurer. ; He is the owner of numerous awards and certificates of recognition: in 1963 and 1969 he received a district award on the occasion of Teacher's Day, and in 1979, in recognition of his work up to that point, he received the title of Meritorious Worker of Culture from the Slovak Ministry of Culture. ; On June 6, 2010, a festive commemoration was held in the Bátorkesz cultural center on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his death, at which the Karátsony Imre Choir, formed from former students and still active today, performed. It is made up of former soloists who won prizes in various singing competitions, bringing joy and glory to the teacher and the Hungarian school.