Árpád Kovács, zither maker

Árpád Kovács used to play the zither as a student in Dobfenek. Music has always been close to him, so it was natural that he learned to play the folk instrument from Uncle Feri Agócs in Ajnácskő in primary school. His first zither was made in Somoskőújfalu and he received it from his parents in 1975. ; ; He was already working as a teacher at the primary school in Geztete when he took out his childhood instrument again and started to play the strings again. Those who listened to him gave themselves completely to the music. His love for tradition, the instrument and music led him to found a zither band from his students. The zithers of the children's parents and grandparents came to light. The old instruments needed tuning and repair, but on one such occasion one of the zithers fell to pieces. Árpád Kovács then tried to make his own zither based on the pieces. (A member of the zither band still plays this first zither to this day). ; Over the years, Árpád Kovács changed jobs, became a teacher at the Almágy Elementary School and Kindergarten, but he also recruited the zither band from the local students, which still performs with great success at various cultural events, anniversaries, and traditional camps. Within the framework of music lessons, the zither and zither music are also introduced in other schools, but folk traditions and customs are not forgotten either. ; The fame of Árpád Kovács and his zithers has reached various areas of Slovakia, but also beyond the borders. His zithers are played not only in our country, but also in Hungary and even in England by music-loving traditionalists.