That pioneer of aesthetic principle János Erdélyi (1814-1868) wrote of him: “Wherever his travels led him he always entered into a sound-world of poignant and agonising sorrow, as if he himself was once more conscious of every feeling and emotion of our nation.” His name and fame was, and is still today part of the national psyche, even though his works are to all intents and purposes still unfamiliar.

This reassessment and evaluation of Lavotta is long overdue, especially as the man and his music are inextricably linked with the period of the Enlightenment and national renewal.