It was a simple case of identity theft. At least that’s how most Hungarians felt—and perhaps still do.  

For, thanks in part to a simple mistake by Franz Liszt, Hungarian music and Gypsy music came to be regarded as one and the same. 

Time would prove that wrong, but in the meantime, the confusion helped spread Hungarian musical styles and dance rhythms across Europe, inspiring composers from Brahms to Ravel. 

In this hour, how it all came about—and why.

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