Zoltán Kodály composed the first version of Hungarian Rondo as incidental music for Zsigmond Móricz’s play Pacsirtaszó (Skylarking). It was first performed in its current form at the Konzerthaus in Vienna on 12 January 1918 at a charity concert for war widows and orphans hosted by the Imperial and Royal Ministry of Defence.

Lasting less than ten minutes, the work is a compilation of four new-style Hungarian folk songs and an instrumental dance melody, which Kodály had collected in the 1910s.  Hungarian Rondo is Kodály’s first work consisting of orchestral arrangements of folk songs that he had collected on his field trips. With its dance rondo form with varied recapitulations, it can be considered as a forerunner to the Dances of Galánta and the Dances of Marosszék.