In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument

Bela Bartok

Born: 1881. Died: 1945. Lived in: Hungary

Bela Viktor Janos Bartok was a Hungarian composer, pianist and collector of Eastern European and Middle Eastern folk music. Bartok is considered one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. He was one of the founders of the field of ethnomusicology, the study and ethnography of folk music.

Bela Bartok began lessons with his mother, who brought up the family after his father's death in 1888. In 1894 they settled in Bratislava, where he attended the Gymnasium (Dohnanyi was an elder schoolfellow), studied the piano with Laszlo Erkel and Anton Hyrtl, and composed sonatas and quartets. In 1898 he was accepted by the Vienna Conservatory, but following Dohnanyi he went to the Budapest Academy (1899-1903), where he studied the piano with Franz Liszt's pupil Istvan Thoman and composition with Janos Koessler. There he deepened his acquaintance with Wagner, though it was the music of Strauss, which he met at the Budapest premiere of Also sprach Zarathustra in 1902, that had most influence. He wrote a symphonic poem, Kossuth (1903), using Strauss's methods with Hungarian elements in F. Liszt's manner.

Arrangements | Recordings

Songbooks, Arrangements and/or Media

Displaying 1-6 of 6 items.

Bela Bartok : Choral Works for Children's and Female Choirs

A collection from the great Hungarian composer for upper voices. Twenty seven arrangements ranging from easy to difficult.

Songlist: Tavasz, Ne hagyj itt!, Joszag-igezo, Level az otthoniakhoz, Jatek, Leanynezo, Hejja, hejja, karahejja!, Ne menj el!, Van egy gyurum, karika, Senkim a vilagon, Ciposutes, Huszarnota, Resteknek notaja, Bolyongas, Leanycsufolo, Legenycsufolo, Mihalynapi koszonto, Leanykero, Keserves, Madardal, Csujogato, Banat, Ne lattalak volna, Elment a madarka, Parnas tancdal, Kanon, Isten veled!

Bela Bartok : Five Slovak Folksongs

"Many people think it is a comparatively easy task to write a composition on found folk tunes... This way of thinking is completely erroneous. To handle folk tunes is one of the most difficult tasks; equally difficult, if not more so, than to write a major original composition. If we keep in mind that borrowing a tune means being bound by its individual peculiarity, we shall understand one part of the difficulty. Another is created by the special character of folk tune. We must penetrate it, feel it, and bring out its sharp contours by the appropriate setting... It must be a work of inspiration just as much as any other composition." - Bela Bartok. Includes English text.

Bela Bartok : Shepherd's Christmas Songs

Arranged for unaccompanied mixed voices by Paul Arma with English text by Eric Smith these pieces are from "Melodien der Rumanischen Colinda".

Bela Bartok : Six Songs for Children's Choruses

The original version of these choruses was an a cappella version; later an orchestral accompaniment was added. The piano reduction of the latter has merely been added to the present edition for rehearsal purposes when preparing the choir for a performance with orchestra. it is the composer's intention that performances should talk place either a cappella or with orchestra, but not with piano.

Songlist: Hussar, Only Tell Me, Loafer, Bread Baking, Don't Leave Me!, Teasing Song