The Hungarian musician Béla Bartók&’s contributions go beyond his individualistic compositions and include contributions to the field of ethnomusicology, the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance, as well as being an accomplished pianist and educator. As ethnomusicologist, Bartók& traveled the Hungarian countryside with fellow musician Zoltán Kodály, researching and recording folk music. From these journeys came arrangements of folk music, a better understanding of its origins, and eventually the incorporation of certain elements into his classical repertoire. Like many European composers in he 1940’s, Bartók&, weary of political turmoil and Hungary’s siding with Nazi Germany, decided to emigrate to America in 1942. In America, Bartók& made his living through commissions and teaching piano and composition, producing such notable students as the composer Jack Beeson. Commissions include works such as the popular Concerto for Orchestra by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Serge Koussevitsky.
Bartók&’s music flows from his varied interests. His earliest works are in the late Romantic style and show the influence of Richard Strauss, whom he met in 1902, as well as that of Debussy, to whose music Kodály introduced Bartók. Folk music begins to play an increasing role in his composing beginning in the twentieth century as evident in pentatonic and modal construction, as well as asymmetrical dance rhythms.
His String Quartet No. 5 also displays his interest in folk music. The third movement, marked with the indication Alla bulgarese, is interesting in that Bartók& uses the typical Bulgarian dance rhythm of 4+2+3. In addition, the second and fourth movements of this quartet are typically classified as his night music style, creating an eerie atmosphere of sounds found in nature. The quartet was premiered in Washington, D.C. in 1935 by the Kolisch Quartet.
-- Kyle Blaha