# Where to start with Béla Bartók?



## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

Yep - another one of these. What would you consider Bartók's
most essential, definitive works?
:tiphat:


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Bluebeards Castle and concerto for orchestra are the first works that come to mind.


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

Music for strings, percussion and celesta and concerto for orchestra.
And then sonata for two pianos and percussion, sonatas for violin and piano.
If you're still interested, go for the string quartets: six masterpieces.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I agree: Music for strings, percussion and celesta and Concerto for Orchestra.

_But I would read about him first, _in encyclopedias of music, or on WIK, or liner notes. Or, go to an on-line forum like this one, and get some advice. Like this.

You are aware, aren't you, that the dude was from Transylvania, land of the vampires?

Bela Bartok


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Violin Concerto No. 2

Concerto for Orchestra

Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta


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## WildThing (Feb 21, 2017)

Three good records to start with:


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

My top 10 Bartok (no order):

1. The Wooden Prince
2. Concerto for Orchestra
3. String Quartet No. 5
4. Piano Quintet
5. Sonatina, Sz. 55
6. Divertimento for Strings
7. Violin Sonata No. 2
8. Piano Sonata, Sz 80
9. Violin Concerto No. 1
10. Rhapsody No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra

Yes, no Violin Concerto No. 2, Miraculous Mandarin, Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta, and String Quartet No. 4. Fantastic pieces- I just like several more unknown pieces by Bartok more.


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## bigboy (May 26, 2017)

So when I put on something by Bartok what sort of things should I be listening for? I know that he was deeply interested in interacting with Hungarian folk music, but how did this inform his music? Was he only using melodies that he liked here or there, or was he more systematic in his approach to exploring folk music? What other things was he trying to do in his music?

I always enjoy listening to Bartok, but if I'm honest it is along the lines of any enjoyment a baby might get from hearing adults converse with each other


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Actually I don't think there is any sort of 'easing' oneself into Bartok via his most known pieces like _Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta_, with the idea that it's somehow more accessible. Surely someone willing to listen to Bartok isn't looking for something they're already familiar with. One might as well just drop right into the string quartets, or anywhere really.

Certainly he, like most composers, had developmental phases, I'd say look at his chronological list of compositions and sample one from each. They're right there on youtube.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Miraculous Mandarin Suite. If that doesn't scare you away, all of the above are fine.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

The string quartets. They are true Bartok style music.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I would suggest the Divertimento for String Orchestra; the Concerto for Orchestra; the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; and all three piano concertos. All are essential, definitive works indeed, and of course there are more.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

1. Romanian Folk Dances - a light intro into the world of folk music according to Bartok.
2. Concerto for Orchestra - his masterpiece
3. Bluebeard's Castle
4. Cantata Profana
5. Miraculous Mandarin
6. Bagatelles for Piano
7. String Quartets


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Bluebeards Castle , Concerto for orchestra, Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion and the Miraculous Mandarin to start with.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Bartok can be pretty thorny, but he also wrote quite a bit of very accessible music.

Concerto for Orchestra
Second and third piano concertos
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
And a great deal of the piano pieces from his Mikrokosmos collection.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Bartok also wrote a lot of first-class works that are TOTALLY accessible and attractive to almost anybody. These include his Dance Suite, Hungarian Pictures, Romanian Folk Dances, and Divertimento for Strings.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Bartok also wrote a lot of first-class works that are TOTALLY accessible and attractive to almost anybody. These include his Dance Suite, Hungarian Pictures, Romanian Folk Dances, and Divertimento for Strings.


I'll second these; they're probably more accessible than the already mentioned Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, which does contain some pretty formidable stuff (although it is my experience that people who like the heavier kind of pop music often like it far more than they like, for example, Mozart).


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

Think I'll buy the string quartets, the concerto for orchestra, and the music for string, percussion and celesta. Thanks, everyone


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## calvinpv (Apr 20, 2015)

With Bartók as my favorite composer, I feel obligated to give my two cents. My top 10:

1. Piano Concerto No. 2
2. String Quartet No. 3
3. String Quartet No. 4
4. Miraculous Mandarin
5. Dance Suite (both the original orchestra version and the piano reduction)
6. Out of Doors
7. Rhapsodies No. 1-2 (both violin/orchestra and violin/piano)
8. Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
9. Piano Concerto No. 1
10. Tie between Viola Concerto and String Quartet No. 5 and Mikrokosmos Book 6 and 3 Village Scenes and Piano Sonata and ... there's just too much good music.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Bartok is in my top 5 composers!

I agree with:

Music for strings, percussion and celesta
Concerto for Orchestra
2nd and 3rd piano concerto
Miraculous Mandarin


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Tallisman said:


> Think I'll buy the string quartets, the concerto for orchestra, and the music for string, percussion and celesta. Thanks, everyone


That was my introduction. But I agree with millionrainbows; find out what he is doing. Some things can sound weird if you don't understand that he is using scales other than the major/minor.


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

So far, despite all the great works mentioned that I love dearly, nobody came up with his staggeringly beautiful Cantata Profana (Enchanted Stags).


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## AfterHours (Mar 27, 2017)

Casebearer said:


> So far, despite all the great works mentioned that I love dearly, nobody came up with his staggeringly beautiful Cantata Profana (Enchanted Stags).


Yes! Could be his greatest work. I go back and forth on several.


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

AfterHours said:


> Yes! Could be his greatest work. I go back and forth on several.


Me too. And I'll always return to the second Violin concerto because that's what got me started on Bartók when I was 15 or 16. I've played it to death.


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## MissKittysMom (Mar 2, 2017)

I've recently taken up piano again (after decades). I played Bartok's piano sonata when I was in high school; it was tremendous fun, of also rather dissonant. But for re-learning piano, I've picked up his "Mikrokosmos" and his "For Children" collection. The latter, especially, is based on his folk music research; he used it in lectures on musicology. He wrote Mikrokosmos to teach piano to his son; it combines much more than his folk music interests, also diving into ecclesiastical modes, various eastern European styles, and more. It runs from very simple at the beginning to pieces that he occasionally used in performance.

Other than that, the standard recommendations - Concerto for Orchestra, Divertimento, Violin Concerto No. 2. The quartets are less immediately accessible, but absolutely worth the effort.


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## timh (Nov 14, 2014)

Music for strings, percussion and celesta used to be used on BBC arts programmes. As soon as a Henry Moore sculpture appeared it would be out with the old xylophone. The music was also used on a couple of black and white Doctor Who stories, The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

timh said:


> Music for strings, percussion and celesta used to be used on BBC arts programmes. As soon as a Henry Moore sculpture appeared it would be out with the old xylophone. The music was also used on a couple of black and white Doctor Who stories, The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear.


And of course, perhaps most memorably, to absolutely blood-curdling effect in _The Shining_. We shouldn't be surprised - Bartok hailed form vampire country.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

I also started my Bartok listening with the 2nd violin concerto. For some reason I regard the favorites from my teens, as my all-time favorites.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

The string quartets. wonderful


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## Ralphus (Nov 13, 2016)

> So far, despite all the great works mentioned that I love dearly, nobody came up with his staggeringly beautiful Cantata Profana (Enchanted Stags).


Yes! An incredible piece of music. It and the Miraculous Mandarin are probably my favourite Bartok works.


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## BabyGiraffe (Feb 24, 2017)

bigboy said:


> So when I put on something by Bartok what sort of things should I be listening for? I know that he was deeply interested in interacting with Hungarian folk music, but how did this inform his music? Was he only using melodies that he liked here or there, or was he more systematic in his approach to exploring folk music? What other things was he trying to do in his music?
> 
> I always enjoy listening to Bartok, but if I'm honest it is along the lines of any enjoyment a baby might get from hearing adults converse with each other


There is a lot of symmetry in his music and he uses his own way of applying mathematical concepts in music (similar to Bach or Hindemith) - he is often using mirrored reflections of scales, chords, rhythms etc on different axis (and the end result can be quite dissonant or weird ruining the original folk melodies when he plays them against each other). Brilliant orchestrator, but his development and melody writing is (most of the time) completely uninspired.


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## Omicron9 (Oct 13, 2016)

Or, just a thought here: find a recording of the complete Mikrocosmos piano works. Listen to them all in chronological order. They were originally intended as piano etudes; they begin with fairly simple pieces and get progressively more complex. As the complexity grows, Bartok's signature harmonic language becomes more and more apparent. By the last piece, you'll have a good foundation for and of his signature harmonic language. 

You could do this same kind of exploratory listening exercise with the 44 Violin Duos. Fascinating pieces.

For his major works, "Concerto for Orchestra" is a good starting point. From there, pick and choose whatever you want. His music is endlessly fascinating, breathtaking, and emotional. Even after decades of listening, you'll still hear new elements and details with each listening. 

This will be an exciting and fascinating journey for you. Enjoy it!

-09


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## Omicron9 (Oct 13, 2016)

millionrainbows said:


> I agree: Music for strings, percussion and celesta and Concerto for Orchestra.
> 
> _But I would read about him first, _in encyclopedias of music, or on WIK, or liner notes. Or, go to an on-line forum like this one, and get some advice. Like this.
> 
> ...


Nope. He was born/raised in Hungary. His house in Budapest is now a Bartok museum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9la_Bart%C3%B3k#Childhood_and_early_years_.281881.E2.80.9398.29


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## juliante (Jun 7, 2013)

hpowders said:


> Violin Concerto No. 2
> 
> Concerto for Orchestra
> 
> Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta


I agree - in that order (in terms of where to start) The much lauded string quartets are less accessible imho.


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## Eschbeg (Jul 25, 2012)

bigboy said:


> So when I put on something by Bartok what sort of things should I be listening for? I know that he was deeply interested in interacting with Hungarian folk music, but how did this inform his music? Was he only using melodies that he liked here or there, or was he more systematic in his approach to exploring folk music? What other things was he trying to do in his music?


Bartok was adamant that borrowing from folk music was not just a matter of using peasant scales in string quartets; he said borrowing from folk music should be inspired by, and result in, the sense of shared social experience that folk cultures have.

This gets quite interesting when placed alongside the other tendency in his music that was mentioned above: creating novel, artifical systems of tonality to replace traditional tonality. Hence all of Bartok's well-known experiments with symmetrical forms, harmonies built on intervallic sums, and general chromaticism.

That's why I think the most rewarding thing to listen for in Bartok's music is the fascinating synthesis of social utility and modernist formalism you find in his music, and the way he refused to see those two things as incompatible. Lord knows there were plenty of composers who were happily apathetic toward the social aspect of music in their pursuit of technical and formal innovation ("If it is art, is not for everyone; if it is for everone, it is not art," as the spiritual godfather of modernism put it); and there were plenty of composers who sacrificed technical and formal innovation in order to make their music more socially accessible--they're the ones you'll find on Reader's Digest classical compilations but not in music history textbooks. Bartok is a rare specimen among major 20th century composers in refusing to side with just one or the other.

As far as where to start when exploring Bartok's music, I would go the cliched route and suggest the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta, not only because it's a masterpiece but because it also epitomizes this synthesis. The first movement has impeccable modernist credentials with its symmetrical fugue that hits all twelve pitches of the chromatic scale in its tonal layout. The fourth movement screams folk music in its modal scales and the way the instruments mimic the sound of folk instruments (like the strummed pizzicato chords at the beginning of the movement). But the two styles epitomized by these movements are constantly interacting. It's probably not a coincidence that the two modes Bartok uses in the finale, the Lydian and the Phyrgian scales, comprise between the two of them the entire chromatic scale. There's also the way the fugue theme of the first movement comes back in the fourth movement, but in tonal form. The compromises between chromaticism and tonality in this piece are simply fascinating and, considering the stylistic allegiances and all the factionalism that those two things have symbolized in the twentieth century, heartening.


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## bigboy (May 26, 2017)

Eschbeg said:


> Bartok is a rare specimen among major 20th century composers in refusing to side with just one or the other.


I enjoyed your response- thank you!


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## lextune (Nov 25, 2016)

If you are a fan of piano concerti, this CD will win you over as a Bartok, (and young Pollini) fan...
https://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Piano-Concertos-Nos-Bela/dp/B000001G6E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496950536&sr=8-1&keywords=pollini+bartok


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

My start to Bartok's world was playing a small piece of his folk inspired music, Evening at the Village. It is kind of programmatic to me.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

lextune said:


> If you are a fan of piano concerti, this CD will win you over as a Bartok, (and young Pollini) fan...
> https://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Piano-Concertos-Nos-Bela/dp/B000001G6E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496950536&sr=8-1&keywords=pollini+bartok


His piano concertos were my introduction to Bartok, when I was a teen. I was completely blown away and became a Bartok fan there and then.


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## sjwright (Jun 9, 2017)

The string quartets.


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

I must say I always fail to understand the question of 'where to start' with a composer. The only reasonable answer to that in my opinion is start with his first piece and then listen to the rest in chronoligical order if you're interested in a composers development. 

To me there have never been any barriers in appreciating whatever Bartók composed so you can start where you want in my opinion.


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