Unfortunately, I am finding it difficult to thoroughly appreciate his music. When I listen to Mozart, Debussy, Chopin etc. etc. I really have a feeling for their music, and their music makes perfect sense to me. However, Bartók produces chords that are bangy, dissonant, and always unpredictable to my ears. Sometimes his music begins to produce a beautiful melody, and at the most inopportune time, he interrupts the melody with all those bangy chords.
You should try to play his music, that raises your bond with the music and makes you love it more, I hope. Otherwise just be patient, music grows on you in time .
You have described the characteristics of Bartok's music very well! That's how he composed his music. Btw. it's not so different from Beethoven's intentions.I think you understand Bartok very good. Perhaps the only "problem" you have with Bartok is: you don't like this sort of music as much as the music of Mozart, Chopin, Debussy...
Great advice. Also, focus on the more accessible Bartok. Especially late Bartok. The Third piano concerto is actually quite ethereal. The nocturnal sounds of the second movement, particularly with "the insects" buzzing and chirping, is absolutely magical. The concerto's total effect, for me, is almost the same as Beethoven's Fourth concerto.And the Concerto for Orchestra. What a masterpiece. Also, the Concerto for 2 pianos, percussion and orchestra.A great deal of the piano music is meant for teaching purposes. I don't think all of it is of the same high inspiration, so you have to pick and choose.
I HATE Bartok and think he is the worst composer EVER!! I culd write an essay on my hatred for Bartok. I doubt I'll ever like him. Bad music!! And I am not ignorant to his music, I know all of it and have played (by force) a lot of it
...although, you have to 'get into the mode' - by listening to some hungarian folk tunes. they are not based on the western tonal system - but rather modes. so you have a sort of east meets west with bartok. he puts all this into a tonal system in writing - but it's not truly tonal.bartok was amazing in that he sought to record and document folk tunes before they died out. much like people collect stories from ethnic peoples. if it wasn't for him and kodaly - we wouldn't have the interesting tunes that come directly from certain places over there in hungary and wheverever else he travelled. kodaly set this system into progressive studies for young children. here's an analysis of the suite opus 14:https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~matt/301b/Bartok-Suite-Opus14.pdfpart of the problem, imo, is the unique nature of his music and lack of exposure we have had to it. if you grew up with gypsy violin music - it would be second nature. and, his talent for exploiting rhythms and doing wild machinations. though, in the end, you'll have to find a pianist that doesn't bang it - and plays it lightly like a violinist would. sfz's don't have to be bashy.ps - i don't want to listen to bartok if i need solace. it's more the kind of music that wakes you up and makes you want to dance. and, you can get arrhythmia from it if you always try to match your heartbeat to your music.
Piano music is probably not the place to get started on Bartok. Orchestral stuff (Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste, Concerto for Orchestra etc.) chamber music (especially the sonata for solo violin), Duke Bluebeard's Castle, I would expect to be more immediately appealing to more people.
I'm playing all of his 6 Bulgarian Dances from Mikrokosmos No.6 for DipABRSM (unusual time signatures and bitonality galore). Yes it is dissonant and heard to appreciate. It's just like other 20th century composers. How you say there are great melodies, then random bashing comes in, leaving you in a whirlwind of confusion and discombobulation is one of the main effects of Bartok's music. Just as atonality, giving you a sense of insecurity and unpredictability.Bartok treats the piano as a percussion instrument, utilizing varying rhythms and accents to the fullest. HOWEVER, DO NOT PLAY THE PIANO LIKE A PERCUSSION INSTRUMENT. Your mindset has to think 'percussion', but your fingers have to think 'piano'. I find his music very exciting. How it just makes your heart beat fast and almost in rhythm, ooh the first time I listened to his works seriously. The visceral thrill of listening and actually playing it cannot be reproduced. Perhaps playing Bartok gives me a lift from the heavy Classical Music or sophisticated Romantic Music.Let's pull another example into this. Scriabin, particularly his late period, it IS dissonant, but I still love his works. His fifth sonata (not from late period) is personally in my opinion, one of the best piano works ever composed. Last paragraph was off topic, but I just wanted to express my love for his fifth sonata.
I think if you are truly interested in understanding Bartok, you need to get in correspondence with Richard Kastle. He's the only person IHO that truly understands the works of Bartok; many musicologists just pretend to understand the complex angularisms and together/apart octaves, but don't be fooled; they are faking it, particularly in the hardest part of music theory and history ever, the relationship of Bartok's music to Romanian and other European folk music. You really should be asking a level 10 dungeon master pianist like Kastle.
I'd rather form my own opinion on Bartok than submit to someone else. I studied Bartok a lot, with my teacher. who as a huge understanding, but ultimltly it does not appeal to my senses, I could write endless essays on Bartok if need be, but I just dislike the music. To me music is an art, and should stimulate my senses....Bartok doesn't. I was interested in him in a way... I never hate something without trying my hardest to understand. I doubt I'll even like his music. And if any musician can persuade me by a performance I will have huge respect for them! I know all of Bartoks compositions and have never been convinced...but maybe this is the people performing it?? I have played a lot of his piano music...but with an attitude of hatred? I dunno, God I hate being human!!
what.the.f.uck.
if you don't like it, why force yourself to like it??
Sometimes one is unable to love a major composer, but one learns about good composition and interpretations and ends up loving the composer. Certainly that is a fantastic thing.
Ok just to clarify, seeing as how a couple people actually took me seriously, what I said about Richard Kastle was a joke. It was referring to another thread on this forum in the performance board (the one called something along the lines of "Who does this guy thinks he is (includes Horowitz diss)")
I once got into trouble off my teacher for telling him that the only reason Bartok composed his Peasent songs was because he couldn't harmonise them properly and harmonised like a peasent with ni musical knowledge would.I have returned to Bartok a lot, but don't get any satisfaction from the music at all. Contrasts for Violin piano and clarinet is cool. Thats his only decent piece in my opinion
Bartok is one of my favored composers of all time but i was never able to warm up to his piano works, other then the sonata (which is actually his first mature work) and some of the miniatures like the 9 little pieces or the advanced microcosms. The string quartets (particularly the last four, which are among the very best ever written), the sonata for solo violin, contrasts, the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta ect., that's where it's at.
Topic: Understanding Béla Bartók 