Roumanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 for violin and piano (Szekely); Bela Bartok

Roumanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 for violin and piano by Bela Bartok

Arranged and edited by Zoltan Szekely. Published by Boosey & Hawkes

Bela Bartok (1881-1945) was one of Hungary's greatest composers and one of the most outstanding composers of the 20th century. He was a committed modernist, applying the contrapuntal rigor of Bach and Brahms to the broader tonal sensibilities of Debussy and Schoenberg. He was also one of the first ethnomusicologists; he recorded folk music across Eastern Europe with fellow composer Zoltan Kodaly, later incorporating folk song into his own music. He wrote much in the way for strings, including string quartets, concertos, and folk suites.

One of Bartok's most enduring works is his set of six Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56, based on seven Romanian dance melodies from Transylvania. He first wrote them for piano in 1915, later orchestrating them in 1917. His lively, immediate, and above all, authentic recompositions of these tunes proved so popular that the great violinist Zoltan Szekely arranged and adapted it into this showpiece for violin. Intermediate-advanced level, Grade 4.

• CONTENTS:
• No. 1: Dance with Sticks
• No. 2: Waistband Dance
• No. 3: Stamping Dance
• No. 4: Hornpipe Dance
• No. 5: Romanian Polka
• No. 6: Quick Dance