03 September 2008

Bartok

A while ago, I had started looking into Bartok's works. After some difficulty I began with the works known only by their Dille numbers (after Denis Dille's catalog). Many of these came to me only in brief segments - the catalog provides only the incipits of the works. Some however have been published in the two collections "Der Junge Bartok" and in the "Documenta Bartokiana" series. Thus, here I begin my observations.



1890
Walczer for Piano, Op. 1, DD 1

The beginning is found in a Photostat in Dille's survey. Straussian - alternating tonic and dominant.


1890
Changing Piece (Változo darab) for Piano, Op. 2, DD 2

Beginning in Dille - tonic dominant alternation in duple time.


1890
Mazurka for Piano, Op. 3, DD 3

Again tonic-dominant, again only opening in Dille, again like Strauss - Johann that is.


1890
Budapest Athletic Competition (A Budapesti tornaverseny) for Piano, Op. 4, DD 4
Seems the whole thing exists though Dile lists only the opening in Allegro tempo a scalar passage followed by descending marcato thirds.


1890
Sonatina No. 1 for Piano, Op. 5, DD 5

Two movements, first opens over an Alberti bass, with alternation of you guessed it, tonic and dominant seventh. Second features a touch of imitation. Bartok is really trying to learn in this his first year of composing.


1890
Wallachian Piece (Oláh darab) for Piano, Op. 6, DD 6

About thirty seconds of this survives and begins like one of his folksong settings might, at least the easier ones.


1891
Fast Polka (Gyorspolka) for Piano, Op. 7, DD 7
A quick polka begins with what seems like it will be a parallel period.


1891
Béla' Polka for Piano, Op. 8, DD 8

Over an Alberti bass comes arpeggiations of tonic and dominant chords..


1891
Katinka' Polka for Piano, Op. 9, DD 9

Simple accompaniment, tonic-dominant. Children's songs all of them.


1891
Voices of Spring (Tavaszi hangok) for Piano, Op. 10, DD 10

This is a longer work - Dille lists it as being about five minutes, its opening is a Straussian melodic figure over a sustained D major harmony.


1891
Jolán' Polka for Piano, Op. 11, DD 11

Opens with a scale in octaves in dotted rhythm. Dille doesn't provide anything more and it's impossible to guess what might come next.


1891
Gabi' Polka for Piano, Op. 12, DD 12

Has an almost Venetian feel with its opening phrase in thirds.


1891
Forget-me-not (Nefelejts) for Piano, Op. 13, DD 13

It's a more pianistic work, in three with an arpeggiated bass line and an expressive cantabile beginning. All these openings beg their second halves - they are very much a solid thought and very much in a particular style, But still the boy is in his early teens.


1891
Ländler No. 1 for Piano, Op. 14, DD 14

There are five of them, they show some invention at least their beginnings. Number one scans with "Beautiful Dreamer"


1891
Irma' Polka for Piano, Op. 15, DD 15

About one minute survives in B major.


1891
Radegund Echo (Radegundi visszhang) for Piano, Op. 16, DD 16

Simple and sustained, it calls out for a contrasting section in the minor.


1891
March (Indulo) for Piano, Op. 17, DD 17

A march for piano in 4, sounds like it could be Vive la Compagnie.


1891
Ländler No. 2 for Piano, Op. 18, DD 18

16 measures with a little rhythmic interest. He has also by this point started using a predominant chord.


1891
Circus Polka (Cirkusz polka) for Piano, Op. 19, DD 19

The opening four measures show a leap down of an octave.


1891
The Course of the Danube (A Duna folyása) for Piano, Op. 20, DD 20

It is believed that Bartok performed this nearly 17-minute cycle in 1891. It seems like a set of variations but admittedly, it’s hard to make any judgment based on what I've seen. The beginnings look similar and the harmonies are as you might expect tonic and dominant, so if this were the measure of variation, then the entire corpus that he's composed to this point could be variation. The opening movement shows promise.



1894
The Course of the Danube (A Duna folyása) for Violin and Piano, DD 20b -- arrangement of DD 20

An arrangement of number 20.


1891?
Sonatina No. 2 for Piano, Op. 21, DD 21

Two movements, the first fast the second Adagio with sustained triads in the left hand and a melody homorhythmic above.


1892
Ländler No. 3 for Piano, Op. 22, DD 22

LOST


1892
Spring Song (Tavaszi dal) for Piano, Op. 23, DD 23

Perhaps the first work here in the minor, the accompaniment is simply arpeggiated chords, but the melody makes use of the five and six scale degrees of the minor.


1892
Szöllos Piece (Szöllosi darab) for Piano, Op. 24, DD 24

LOST


1893
Margit' Polka for Piano, Op. 25, DD 25

The beginning of what must be a parallel period.


1893
Ilona' Mazurka for Piano, Op. 26, DD 26

Amazing how much he does with tonic and dominant and all of it not particularly interesting. These would be good compositional exercises for a harmony class.


1893
Loli' Mazurka for Piano, Op. 27, DD 27

Parallel period in I and V7 then adding embellishing 2 - its really close to Johann Strauss especially also with its leading-tones jumping to supertonics on the downbeat (F#-A-G-C#-E-D|B)


1893
Lajos' Waltz ('Lajos' valczer) for Piano, Op. 28, DD 28

Good one for looking at appoggiaturas and their use. Very close to #28.


1894
Elza' Polka for Piano, Op. 29, DD 29

Tonic dominant opening with a trio in scalar passages and using the secondary dominant.


1894
Andante con variazioni for Piano, Op. 30, DD 30

A five minute set of variations with an exhortatory opening.


1894
X.Y. for Piano, Op. 31, DD 31

LOST


1894
Sonata No. 1 in G Minor for Piano, Op. 1, DD 32

It seems with this four-movement piece and judging just from the openings of the movements, that Bartok had got his hand on a collection of Beethoven's sonatas. The first references the Appassionata and the fourth the Tempest.


1894
Scherzo in G Minor for Piano, DD 33

A scherzo with trio in the minor and then the major - the melody is actually put in the left hand.


1895
Fantasie in A Minor for Piano, Op. 2, DD 34

Definitely made at the piano.


1895
Sonata No. 2 in F Major for Piano, Op. 3, DD 35

A twenty-minute sonata that shows the influence of Mozart.


1895
Capriccio in B Minor for Piano, Op. 4, DD 36

More Beethoven in this opening.


1895
Sonata in C Minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 5, DD 37

A lot of promise in this multimovement piece. The first movement is a monument of diminished chords. It seems at this point that Bartok is consistently tuneful, consistently foursquare and shows major influence of Beethoven and Mozart - Beethoven for openings and slow movements and Mozart for Rondos and lighter elements.


1895
Sonata No. 3 in C Major for Piano, Op. 6, DD 38

LOST


1895
Pieces for Violin, Op. 7, DD 39

LOST


1896
Two Fantasias for Violin, Ops. 8 and 9, DD 40 and DD 41

LOST


1896
String Quartet No. 1 in B Major, Op. 10, DD 42

LOST


1896
String Quartet No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 11, DD 43

LOST


1897
Andante, Scherzo and Finale for Piano, Op. 12, DD 44

LOST


1897
Three Piano Pieces (Drei Klavierstücke), Op. 12, DD 45 Spring Song (Tavaszi dal), Valse (Valcer), In Wallachian Style (Oláhos)

Only number one is fully printed - in Der junge Bartok, it's a little presto that's reminiscent of Elf-Mendelssohn and Grieg - without the harmonic fun. The other two I've seen only the opening, the third is an adagio in Abm.


1897
Piano Quintet in C Major, Op. 14, DD 46

LOST


1897
Two Pieces for Piano, Op. 15, DD 47

LOST


1897
Great Fantasy for Piano, Op. 16, DD 48

LOST


1897
Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 17, DD 49

LOST

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