Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók's work set in the context of his homeland Hungary.
2008 printing
Kenneth Chalmers
- Sets Béla Bartók (1881–1945) and his work in the context of his homeland Hungary and his native city Budapest, where he lived for most of his adult life
- Covers the full range of his work from his early explorations of the folklore of Hungary to his Third Piano Concerto composed on his deathbed in the United States
- Brings out the singular nature of his genius and the originality of his contribution to music
Paperback
156 x 220 mm, 6 1/8 x 8 5/8 in
240 pp
80 black and white illustrations
ISBN 9780714847702
0714847704
Born into the heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Béla Bartók (1881-1945) became a fervent nationalist, setting off with his friend Zoltán Kodály to record their native folk music: these sounds and experiences were a formative influence on his compositions.
Bartók's distaste for authoritarian rule brought him into conflict with both the Hungarian government and Adolf Hitler's Germany, and in 1940 he emigrated to the United States. Despite his disillusionment and poor health, he continued to compose outstanding works there, never compromising his ideals nor losing his innocence.
Kenneth Chalmers is an author, translator and composer who has written on Bartók, Berg, Stravinsky, Verdi and Weill, and collaborated on Decca's 20-volume Mozart Almanac.
'As a series, Phaidon's 20th Century Composers has brought remarkable variety and a welter of information, both necessary and delightfully trivial. Intended both for the general reader and for the more enthusiatically musical...' (The Scotsman)