Béla Bartók
Hungarian composer and pianist
Béla Viktor János Bartók (Hungarian: [ˈbɒrtoːk ˈbeːlɒ]; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hungary's greatest composers. Among his notable works are the opera Bluebeard's Castle, the ballet The Miraculous Mandarin, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, the Concerto for Orchestra and six string quartets. Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became known as ethnomusicology. Per Anthony Tommasini, Bartók "has empowered generations of subsequent composers to incorporate folk music and classical traditions from whatever culture into their works," and was "a formidable modernist who in the face of Schoenberg’s breathtaking formulations showed another way, forging a language that was an amalgam of tonality, unorthodox scales and atonal wanderings." His work is often described as being a combination of traditional peasants' folk music and avant-garde music.
Read more about this composer on Wikipedia.
Works
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- Kossuth, Sz. 21, BB 31, DD 75a 1903
- Four Hungarian Folk Songs, first series (Magyar népdalok, I sorozat) BB 37, Sz. 29 1910
- Allegro barbaro, BB63, Sz.49 1911 Keyboard
- Duke Bluebeard's Castle, op. 11, BB62: Opera 1911 Stage
- Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56, BB 68 1915
- Suite for Piano, op. 14, BB70, Sz.62 1916 Keyboard
- 8 Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, op. 20, BB83, Sz.74 1920 Keyboard
- Dance Suite, Sz. 77, BB 86a 1923
- Piano Concerto no. 1 in A major, BB91, Sz.83 1926 Orchestral
- Piano Sonata in A-flat major, BB 12, DD 51 1926
- Violin Sonata no. 1 in C sharp minor, op. 21, BB84, Sz.75 1926 Chamber
- Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra no. 1, BB94b, Sz.87 1928 Orchestral
- Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra no. 2, BB96b, Sz.90 1928 Orchestral
- Hungarian Pictures, Sz.97, BB103: I. An Evening in the Village 1931
- Piano Concerto no. 2 in G major, BB101, Sz.95 1931 Orchestral
- Concerto for Violin and Orchestra no. 1, Sz. 36, BB 48a 1938
- Violin Concerto no. 1, BB48a, Sz.36 1938 Orchestral
- Violin Concerto no. 2 in B minor, BB117, Sz.112 1938 Orchestral
- Divertimento for String Orchestra, BB118 1939 Orchestral
- Sonata for Violin Solo, BB124, Sz.117 1944 Chamber
- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Sz. 120, BB 128 1945
- Piano Concerto no. 3 in E major, BB127, Sz.119 1945 Orchestral
- Viola Concerto 1945
- "From Olden Times" for three-part male choir, Sz. 104, BB 112
- 14 Bagatelle, op. 6, BB50 Keyboard
- 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs, BB79, Sz.71 Keyboard
- 2 Elegies, op. 8b, BB49, Sz.41 Keyboard
- 2 Pictures, op. 10, BB59, Sz.46 Orchestral
- 2 Romanian Dances, op. 8a, BB56 Keyboard
- 3 Burlesques, op. 8c, BB55, Sz.47 Keyboard
- 3 Hungarian Folk Tunes, BB80b, Sz.66 Keyboard
- 3 Hungarian Folksongs from Csík, BB45b, Sz.35a Keyboard
- 3 Hungarian Folksongs from Csík, Sz. 35a, BB 45b
- 3 Klavierstucke, BB14 Keyboard
- 3 Klavierstucke, BB8 Keyboard
- 3 Rondos on Slovak Folktunes, BB92, Sz.84 Keyboard
- 3 Studies, op. 18, BB81, Sz.72 Keyboard
- 4 Dirges, op. 9a, BB58, Sz.45 Keyboard
- 4 Old Hungarian Folksongs, for male chorus, BB60, Sz.50 Vocal
- 4 Orchestral Pieces, op. 12, BB64, Sz.51 Orchestral
- 4 Piano Pieces, BB27, DD71 Keyboard
- 4 Slovak Folksongs, BB78 Vocal
- 4 Slovakian Folksongs, BB46, Sz.35b Vocal
- 44 Duos for Two Violins, Sz. 98, BB 104
- 5 Hungarian Folksongs, for mixed chorus, Sz.93, BB99 Vocal
- 5 Magyar nepdalok, BB 108 Vocal
- 5 Songs, BB72, Sz.63, op. 16 Vocal
- 7 Sketches, op. 9b, Sz. 44
- 9 Little Piano Pieces, BB90, Sz.82 Keyboard
- A kékszakállú herceg vára, Sz. 48, BB 62
- Albumblatt, for violin and piano, BB26b Chamber
- Andante Keyboard
- Cantata profana for tenor, baritone, double chorus & orchestra (or piano), Sz. 94, BB 100 “The Enchanted Stags”
- Ciaia Sonata in G Keyboard
- Concerto for 2 Pianos, Percussion, and Orchestra, BB121, Sz.115 Orchestral
- Concerto for Orchestra, BB123, Sz.116 Orchestral
- Contrasts, for clarinet, violin, and piano, BB116 Chamber
- Duo for 2 violins, without opus; without Sz. Chamber
- Eight Hungarian Folksongs Vocal
- En plein air Keyboard
- First Term at the Piano, BB66, Sz.53 Keyboard
- Five songs for voice & orchestra, Sz. 61, BB 71, op. 15
- For Children, Sz. 42, BB 53
- Four Dirges, Sz. 45, BB 58
- Four Piano Pieces, Sz. 22, BB 27, DD 71
- From Gyergó, for recorder and piano, BB45a, Sz.35 Chamber
- Fugue in G minor, for organ and strings Keyboard
- Gyergyóból, tilinkóra és zongorára, Sz. 35, BB 45a
- Herzog Blaubarts Burg
- Hungarian Folk Tunes
- Hungarian Folksongs for Voice & Piano, Volume 1, Sz. 33, BB 42
- Hungarian Folksongs, BB 109
- Hungarian Peasant Songs, BB107, Sz.100 Orchestral
- Hungarian Sketches, Sz. 97, BB 103
- Hungarian folksongs for voice & orchestra, Sz. 101, BB 108
- Húsz magyar népdal in 4 volumes, BB98, Sz.92 Vocal
- Kontrasztok, Sz. 111
- Liebeslieder for voice and piano, BB 20, DD 62
- Magyar nepdalok, BB109 Keyboard
- Mikrokosmos, Sz. 107, BB 105
- Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, BB114, Sz.106 Orchestral
- Négy dal Pósa Lajos szövegeire, Sz. 15, BB 24, DD 67
- Négy szlovák népdal, Sz. 35b, BB 46
- Négy tót népdal (Slovak folksongs) for four-part choir & piano, Sz. 70, BB 78
- Old Hungarian folksongs for four-part male choir, Sz. 50, BB 60
- Out of Doors, BB89 Keyboard
- Pastorale for keyboard in C Keyboard
- Petite Suite, BB113, Sz.105 Keyboard
- Petits morceaux, for piano, BB38 Keyboard
- Piano Method (Zongoraiskola), BB 66, Sz. 52
- Piano Quintet, BB33 Chamber
- Piano Quintet, Sz. 23
- Rhapsody for Cello and Piano, BB94c, Sz.88 Chamber
- Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra, op. 1, BB36b, Sz.27 Orchestral
- Romanian Christmas Carols, 20 pieces in 2 series, BB67, Sz.57 Keyboard
- Romanian Dance, BB61, Sz.47a Orchestral
- Román népi táncok, BB68, Sz.56 Keyboard
- Scherzo in B major, BB11 Keyboard
- Scherzo (Burlesque), DD 68, Sz. 28, BB 25, op. 2
- Six danses populaires roumaines, for trumpet and ensemble Chamber
- Slovak folksongs for four-part male choir, Sz. 69, BB 77
- Slovakian Dance
- Sonata for 2 Pianos and 2 Percussion, BB115, Sz.110 Chamber
- Sonata for Recorder and Continuo in B flat major, SF. 775 Keyboard
- Sonatina over themes of peasants from Transsylvania Keyboard
- Sonatina, BB 102a
- Sonatina, BB69, Sz.55 Keyboard
- Sonatina, Sz. 55, BB 69
- String Quartet no. 1 in A minor, op. 7, BB52, Sz.40 Chamber
- String Quartet no. 1, Sz. 40, BB 52
- String Quartet no. 2 in A minor, op. 17, BB75, Sz.67 Chamber
- String Quartet no. 3 in C sharp major, BB93, Sz.85 Chamber
- String Quartet no. 3, Sz. 85, BB 93
- String Quartet no. 4 in C major, BB95 Chamber
- String Quartet no. 4, Sz. 91, BB 95
- String Quartet no. 5 in B flat major, BB110, Sz.102 Chamber
- String Quartet no. 5, Sz. 102, BB 110
- String Quartet no. 6 in D major, BB119, Sz.114 Chamber
- String Quartet no. 6, Sz. 114, BB 119
- Suite for Orchestra no. 1, Sz. 31, BB 39 Orchestral
- Suite for Orchestra no. 2, op. 4, BB40, Sz.34 Orchestral
- Suite for Two Pianos, op. 4b, Sz. 115a, BB 122
- Suite no. 1, op. 3, Sz. 31
- Suite paysanne hongroise
- Székely songs for six-part male choir, Sz. 99, BB 106
- Ten Easy Pieces, Sz. 39, BB 51
- The Barbarian
- The Miraculous Mandarin, BB 82, Sz. 73, op. 19
- The Wooden Prince, op. 13, BB74 Stage
- Three Burlesques, Sz. 47, BB 55
- Three Hungarian Folktunes, Sz. 65-66
- Toccata in G Keyboard
- Toccata no. 1 for keyboard Keyboard
- Toccata no. 2 for keyboard Keyboard
- Transylvanian Dances, BB102b, Sz.96 Orchestral
- Transylvanian Dances, for orchestra, Sz. 96, BB 102b
- Tre Correnti Keyboard
- Twenty Hungarian folksongs for voice & piano in four volumes, Sz. 92, BB 98
- Two Pictures
- Two Portraits, for violin and orchestra, op. 5, BB48b, Sz.37 Orchestral
- Two Romanian Folksongs (Két román népdal) for Female Choir, BB 57
- Village Scenes, for female voice and piano, Sz. 78, BB 87a
- Violin Sonata in E minor, BB28 Chamber
- Violin Sonata no. 2 in C major, BB85, Sz.76 Chamber
Box sets & recent recordings
- Bartók: Complete Solo Piano Works — Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kocsis (2005) box set · 308 tracks Spotify
- Karajan A-Z: Adam - Bartók — Johann Sebastian Bach, Herbert von Karajan, Adolphe Adam, Béla Bartók (2024) box set · 199 tracks Spotify
- Bartok: Piano Music, Vol. 5: Mikrokosmos (Complete) — Béla Bartók, Jenő Jandó (2006) box set · 153 tracks Spotify
- The Complete Warner Classics Edition — Belcea Quartet, Benjamin Britten, Béla Bartók, Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré, George Butterworth, Henri Dutilleux, Johannes Brahms, Maurice Ravel, Samuel Barber (2025) box set · 120 tracks Spotify
- Bartók: Orchestral Music — Béla Bartók, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer (2006) box set · 52 tracks Spotify
- Bartok Plays Bartok — Béla Bartók (2010) box set · 37 tracks Spotify
- Bartók the Pianist — Béla Bartók (2016) box set · 35 tracks Spotify
Box sets & recent releases via Spotify — surfaced automatically, not editorial picks.