Mikrokosmos (Béla Bartók)

For the 1996 movie, see Microcosmos.

Béla Bartók's Mikrokosmos Sz. 107, BB 105 consists of 153 progressive piano pieces in six volumes written between 1926 and 1939. The individual pieces progress from very easy and simple beginner études to very difficult advanced technical displays, and are used in modern piano lessons and education. In total, according to Bartók, the piece "appears as a synthesis of all the musical and technical problems which were treated and in some cases only partially solved in the previous piano works." Volumes one and two are dedicated to his son Péter, while volumes five and six are intended as professionally performable concert pieces.^[1] Bartók also indicated that these pieces could also be played on other instruments; Huguette Dreyfus for example has recorded pieces from Books 3 through 6 on the clavecin.

• Volumes I-II: Pieces 1-36 and 37-66, beginner
• Volumes III-IV: Pieces 67-96 and 97-121, moderate to advanced
• Volumes V-VI: 122-139 and 140-153, professional

The opening (mm. 1-76) of "Boating" (V, 125) is typical of the modernist compositional techniques used in the later volumes, featuring the bimodal use of the pentatonic collection on E♭ in the right hand and either G mixolydian or dorian collections in the left:

Bartók's "Boating" RH and LH pitch collections.^[2]

Volume VI contains the "Six Dances In Bulgarian Rhythm", dedicated to Miss Harriet Cohen. Bulgarian rhythm is one in which the beats in each bar are of unequal length. For example, the first dance (148) is grouped into 4+2+3 quavers in each bar.

Pianists who have recorded all six volumes include György Sándor, Homero Francesch, Zoltán Kocsis, Jenő Jandó, Claude Helffer, and Georges Solchany.

References

1. ^ Carpenter, Alexander AllMusic.com: Mikrokosmos, Retrieved 01:10, April 2, 2005 (UTC)
2. ^ Stein, Deborah (2005). "Introduction to Musical Ambiguity" in Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis, p.82-3. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-517010-5.