Bartók: For Children, Vol. 1 - The First Term at The Piano - Şahan Arzruni, piano

Bela Bartok For Children Vol 1 liner notes

Bela Bartok, of all the great composers of the twentieth century, was by all standards the most notable in his involvement with folk music. In contrast to the Gypsy music employed by Brahms and Liszt, it was the Hungarian peasant music that Bartok introduced into the instrumental and vocal repertoire; he made the world aware of the true eastern European musical culture. As Bartok wrote, the study of Hungarian folklore had a decisive influence upon his work because it freed him from "the tyrannical rule of the major and minor keys." The first volume of For Children is a collection of Hungarian folk tunes presented in simple settings. Their incredible originality in melodic line, rhythmic construction, and harmonic language makes the collection an invaluable tool for introducing the young and unprejudiced student-pianist into the world of contemporary music. The First Term at the Piano consists of eighteen very short compositions written for the piano method of Reschofsky. In every aspect they are much simpler and more conventional than For Children. Some are based on actual folk songs; others are original compositions.