Béla Bartók (1881–1945)
Bartók’s only opera was A kékszakállu herceg vára(1918), usually cited as Duke
Bluebeard’s Castleor simply Bluebeard’s Castle.It is in ASO149/150 (1992) and
ENOG44 (1991).
- Antokoletz, Elliott. Béla Bartók: A Guide to Research.2nd ed. Garland Com-
poser Resource Manuals, 40. New York: Garland, 1997. xxxvii, 489p. ISBN
0-8153-2088-4. ML134 .B18 A7.
First edition, 1988. Consists of 1,200 numbered entries for writings by and
about the composer, thoroughly annotated and indexed. About 50 items relate
to Bluebeard’s Castle. - Antokoletz, Elliott. “Bartók’s Bluebeard: The Sources of Its Modernism.” Col-
lege Music Symposium30–1 (Spring 1990): 75–95.
Historical sources of the opera, genesis, reception, and performance history.
Detailed harmonic and structural analysis. Demonstrates how the work
reflects the symbolism that had arisen in late-19th-century literature. - Heath, Mary Joanne Renner. “A Comparative Analysis of Dukas’ Ariane et
Barbe-bleuand Bartók’sDuke Bluebeard’s Castle.” Ph.D. diss., Eastman
School of Music, 1988. 219p. - Kroó, György. “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle.” Studia musicologica1 (1961):
251–340.
A detailed account of all aspects of the opera: genesis, influences, and technical
analysis. - Leafstedt, Carl. “Music and Drama in Béla Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s
Castle.” Ph.D. diss., Harvard U., 1994. 345p.
A revision of this dissertation has been announced for publication in 2000 by
Oxford University Press. - Leafstedt, Carl. “Pelléas Revealed: The Original Ending of Bartók’s Opera
Duke Bluebeard’s Castle.” In Bartók Perspectives,ed. Elliott Antokoletz, et al.
New York: Oxford U.P., projected for 2000.
Considers the revisions made by the composer after the premiere, especially in
the concluding scene. The influence of Debussy, apparent in the original, was
obscured in the alterations. - Leafstedt, Carl. “Bluebeard as Theater: The Influence of Maeterlinck and
Hebbel on Balázs’s Bluebeard Drama.” In Bartók and His World,ed. Peter
Laki, 119–148 (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton U.P., 1995. ISBN 0-691-00633-4.
ML410 .B26 B272).
Examines the sources for the libretto by Béla Balázs, including folk and Orien-
tal material. Symbolist Maurice Maeterlinck and philosopher Friedrich
Hebbel were influential. A comparison of Maeterlinck’s Arianewith Blue-
beardis offered, and Hebbel’s theories of drama are discussed.
110 Opera