271
See also: Also sprach Zarathustra 192–194 ■ The Bartered Bride 206 ■ Dvorˇ á k’s
Symphony No. 9 212–215 ■ Finlandia 220–221 ■ The Lark Ascending 252–253MODERN 1900 –1950
From the 1920s, Bartók began to
experiment with incorporating
percussive textures into his music,
vividly exemplified in the pizzicato
(plucked) fourth movement of his
Fourth Quartet (1928). In the Fifth
Quartet (1934), Bartók combined
this technical experimentation
with the folk music that he had long
been absorbing. The piece begins
in a simple 4/4 time signature but
soon includes intricate rhythmic
mosaics and snatches of folk
melodies, accompanied by plucked
sounds and dissonant drones. At
the climax of the movement, a wild
Hungarian dance is conjured out of
a melody first heard near the start.
The Fifth Quartet’s skeletal
second movement, like its fourth
movement, includes “night music,”
comprising eerie dissonances and
imitated natural sounds; this style,
created by Bartók, is often used in
his slow passages. Hushed chords
accompany a desperately sad,
almost breathlessly stuttering
comment from the first violin.
After a restrained climax, the
music dies out with trills and
a slide to silence in the cello.The time signatures of the highly
challenging central fast scherzo
movement, marked Alla bulgarese,
features rhythms typical of
Bulgarian folk music, with nine
quavers in each bar, organized in
uneven groups of 4+2+3. A muted
soft pattern of notes, performed
faster than one can hear, introduces
the Trio section—again reflecting a
popular folk rhythm of 10 quavers
per bar in groups of 3+2+2+3.
The fourth movement is a
variation of the second. Plucked
sounds replace the bowed strings
until an oscillating drone appears
in the viola, accompanying an
ornate version of the theme. After
the restrained climax, Bartok adds
a stormy passage with tremolos
and loud unison outbursts. Some
spectacularly fast and furious
music follows, and then the notes
of the two violins ascend with
tranquil phrases from the viola and
cello, creating a heavenly chorale.
Soft, guitarlike slides in the cello
bring the movement to an end.Drama to the last
Although the finale recalls the first
movement, it is well disguised.
Frenzied activity in all instruments,
lightning handovers, and strong
dissonances are followed by soft
scurrying music that becomes
louder and more insistent. The
culmination is a massively loud,
harmonized melody with a
resounding ending. The second
violin briefly plays the most simple
and slow version of the tune with
a rolling accompaniment. The
first violin then joins in, but in a
clashing key. However, this relaxed
dissonance is not a conclusion; a
crashing interruption brings the
work to a chaotic end. ■Béla Viktor
János BartókBorn in Nagyszentmiklos,
Hungary, in 1881, by the age
of 11 Bartók had made public
appearances as a pianist and
composer. He later studied
at the Budapest Academy
of Music. Despite the strong
German cultural influence of
his time, Bartók embraced the
new Hungarian nationalism
and took to wearing national
dress. From 1905, he began a
long collaboration with fellow
Hungarian Zoltán Kodály to
popularize folk songs and
gained a practical knowledge
of string writing from both folk
and classical musicians.
Bartók had a successful
career as a pianist, performing
throughout Europe and in the
United States with musicians
such as the jazz clarinetist
Benny Goodman. With the rise
of fascism, he refused to play
in Germany after 1933. In 1940,
he left Budapest for the United
States and died there in 1945.Other key works1911 Bluebeard’s Castle
1931 44 Duos for Two Violins
1936 Music for Strings,
Percussion, and Celesta
1939 DivertimentoWith maturity comes the
wish to economize—to be
more simple. Maturity is the
period when one finds
the just measure.
Béla BartókUS_270-271_Bartok.indd 271 26/03/18 1:01 PM