Bartók's Fourth String Quartet - 8 (Finale)

Hoday,

As a whole, the themes of the first and fourth movement are of the same material. The expansions and contractions of short cells and irregular rhythmic patterns follow the traditions of his native Bulgarian folk music. Rhythmic elements of both old Hungarian and Romanian hora lunga are present.(17) Bartók solved some of the problems he faced in his previous quartet by using the arch form known as Architect Tonically.(18) And if one desires to attach a key signature to the some of the movements they could call the first movement in C-major, the second movement in E-major, and the fourth movement in A-flat major, taking a major third followed by a minor third approach. The fourth movement used more diatonic idioms while the third movement, the apogee, is most representative of Hungarian Folk Music with a beginning and ending cello playing a tarogato melody. The fifth and final movement is related to the first movement but doesn't reveal itself until measure 15 and then again in full force about half-way into the movement at measure 100. The piece is simple yet composed with thought to current complexity of the time and notes a change to a different and mature style of writing.

Every period of music was rich with exceptional composers who made a difference in its mannerism. And it is only opinion that most musicians of serious study may agree that Bartók could be one of the greatest composers. Serious music today is difficult to celebrate amidst the mainstream of mediocrity, not only in the the realm of symphony music, but also in the fact that pop music has possibly reached its end as new ideas only emulate a shorter and condensed versions of old ideas. But for those who study the true masters of our music history they will encounter Belá Bartók and employ his music unanimously with the great composers of all time.

This report was only a short beginning looking back in history at great composers. I hope you enjoyed this first series.

"Like the poet, he followed his own road and held his head high If art has lost in Him a master, and science luminary, this world of ethical conjecture in which we live has lost a man, in the fullest sense of the term: honest, without reproach, and - in a word - right."(19) Constantine Brailoiu - philosopher


Footnotes:
(1) Halsey Stevens, The Life and Music of Belá Bartók (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2002),Introduction.
(2) ibid.,Cover.
(3) Belá Bartók, The Bartók String Quartets, (Julliard String Quartet),RCA CRL2-5801.
(4) Robert H. Amend, A Survey of Media Production (Denver: Metropolitan State College of Denver, 2004),Chapter One.
(5) Erno Lendvai, Belá Bartók (Khan and Averill, 1971),51.
(6) Halsey Stevens, The Life and Music of Belá Bartók (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2002),Introduction.
(7) Elliot Antokoletz, The Music of Belá Bartók (Berkley Los Angeles: UNiversity of California Press, 2000),94.
(8) Erno Lendvai, Belá Bartók (Khan and Averill, 1971),51.
(9) ibid,.51.
(10) Halsey Stevens, The Life and Music of Belá Bartók (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2002),306.
(11) Erno Lendvai, Belá Bartók (Khan and Averill, 1971),115.
(12) Fred Lerdahl, Spacial and Psychoacoustic Factors in Antonal Prolongation (Current Musicology 63, 1996),Article No.1.
(13) Erno Lendvai, Belá Bartók (Khan and Averill, 1971),117.
(14) Fred Lerdahl, Spacial and Psychoacoustic Factors in Antonal Prolongation (Current Musicology 63, no.1, 1996):9.
(15) ibid.,14.
(16) Quoted by Harry Cassin Becker, in Musical America, 17 December 1927.
(18) Bartók, The Six String Quartets, The Julliard String Qaurtet, Columbia Records D3L317/R64-1671.
(19) Brailoiu, C., Belá Bartók folkloriste (Address at the third plenary session of the commission Internationale des Arts et Traditions Populaires, Paris, October 1947).