INSIDE THE SCORE

Interactive Score with Sir András Schiff (Screenshot)

From folk song to piano composition - For Children No. 35

For Children (“Gyermekeknek”) is the first major work by Béla Bartók specifically aimed at young players. This interactive score gives insight into Bartók's work, not only as composer, but also as a collector of folk music and as a pianist.

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"A bit tipsy..." – Bartók’s II. Burlesque

"A bit tipsy..." ("kicsit ázottan...") is the subtitle of Bartók’s II. Burlesque. The piece, written in 1911, illustrates the Hungarian composer’s musical imagination and sense of humour.

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Out of Doors – "The Night's Music"

Folk music and nature both provided inspiration for Bartók's musical imagination. "The Night’s Music” from the piano collection Out of Doors (1926) is an impressive testimony to the evocative power of his music.

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Folk Song as a key to interpretation - For Children No. 25

For Children (1908–1911, rev. 1943) consists of over 80 arrangements of Hungarian and Slovakian folk tunes and children's songs, many of which Bartók collected himself. In No. 25, András Schiff demonstrates that knowing the original folk songs, their text and meaning, can give additional depth to understanding and playing the music.

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The Composer as performer - For Children No. 31

Shortly before his death, Bartók recorded some pieces from the piano collection For Children for an American radio station. It is fascinating to hear the freedom with which the composer plays his own music.

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The online scores of For Children are based on the Urtext edition of the revised version of the piano collection published by G. Henle Verlag in cooperation with Editio Musica Budapest (HN 1225). Also compare volume 37 of the Complete Critical Edition of Bartók's works (G. Henle Verlag/Editio Musica Budapest 2016). Both publications were edited by László Vikárius in collaboration with Vera Lampert.

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Bartók and his world

Béla Bartók was a leading composer, a superb pianist, a prominent collector of folk music and an influential teacher. Find out more about his music, life and world.

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Education projects

Bartók’s music has played a central role in the long-term educational work of Klavier-Festival Ruhr for many years. His works are ideally suited for music and dance projects with young people of all ages, due to their richness of expression, rhythmic power and close relationship to folk music.

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