Bartók's Mikrokosmos: Genesis, Pedagogy, and Style

by Benjamin Suchoff

Overview

Now available in paperback! Béla Bartók's Mikrokosmos is a collection of 153 pieces for piano designed by the composer as a series graded according to difficulty. The pieces were written between 1926 and 1939, and have become by far the best-known series of teaching pieces by a major composer in the twentieth century.

This in-depth study investigates Bartók's Mikrokosmos from three main viewpoints: the genesis of the pieces, their pedagogical value, and their stylistic qualities. The book is intended for piano teachers, students, and performers as well as anyone interested in Bartók's life and work as pianist, educator, and composer.

Cloth originally published in 2002 under ISBN 0-8108-4427-3.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461656722
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/21/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Benjamin Suchoff is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles and a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He has been successor trustee of the estate of Béla Bartók, curator of its New York Bartók Archive, and editor of the fifteen-volume Bartók Archive Studies in Musicology Series and the two volumes of the Bartók Archive Edition series of piano works.

Table of Contents

Part 1 PART ONE: Genesis
Chapter 2 1. BARTÓK AS PIANIST
Chapter 3 2. BARTÓK AS TEACHER
Chapter 4 3. BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MIKROKOSMOS
Part 5 PART TWO: Pedagogy
Chapter 6 4. TECHNIQUE AND MUSICIANSHIP
Chapter 7 5. FORMAT AND DEFINITIONS
Chapter 8 6. VOLUME ONE
Chapter 9 7. VOLUME TWO
Chapter 10 8. VOLUME THREE
Chapter 11 9. VOLUME FOUR
Chapter 12 10. VOLUME FIVE
Chapter 13 11. VOLUME SIX
Part 14 PART THREE: Style
Chapter 15 12. BARTÓK'S MUSICAL LANGUAGE
Chapter 16 13. VOLUME ONE
Chapter 17 14. VOLUME TWO
Chapter 18 15. VOLUME THREE
Chapter 19 16. VOLUME FOUR
Chapter 20 17. VOLUME FIVE
Chapter 21 18. VOLUME SIX

Editorial Reviews

Dr. Suchoff has given us the tools with which to fashion an approach to the teaching and performance of the Mikrokosmos. Written in a most accessible style, the result is a source book destined to accompany the Mikrokosmos into the future as part of our musical heritage.

Walter Ehret

For anyone who is interested in Mikrokosmos's relationship to Bartók's overall output or who uses the collection as part of their piano teaching, Suchoff's book will be essential reading.

Music Teacher

This book is excellent, especially so because of its comprehensiveness. An invaluable text for every student and teacher of piano.

John P. Paul

As it appears to me, it deals of a very good work and I shall not fail to recommend it to those who ask for information on Mikrokosmos.

Denijs Dille

Among the more notable literary contributions is Benjamin Suchoff's extensive monograph, Mikrokosmos, written with meticulous care and a vast knowledge.

John Weissmann