Bartók and His World (The Bard Music Festival 6)

Béla Bartók, who died in New York fifty years ago this September, is one of the most frequently performed twentieth-century composers. He is also the subject of a rapidly growing critical and analytical literature. Bartók was born in Hungary and made his home there for all but his last five years, when he resided in the United States. As a result, many aspects of his life and work have been accessible only to readers of Hungarian. The main goal of this volume is to provide English-speaking audiences with new insights into the life and reception of this musician, especially in Hungary. Part I begins with an essay by Leon Botstein that places Bartók in a large historical and cultural context. László Somfai reports on the catalog of Bartók's works that is currently in progress. Peter Laki shows the extremes of the composer's reception in Hungary, while Tibor Tallián surveys the often mixed reviews from the American years. The essays of Carl Leafstedt and Vera Lampert deal with his librettists Béla Balázs and Melchior Lengyel respectively. David Schneider addresses the artistic relationship between Bartók and Stravinsky. Most of the letters and interviews in Part II concern Bartók's travels and emigration as they reflected on his personal life and artistic evolution. Part III presents early critical assessments of Bartók's work as well as literary and poetic responses to his music and personality. Out Of Hungary : Bartók, Modernism, And The Cultural Politics Of Twentieth-century Music / Leon Botstein -- Why Is A Bartók Thematic Catalog Sorely Needed? / Lásló Somfai -- The Gallows And The Altar : Poetic Criticism And Critical Poetry About Bartók In Hungary / Peter Laki -- Bartók's Reception In America, 1940-1945 / Tibor Tallián -- Bluebeard As Theater : The Influence Of Maeterlinck And Hebbel On Balázs's Bluebeard Drama / Carl Leafstedt-- The Miraculous Mandarin : Melchior Lengyel, His Pantomime, And His Connections To Béla Bartók / Vera Lampert -- Bartók And Stravinsky : Respect, Competition, Influence, And The Hungarian Reaction To Modernism In The 1920s / David E. Schneider -- (cont.) Travel Reports From Three Continents : A Selection Of Letters From Béla Bartók -- Béla Bartók : An Interview By Dezső Kosztolányi -- A Conversation With Béla Bartók -- Recollections Of Béla Bartók -- A Change In Style / Edwin Von Der Nüll -- Bartóks Third String Quartet / Theodor Adorno -- Bartók's Foreign Tour / Aladár Tóth -- Two Bartók Obituaries / Bence Szabolcsi -- A Selection Of Poems Inspired By Béla Bartók. Edited By Peter Laki. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The main goal of this volume is to provide English-speaking audiences with new insights into the life and reception of this musician, especially in Hungary. Part I begins with an essay by Leon Botstein that places Bartok in a large historical and cultural context. Lászlo Somfai reports on the catalog of Bartók's works that is currently in progress. Peter Laki shows the extremes of the composer's reception in Hungary, while Tibor Tallián surveys the often mixed reviews from the American years. The essays of Carl Leafstedt and Vera Lampert deal with his librettists Bela Balázs and Melchior Lengyel respectively. David Schneider addresses the artistic relationship between Bartók and Stravinsky. Most of the letters and interviews in Part II concern Bartók's travels and emigration as they reflected on his personal life and artistic evolution. Part III presents early critical assessments of Bartók's work as well as literary and poetic responses to his music and personality Bela Bartok, who died in New York, is one of the most frequently performed twentieth-century composers. He is also the subject of a growing critical and analytical literature. Divided into three parts, this volume aims to provide insights into the life and reception of this musician, especially in Hungary.