Béla Bartók

Béla Viktor János Bartók (March 25, 1881 – September 26, 1945) was a composer, pianist and collector of East European folk music. Bartók was one of the founders of the field of ethnomusicology, the study of folk music and the music of non-Western cultures.

Early musical career

He later studied piano under István Thoman and composition under János Koessler at the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest. There he met Zoltán Kodály and together they collected folk music from the region. This was to have a major impact on his style. Previously, Bartók's idea of Hungarian folk music was derived from the gypsy melodies to be found in the works of Franz Liszt, and in 1903 Bartók had written a large orchestral work, Kossuth, which honored Lajos Kossuth, hero of the Hungarian revolution of 1848, incorporated such gypsy melodies.

Related Topics:
Piano - István Thoman - János Koessler - Budapest - Zoltán Kodály - Franz Liszt - 1903 - Orchestra - Lajos Kossuth - 1848

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