Bartok - Quasi Adagio: No 3 For Children

Background

Bela Bartok (1881 - 1945) was a Hungarian composer of huge musical significance. His study of Hungarian folk music permeates his piano music.

Bartok was from a musical family and was something of a child prodigy on the piano - he is reputed to have been able to play 40 piano pieces by the age of four!

Besides piano music Bartok wrote for chamber groups and for orchestra, as well as composing an opera.

Here is the composer, Bartok playing this piece.

Pupil Match & Suitability

Although this is a piece that comes from a collection for children, the music has great appeal for adults too, with its haunting melody and slow, yet dance-like rhythms.

The piece is most suitable for those students who have a good sense of rhythm and pulse, with quite well developed tone control for the grade level.

Final Performance

An excellent performance of this piece will show a sense of the rather sombre, yet poignant character. Tone control will be poised, enabling clearly defined textures and the performance will be rhythmical and well detailed. Fluency will be assured.

A good performance will certainly be rhythmical, with secure continuity. The hands may need more sensitive balance and there may be scope for more expressive detail and characterisation.

A sound performance will have reliable continuity with few slips and the pace will be appropriate. Rhythms may be less precise than in a good performance, particularly where longer notes have to be held.