For Children

Set of piano pieces by Béla Bartók
For Children
Piano music by Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók (1881–1945) at the composition time
Native nameGyermekeknek
Year1908 (1908) and 1909

For Children (Hungarian: Gyermekeknek) is a set of short piano pieces[1] composed by Béla Bartók in 1908 and 1909; 85 pieces were originally issued in four volumes. Each piece is based on a folk tune: Hungarian in the first two volumes (42 pieces), Slovak in the last two (43 pieces). In 1945, Bartók revised the set, removing six pieces that were inaccurately transcribed or had been found not to be original folk tunes, and substantially changing the harmonization of a number of others; the collection, now of 79 pieces, was reissued in two volumes (of 40 and 39 pieces).

The pieces were written for students to play, and progress slightly in difficulty through each half of the collection. In modern times, some concert pianists (notably Zoltán Kocsis) had begun including some of them on their recital programs, citing their musical value even apart from their pedagogical origins.

Contents

The final, revised version of For Children is divided into two volumes:

Volume I
  1. Játszó gyermekek (Children at Play). Allegro
  2. Gyermekdal (Children's Song). Andante
  3. Quasi adagio
  4. Párnatánc (Pillow Dance). Allegro
  5. Játék (Play). Allegretto
  6. Balkéztanulmány (Study for the Left Hand). Allegro
  7. Játékdal (Play Song). Andante grazioso
  8. Gyermekjáték (Children's Game). Allegretto
  9. Dal (Song). Adagio
  10. Gyermektánc (Children's Dance). Allegro molto
  11. Lento
  12. Allegro
  13. Ballada (Ballad). Andante
  14. Allegretto
  15. Allegro moderato
  16. Régi magyar dallam (Old Hungarian Tune). Andante rubato
  17. Körtánc (Round Dance). Lento
  18. Katonadal (Soldier's Song). Andante non troppo
  19. Allegretto
  20. Bordal (Drinking Song). Allegro
  21. Allegro robusto
  22. Allegretto
  23. Táncdal (Dance Song). Allegro grazioso
  24. Andante sostenuto
  25. Parlando
  26. Moderato
  27. Tréfa (Jest). Allegramente
  28. Kórusdal (Choral). Andante
  29. Ötfokú dallam (Pentatonic Tune). Allegro scherzando
  30. Gúnydal (Jeering Song). Allegro ironico
  31. Allegro tranquillo — attacca
  32. Andante
  33. Allegro non troppo
  34. Allegretto
  35. Con moto
  36. Részegek nótája (Drunkard's Song). Vivace
  37. Kanásznóta (Swine-herd's Song). Allegro
  38. Regös ének (Winter Solstice Song). Molto vivace
  39. Allegro moderato
  40. Kanásztánc (Swine-herd's Dance). Allegro vivace
Volume II
  1. Allegro
  2. Andante
  3. Allegretto
  4. Lakodalmas (Wedding Song). Andante
  5. Változatok (Variations). Molto andante — A tempo — A tempo — L'istesso tempo
  6. I. Körtánc (Round Dance I). Allegro
  7. Bánat (Sorrow). Andante
  8. Táncdal (Dance). Allegro non troppo
  9. II. Körtánc (Round Dance II). Andante
  10. Temetésre szól az ének (Funeral Song). Largo
  11. Lento — attacca
  12. Andante rubato — attacca
  13. Allegro
  14. Moderato
  15. I. Dudanóta (Bagpipe I). Molto tranquillo
  16. Panasz (Lament). Lento
  17. Andante
  18. Gúnydal (Teasing Song). Sostenuto
  19. Románc (Romance). Assai lento
  20. Kerget dzés (Game of Tag). Presto
  21. Tréfa (Pleasantry). Allegro moderato
  22. Duhajkodó (Revelry). Molto allegro
  23. Andante tranquillo - attacca
  24. Andante
  25. Scherzando. Allegretto
  26. Furulyaszó (Peasant's Flute). Andante, molto rubato
  27. Még egy tréfa (Pleasantry II). Allegro
  28. Andante, molto rubato
  29. Kánon (Canon). Allegro non troppo
  30. Szól a duda (Bagpipe II). Vivace
  31. Betyárnóta (The Highway Robber). Allegro
  32. Pesante
  33. Andante tranquillo
  34. Búcsú (Farewell). Adagio
  35. Ballada (Ballad). Moderato
  36. -
  37. Rapszódia (Rhapsody). Parlando, molto rubato
  38. Siratóének (Dirge). Lento
  39. Halotti ének (Mourning Song). Lento

See also

Mikrokosmos

  • An interactive score of Bartók’s For Children no. 25 with Sir András Schiff.
  • An interactive score of Bartók’s For Children no. 31 with Sir András Schiff.
  • An interactive score of Bartók’s For Children no. 35 with Sir András Schiff.
  1. ^ Listen to For Children in mp3
  • v
  • t
  • e
Opera
  • Bluebeard's Castle
Ballets
  • The Miraculous Mandarin
  • The Wooden Prince
Concertante
  • Piano Concerto No. 1
  • Piano Concerto No. 2
  • Piano Concerto No. 3
  • Viola Concerto
  • Violin Concerto No. 1
  • Violin Concerto No. 2
  • Rhapsody No. 1
  • Rhapsody No. 2
Orchestral
Chamber
Choral
  • Cantata Profana
Piano
Songs
CollaborationsNamesakesRelated
  • Category
  • sound icon Audio
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • MusicBrainz work
Stub icon

This article about a classical composition is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e