Several of the world’s great composers showed great potential at an early age. Bela Bartok, the Hungarian composer, was no exception. He gave a piano recital for friends of his family when he was four years old, playing music he had composed himself.
The early years of Bartok’s musical profession were spent as a concert pianist. As a composer and pianist he was outstanding but decided to forsake the public life to become the head of piano teaching at the Budapest Institute of Music. This was a position that he filled for 25 years. As part of his teaching he wrote many educational studies which were variations on the works of other famous composers.
Much of the music of Bartok has influences of typical folk music from many countries. By far the greatest of these influences are from Hungary where Bartok is said to have spent much time travelling the countryside listening to the music of the people of the countryside.
Unfortunately the political struggles in Europe prior to the outbreak of World War II meant that it was impossible for Bartok to remain in Hungary. Along with a large number of his compatriots he emigrated to America in 1940. This gave him the opportunity to study the work of other composers whom he might not have had contact with.
The composer isn’t so well known for his few ballets. He tended to base them on stories of the common people who lived and worked in the poorer parts of the country and these were not well accepted by the musical establishment in Hungary at the time. One such works didn’t get the chance to be seen more than once as it was forbidden to be performed after that.
Bartok’s personal life was unsettled. He was married twice, the first marriage ending in divorce. His strong political feelings also caused problems for him during the 1930s when he steadfastly refused to allow his works to be performed in Germany or Italy.
Bela Bartok is now generally regarded as one of the greatest of Hungary’s composers. His works are played regularly in concert halls throughout the world and retain their popularity. It is fitting that, in the year of the centenary of his birth, 1981, former his house in Budapest was converted to a museum commemorating his achievements in the world of music.
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