BARTOK VIOLIN CONCERTO

Béla Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2 In B Minor, SZ 112, BB117. (1937-1938)

1. Allegro Non-Troppo
2. Andante Tranquillo
3. Allegro Molto

Béla Bartók (1881 – 1945) was a Hungarian composer and pianist, and was one of the most profound musicians of the twentieth century.
A smallpox inoculation gave the infant Bartók a rash that remained with him until he was five years old. As a result he spent his early years detached from other children and people and spent many hours listening to his mother play the piano, which would have resulted in early musical stimulation. Bartók showed early musical aptitude and began to compose dances at the tender age of nine. Born in Romania, his mother, Paula moved …show more content…

He was sent the Violin Concertos by Berg (Alban Berg (1885-1935)- Violin Concerto- 1935) Weill (Kurt Weill (1900-1950)- Violin Concerto op.12 -1924) and Szymanowski (Karol Szymanowski (1882- 1937) Violin Concerto no. 2 op. 61 (1933). Bartók started to compose the concerto a year later. There were two themes from the concerto found scribbled on the back page of his nearly finished Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, sometime in August 1937. When Székely visited him at the end of September, Bartók had already written out the first two pages of the violin part. Although Bartók was not a violinist himself, he wrote glorious, stimulating yet conversational music for the instrument. The concerto is one of the early works to demonstrate the clarity and directness of Bartók’s ‘slate’ style; starting with a strong, folk like tune over plain chords. Allegro Non Troppo, is an impressive Rhapsody that has a gypsy feel, with a comprehensive, evolving theme and malleable tempo that adjusts every few bars, giving it an improvisation feel, despite it being meticulously and flawlessly worked out. The theme in the concerto is simple itself with light accompanying. 6
When listening to the concerto, you will notice that the main theme, presented after the harp begins, reappears