Béla Bartók: Life and Work

by Benjamin Suchoff

This book is the first comprehensive biographical study of Bartok as man, composer, and folklorist, including the background and development of his unique musical language and the impact of his pioneering investigations of multinational musical folklore on his composed works. His career as an outstanding pianist, connections with contemporaries in the world of music, and the socio-economic factors that affected his creative and scholarly activities are also included among other hitherto unexplored aspects of his life and times.

344 pages, Hardcover

First published December 11, 2001

Reviews

[Doria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly detailed biography of Bartok's professional life and development as a composer, plus an extended separate section on Bartok's folksong collecting work, broken down by region. Though rather dry in tone, there are a fair number of short musical examples (taken from the scores of most of his important compositions) scattered throughout, which enrich the listening process and clarify certain musical details. An exhaustive list of his complete works - including transcriptions of the works of others - is included at the end.

The book features quotes from Bartok's letters to friends and relatives, excerpts from reviews written by music critics, and quotes from his lectures, articles and interviews. However, be aware that the biography portion only comprises about half of the total content, the rest being devoted to his folk music collecting, list of works, endnotes, and bibliography. This is definitely not a "tell all" account of Bartok the family man; there is very little detail or analysis of his personal life or state of mind.