Publisher's Synopsis
Bartók's Mikrokosmos has been one of the milestones in pedagogical piano repertoire for 80 years - and yet it is also far more than a "classical" piano primer. These 153 piano pieces, organized in ascending order of difficulty, engage not only with technical aspects of piano playing but also with the fundamentals of composition - from "Imitation and Inversion," "Ostinato," and "Free Variations," concerning compositional technique, to mood pieces and pieces with programmatic ideas such as "Notturno," "Boating," "From the Diary of a Fly," or the famous "Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm." Mikrokosmos first appeared in 1940 in six volumes. Based on volume 40 of the Bartók Complete Edition published in 2020, the present Urtext edition offers the series gathered in three volumes. This edition includes Bartók's preface, exercises, and notes written for the first edition. Furthermore, it also features a preface and comments by the editor, which not only discuss the genesis and the compositional sources but also provide performers, teachers and pupils alike, with authentic and detailed information about Bartók's notation and the specific performing problems of Mikrokosmos. CONTENTS: Unison Melodie; Unison Melodie; Unison Melodie; Unison Melodie; Unison Melodie; Unison Melodie; Dotted Notes; Repetition (1); Syncopation (1); With Alternate Hands; Parallel Motion; Reflection; Change of Position; Question and Answer; Village Song; Parallel Motion and Change of Position; Contrary Motion (1); Unison Melodie; Unison Melodie; Unison Melodie; Unison Melodie; Imitation and Counterpoint; Imitation and Inversion (1); Pastorale; Imitation and Inversion (2); Repetition (2); Syncopation (2); Canon at the Octave; Imitation Reflected; Canon at the Lower Fifth; Little Dance in Canon Form; In Dorian Mode; Slow Dance; In Phrygian Mode; Chorale; Free Canon; In Lydian Mode; Staccato and Legato (1); Staccato and Legato (2, Canon); In Yugoslav Style; Melody with Accompaniment; Accompaniment in Broken Triads; In Hungarian Style; Contrary Motion (2); Méditation; Increasing - Diminishing; Big Fair; In Mixolydian Mode; Crescendo - Diminuendo; Minuetto; Waves; Monody Divided; In Transylvanian Style; Chromatic; Triplets in Lydian Mode; Melody in Tenths; Accents; In Oriental Style; Major and Minor; Canon with Sustained Notes; Pentatonic Melody; Minor Sixths in Parallel Motion; Buzzing; Line and Point; Dialogue; Melody Divided.
