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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 February 2010
With a great master who excelled in many fields of composition, who created great works in orchestral, chamber and piano music, it is often difficult to assess which of these groups is most representative for the expression of his genius. Yet, in Bartók's case, it always seemed to me that his chamber music, even if less in quantity, expresses the essence of his creation. It is in his chamber music that he works with the greatest concentration, economy and clarity of detail, that he utters his most important and profound thoughts. Even if some of his orchestral and concertant works gained greater popularity with the public lately—I think mainly of the Concerto for Orchestra, the Violin Concerto and the Third Piano Concerto—the essential Bartók, I feel, can be found in his chamber music, and particularly in his String Quartets, which tower over contemporary chamber music like a range of high mountain peaks.
page 20 note * The influence of folk-music can be felt even in his most abstract works, often in a very indirect and sublimated way–but it is always present.
page 24 note * Much later in his career, in the Violin Concerto, Banok used consciously something resembling the 12-tone technique. The second subject, both in the first and last movement, introduces a 12-tone series with its variations.
page 28 note * For more detailed analysis of the Quartets see my booklet “The String Quartets of Be'la Bartók” (Boosey & Havrkes, 1945).