Béla Bartók
Dance Suite
Short instrumentation: 2 2 2 2 - 4 2 2 1 - timp, perc(3), hp, cel, pno, str
Duration: 18'
Instrumentation details:
1st flute (+picc)
2nd flute (+picc)
1st oboe
2nd oboe (+c.a)
1st clarinet in Bb
2nd clarinet in Bb (+bass cl(Bb))
1st bassoon
2nd bassoon (+bsn)
1st horn in F
2nd horn in F
3rd horn in F
4th horn in F
1st trumpet in Bb
2nd trumpet in Bb
1st trombone
2nd trombone
tuba
timpani
1st percussion
2nd percussion
celesta (+pno)
harp
piano
violin I
violin II
viola
violoncello
contrabass
Bartók - Tanz-Suite for orchestra
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Béla Bartók
Bartók: BARTOK TANZSUITE ScoreOrchestration: for orchestra
Type: Dirigierpartitur (Sonderanfertigung)
Sample pages
Audio preview
Work introduction
Three works were commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the formation of Hungary’s capital Budapest from the three cities Buda, Pest and Óbuda: Kodály’s Psalmus hungaricus, Dohnányi’s Festal Overture and Béla Bartók’s Dance Suite, which became one of his most frequently-played compositions. Although the themes are Bartók’s, they sound like peasant music: Hungarian, Romanian, Slovakian and Arabian, commingling in some of the movements. As Bartók himself pointed out, “The melody of the first theme in the first movement is reminiscent of primitive Arabian folk music, whereas its rhythm sounds East European.” Thus he remained faithful to his guiding idea of confraternisation among peoples.