Béla Bartók

Rumanian Folk Dances

Guitar transcriptions of these pieces have existed for some time. The music lends itself very well to the instrument and seems to take it closer to its original folkloristic roots. Until now all versions published has been based on Bartók's original piano version but here, for the first time, is a version that is based on the piano part of Székely’s arrangement. Székely did more than just transcribe the work note by note. Instead he transposed several of the movements (the second movement was transposed from D minor to F+ minor, the third from B minor to D minor and the fourth from A major to C major) as well as repeating some sections, thus enabling the violinist to play the music in a new octave. To me this justifies this new publication based instead on Székely’s famous version and it is my hope that it will be used by many violin and guitar duos that want to delve into Bartók's fascinating and highly expressive work.

Jacob Kellerman