Béla Bartók

Romanian Folk Dances Sz. 56

In 1915, Bartók compiled a handful of melodies—which he himself had collected from peasant violinists and flutists in the villages of Transylvania—into a short cycle. From these authentic tunes emerged a suite of six miniature dances of irresistible freshness and vitality, which ranks among the composer’s most popular works. Each dance has its own character: from the proud stick dance to the soaring lines of the Buciumeana dance, to the persistent stamping of a dance on the spot, the oriental charm of its ornamentation, and finally the two increasingly faster concluding dances, which propel the cycle toward a whirling conclusion. Throughout, Bartók preserves the rugged charm and rousing pulse of folk music, oscillating between modal melancholy and unbridled joy. The cycle unfolds its imagery in just a few minutes, offering a brilliant essence of color, rhythm, and atmosphere—an invitation to dance of gripping authenticity.