Bela Bartok Hungerian Composer born in Banat. Talented in music from a very young age Formal training began at age : Student at the Royal Academy of Music –Met Zoltán Kodály 1902: Met Richard Strauss- major influence 1904: Fascination with folk music began –String Quartet No. 1 (1908) 1907: Began teaching at the Academy
Bela Bartok Expedition to collect Hungarian folk melodies –Pentatonic, Oriental folk traditions –Immediately began being used in their comps Bluebeard’s Castle (only opera) Hungarian, Slovakian, Romanian, Algerian and Bulgarian folk music collected. WW1 outbreak- returned to composition –The Wooden Prince –String Quartet No. 2
Bela Bartok : The Miraculous Mandarin travels to Turkey to study folk music WW2-Emmigrated to the United States. Known in US as pianist, music historian and teacher, but not composer. 1944: Diagnosed with Leukemia
Bartok’s Music First Hungarian Composer “Bartok pizzicato” Ethnomusicology Concerto for Orchestra Bluebeard’s Castle: –Only two people on stage –“Unstagable” –Colored lights as part of libretto Miraculous Mandarin: –One act ballet –Banned because it caused a ‘scandal’
Charles Ives Born in Danbury Connecticut Taught by father Age 14-church organist 1894-Yale 1899: Charles H. Raymond & Co. Composed and worked as an organist in spare time Stopped composing –Revised works
Style Bitonality-two keys at once Development of American patriotic songs “11 note chord” The Unanswered Question: 1906 –Premiered 1940 –“The contemplation of a serious matter” –Three separate components String orchestra "the silences of the druids—who know, see and hear nothing." Solo trumpet, placed behind audience "The Invisible Answer" 4 flutes "The Perennial Question of Existence"