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Introduction
The works of Bela Bartok are generally approached from either of two theoretical premises. The first
being an extension of traditional western art music that has preceded him (particularly the expanded
harmonic resources which emerged during the Romantic musical period), the other being from Bartoks
own research into the folk music of Europe. ...
There have been theorists who have attempted to present Bartoks compositional products as the
result of serial processes. ...
Due to Bartoks intense level of musical research, and craftsmanship as a composer, his works offer a
variety of approaches to the analyst. ... Erno Lendvai was one of the first theorists to write on the appearance of the
Golden Section and Fibonacci Series and how these are implemented in Bartoks music. ... 6 Symmetrical structures will not be addressed; rather this paper will focus
on the structural formations that Bartok incorporated as well as the harmonic and melodic
considerations that are necessary to contribute to the overall form in a successful manner.
The nature of form will be examined in Bartoks Fourth String Quartet. Bartoks quartets have been
noted for being some of the most important visions of this medium since the works of Beethoven. ... It is quite rare to find, as we
do in Bartok, a composer who has turned to the string quartet at every stage of his creative career
and put into his quartets the very best of himself."7
The fourth quartet itself presents an overview of the concepts that Bartok was beginning to evolve. ... The
composition of the fourth quartet occurred when Bartok was awaiting word regarding the submission of
his third to the Philadelphia Musical Fund Society competition. Assuming that the winning of this award
would draw some attention away from his recently completed fourth quartet, Bartok felt it might be
better to wait on the publishing of this work. ... This
work, along with the fifth quartet is presented in five movements. ... Similarly, the second and fourth movements have
features that are similar in terms of tempo, motivic content, and alterations of timbre. ...
Movement One
Bartok, Fourth String Quartet, Movement 1, 1st theme
Most often the first movement of the fourth quartet is described as being in sonata form. ...
Movement Two
Bartok, Fourth String Quartet, Movement 2, near beginning
The second movement presents more of a virtuoso work, performed at a faster tempo (dotted half =
88-98) than the first movement. ...
Movement Three
Bartok, Fourth String Quartet, Movement 3, near beginning
The third movement offers a complete departure from the previous two movements. ... Bartoks introduction of the melody appears to be influenced by
Beethoven in his use of tiny fragments before the melody is completely revealed. ... The point of rest
occurs at bar 41 where the perfect fifth structure is altered to the perfect fourth. ...
Movement Four
Bartok, Fourth String Quartet, Movement 4, near beginning
As stated previously, the fourth movement is related to the second movement to maintain the arch
construction of the overall shape. ... This movement also introduces the
use of the Bartok pizzicato which is a strong pizzicato making the string rebound off the fingerboard. ...
Movement Five
Bartok, Fourth String Quartet, Movement 5, near beginning
To complete the arch-like shape to the form, the fifth movement incorporates thematic material
extracted from the first movement. ...
Overview
There are some rather distinguishing traits that must be noted in the fourth quartet. ... This movement is also in ternary form, so
that the outer parts may be viewed to parallel the outer movements of the quartet. ... This demonstrates the outlining of an augmented triad at the
largest level of the quartet. ... 14
The last discussion will focus on the use of the golden section and its appearance in the Fourth String
Quartet. ... Derek Locke demonstrated how some of these ratios appear in several of Bartoks
string quartets. ... The goal of this paper was a study of the formal constructions, and a
cursory look at the canonic and golden ratio facets of this work. This composition, like many of
Bartoks compositions, offers a host of theoretical discussions that may be made to attempt to explain
the unique compositional methodology that is entrenched within the musical output of Bela Bartok. ...
Antokoletz, Elliot, The Music of Bela Bartok: A Study of Tonality and Progression
in Twentieth-Century Music, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
Babbitt, Milton, "The String Quartets of Bartok," The Musical Quarterly, 1949: 377-385.
Bartok, Bela, "The Six String Quartets," notes to CD recording, Phillips, 442 284-2, 1994. ...
Forte, Allen, "Bartoks Serial Composition," The Musical Quarterly, 46, 1960: 233-245. ...
Karpati, Janos, Bartoks String Quartets, Budapest: Franklin Printing House, 1975.
Approximate Word count = 3836
Approximate Pages = 15.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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