Mikrokosmos was originally designed as a collection of pieces for the beginning pianist, but over time it took on grander proportions, comprising 153 individual pieces that spanned the range of technical difficulty. Dividing into six volumes, it begins with pieces for beginners and progresses to those that challenge even the most accomplished pianist. That Mikrokosmos has become a viable progressive method is demonstrated by its ubiquity in the repertories of modern piano students, but its reputation rests on more than its technical and pedagogical applications; Bartók's work represents a varied and finely crafted catalog of twentieth century musical idioms. In Bartók's own words, it "appears as a synthesis of all the musical and technical problems which were treated and in some case only partially solved in the previous piano works." Perhaps chief among these musical problems was Bartók's attempted synthesis of Eastern and Western European musical traditions, particularly Eastern folk music with the Germanic tradition (as represented by Bach and Beethoven) and with the progressive harmonies of Claude Debussy.

The first 66 pieces in Mikrokosmos (Vols. 1 and 2) are dedicated to Bartók's son, Peter, for whose use they were originally intended. Many of these pieces are technical exercises, useful for developing finger and hand independence, as well as hand span; however, they are also of interest for their musical language. Hungarian folk tunes, pentatonic, whole-tone and modal harmonies, as well as more adventurous octatonic chromatic scales all form the basis for these short pieces.

Volumes 3 and 4 make up numbers 67 through 121. These pieces display increased harmonic complexity and technical demands. Bartók employs more polymodes (the use of different modes, or keys, simultaneously), along with octatonic and diatonic scale fragments to construct these pieces. The compositions in the third and fourth volumes are also important because they betray the influence of Franz Liszt, particularly in terms of tone color; Bartók wrote of his desire, in these pieces, to "poetically color the piano tone."

The final volumes (5 and 6) of the Mikrokosmos were intended as concert pieces for professional pianists. They differ from the preceding pieces in many respects: their contrapuntal texture is more dense (four parts), the melodic and harmonic material is more characteristic of Bartók's non-pedagogical works, and rhythmic structures are much more complicated and include vigorous syncopations and Bulgarian dance rhythms.

While Bartók's intention to synthesize Bach, Beethoven, and Debussy was perhaps not fully realized, Mikrokosmos nonetheless compares well with some of Bach and Debussy's ostensibly pedagogical keyboard works. Like Bach's Inventions or Debussy's Études, for example, Mikrokosmos is not merely a work of practical value, but also a work of art with much purely musical substance.

© All Music Guide

###

This is the final volume in Mikrokosmos, Bartók's series of 153 pieces that gradually increase in technical and interpretive difficulty. Obviously, it contains the most challenging works, and arguably the finest, though one can make a strong case for Volumes 4 and 5, too. This last book's 14 pieces are the fewest in any volume by far: the first contains 36; the second and third 30 each; and Volumes 4 and 5 have 25 and 18, respectively. Yet the works in this final group are on average the longest, having a duration of about two minutes per work, quite a substantial length in a collection of mostly Lilliputian proportions.

Volume 6 opens with Free Variations (No. 140), a percussive driving piece requiring an all-inclusive technique. Its rhythmic vigor and metric changes in the outer sections provide much color, while the otherworldly nature of the brief middle section offers splendid contrast. Subject and Reflection follows, an ingenious work whose "subject" materials are "reflected" in a deftly distorted manner.

From the Diary of a Fly (No. 142) is unusually compelling in its depiction of a fly's last-second escape from a spider and his cobweb. Humming and buzzing sounds and a sense of desperation are brilliantly enacted here. Two pieces with typically pedagogical-sounding titles follow, Divided Arpeggios and Minor Seconds, Major Sevenths. Both offer considerable expressive depth but the latter, the longest piece in Mikrokosmos, at about four minutes, arguably conveys a greater profundity than any other work in Volume 6.

Chromatic Invention IIIa & IIIb (No. 145) close out the series on this subject, which was begun with No. 91, a tribute to Bach. This pair is quite difficult in its angular thematic contours, fast pacing, and lively, driving rhythms. A work in a similar cast follows, Ostinato, which Bartók admitted does not really contain a true ostinato, but a rhythmic figure of far-Eastern flavor. March (No. 147) is harsh and barbaric, sounding more crushing than triumphant, more primitive than marshal.

The closing works in the set (Nos. 148-153) are the Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm. Bartók had shown interest in Bulgarian folk music in Volume 5 with Bulgarian Rhythm I (No. 113) and Bulgarian Rhythm II (No. 115). Here, he fashioned six dances of exceeding difficulty that feature all manner of technical challenges for the pianist, including hand crossing, thorny rhythmic figures, constantly changing metric patterns, fingering problems, and numerous other hurdles. As for compositional characteristics, all feature lively contrapuntal writing and inventive harmonies, and all are highly colorful and full of contrast.

The opening dance has a curious Spanish flavor in its exotic main theme and colorful rhythm. No. 151 is Gershwinian in its jazzy grace and rhythms. The longest of the six is probably also the finest, No. 153, whose two minutes of music Bartók packed with energy and color, while conveying a slightly more serious manner than heard in the previous dances.

© All Music Guide

###

Bartók sprinkled folk tune arrangements, folk-styled works, mood pieces, works of a particular form such as scherzos and canons, and dances throughout Mikrokosmos, his grand collection of 153 instructive piano works of progressive difficulty. This Bourrée, of course, is a dance with origins dating back to seventeenth-century France. The music, while having certain neo-Classical features of a noticeable twentieth-century bent, also has a definite Baroque-like manner in the flow of its melodic material, particularly in its stately, lean manner and contrapuntal elements. Bartók pointed out that the rhythm has characteristics that can be associated with the style of the French composer François Couperin (1668 - 1733).

The work opens with a nonchalant but lively theme whose upbeat manner is bolstered by its colorful, unhurried rhythms. Bartók modernizes this dance with his tart harmonies and clever thematic twists. In fact, more than this, he imaginatively develops the material in the latter half, turning the mood somewhat serious. This charming work lasts about a minute.

© All Music Guide

###

It was not only Erik Satie who devised curious titles for his compositions, as one might conclude from the headnote for this piece. Bartók attempts here to depict the actions of a fly caught in a cobweb, from the fly's perspective—i.e., as related from his diary. The composer revealed there are buzzing sounds depicted that signify the fly's desperation to escape. In the end, he does. This composition is one of the more difficult ones in this set of progressively challenging works. Only 11 more follow, some of which are even more virtuosic in nature.

The work opens busily, a sort of buzzing theme emerging from the hazy rhythmic manner of the music. As it ascends the keyboard, it gradually grows louder, more distinctive and intense, taking on a sense of fear, of impending doom. The music begins to relax suddenly as it turns downward, its mood slowly growing tranquil. The music's busy manner slows and fades peacefully. Lasting about a minute and a half, this is a colorful work that will appeal to most keyboard enthusiasts.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.