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From: simon@psuvax.UUCP (Janos Simon)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: 20th Century Music
Message-ID: <498@psuvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-Feb-84 20:21:21 EST
Article-I.D.: psuvax.498
Posted: Tue Feb 14 20:21:21 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Feb-84 03:29:31 EST
References: <186@vaxine.UUCP>
Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ.
Lines: 39

[]

As an unabashed and totally committed Bartok fan, let me add a few 
recommendations to the extensive list of already praised works.
1)For Children. This is a collection of easy piano pieces, based on Hungarian
and Roumanian folk songs. Especially recommended for people who "dislike
modern music". They are easy to listen to, yet have very cleverly written
harmonies. If you play the piano, even moderately, you could play them.
On the other end of the scale
2)Sonata for solo violin
is a difficult, but tremendous work. It is a technically and structurally
formidable composition, one of the great pieces written for violin.
The Violin Concerto has the same ethereal beauty as Berg's, but the form
is kept tighter under control: another masterpiece.

There is a large body of work for piano: Microcosmos, the Sonata, the
Out of Doors suite with its mysterious slow movement, the Sonata for
Two Pianos and Percussion, lots of smaller pieces (Allegro Barbaro,
Roumanian Dances (2+a suite + kolindas), and so on.) Much of this is
percussive and "difficult", but in many cases the sheer energy gets across
and pleases even the untrained or unwilling listener.
All three piano concertos have beautiful parts: the slow movements of the
2nd and 3rd are particularly beautiful.

The Divertimento for string orchestra is another masterpiece. It may be not as
readily accessible as the Concerto for Orchestra, but it is a purer, cleaner
piece, with wonderful melodies and rythms in a tightly controlled form 
that reminds one of Bach's ability to write counterpoint that does not stifle 
emotion.

Before I stop I must repeat the plug for the string quartets. They belong,
together with Beethoven's late quartets, to a special category of music that
day after day has serious new things to say to an attent listener.

Happy 2 + 2 + 3/ 8 rythms to all.

js