Born March 25, 1881, Béla Bartók was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; and considrered, along with Franz Liszt are regarded as one of Hungary's greatest composers, and one of the greatest, in general, of the 20th Century.
Through his intensive collection and study of the folk music of his native Hungary and surrounding regions, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, later to be known as ethnomusicology. Former New York Times critic, Anthony Tommasini, credits Bartók with having "empowered generations of subsequent composers to incorporate folk music and classical traditions from whatever culture into their works," calling him "a formidable modernist who in the face of Schoenberg’s breathtaking formulations showed another way, forging a language that was an amalgam of tonality, unorthodox scales and atonal wanderings."
We'll wander, with Bartók along that nexus of traditional peasants' folk music and the musical avant-garde that characterizes his remarkable music, as we hear several of the composer's most essential works in honor of his birthday—and much more—on Wednesday afternoon's Classical Music With Foley Schuler.
You can hear Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday from 1 until 4 on Blue Lake Public Radio.
