Abstract

Béla Bartók (1881-1945) cared deeply about authenticity in his work. He continually passed by derivative versions, and instead sought the oldest, earliest, most inaugural version of each folk tune to use as that launching point for his compositions. As he collected the Transylvanian folk tunes that would become his Romanian Folk Dances, he disregarded inconveniences like bad weather and exhausting travel, and he doggedly lugged with him a newly invented Edison phonograph. Though it was unwieldy and fickle, the device allowed him to capture folk music in the moment it was created. Not one for sterile auditoriums or music studios, Bartók instead planted himself and his phonograph in the middle of remote villages and engaged in their joys and their sorrows; their mournings and their celebrations; their discouragements and their triumphs - as expressed in their music and their dancing. While the phonograph captured the sounds, Bartók took pains to understand and to document in detail the dances performed to the music. He understood that the music did not stand alone but was meant to be accompanied by physical dance movement and was incomplete without it. Modern performers honor his work as they study the connection between the movement and sound and then take the time to offer a more thoughtful and contextually informed interpretation in performance. By understanding the historical context of physical movement in concert with sound, musicians can enrich the emotional landscape of their performance. This paper offers suggestions for all musicians, (many tailored specifically for harpists) on how to provide a more profound experience whilst performing Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances.

Degree

College and Department

Fine Arts and Communications; Music

Rights

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