Bela Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances for Violin – Sheet Music

Looking for the perfect way to add some spice to your violin playing? Check out Bela Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances for Violin – Sheet Music. This collection of traditional folk tunes is sure to get your toes tapping and add some flavor to your performances.

About the Romanian Folk Dances

Bela Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances is a collection of six short solo piano pieces based on Romanian folk themes. Bartok collected the original folk tunes from various regions of Romania. The first Romanian Folk Dance is titled “Jocul Cu Bata” and is in the key of A minor. It is a fast-paced piece that is perfect for the intermediate violinist.

Bartok’s Background and Inspiration

Bela Bartok was born in Hungary in 1881, but his experiences and travels would come to shape his unique compositional voice. He was exposed to a wide range of music, including Hungarian, Slovakian, Romanian, and Gypsy folk music. All of these different kinds of music would find their way into his compositions.

Bartok was particularly interested in the folk music of Romania. He made several trips there to collect and study folk songs. He was struck by the distinctive rhythmic patterns and unusual scales used in Romanian folk music. These elements are evident in his composition Romanian Folk Dances for Violin.

Bartok wrote Romanian Folk Dances as a piano duet in 1915. He later arranged the piece for orchestra, and it quickly became one of his most popular works. The arrangement for violin and piano is a fairly recent addition to the repertoire, but it has become popular among violinists because it highlights the instrument’s lyrical qualities.

The Romanian Folk Dances

Bela Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances (1915) is a collection of six short piano pieces composed by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók in 1915. They are based on seven Romanian tunes from Transylvania, collected by the composer and transcribed for piano. The pieces were intended to be played as a suite, with each dance flowing seamlessly into the next.

The first piece, “Jocul cu bâtă” (“The Stick Dance”), is in 5/8 meter and is in the key of A minor. It is a light-hearted dance featuring an exchange of sticks between two dancers.

The second piece, “Braul” (“The Braids Dance”), is in 9/8 meter and is in the key of B-flat major. It features alternating phrases of 3 and 6 beats, which gives it a rolling, loping quality.

The third piece, “Pentru animale” (“For the Animals”), is in 2/4 meter and is in the key of C minor. It features staccato chords in the left hand against a more flowing right hand melody. This dance imitates the sounds and movements of different animals, such as ducks, dogs, cats, and pigs.

The fourth piece, “Buciumeana” (“The Buckle Dance”), is in 4/4 meter and is in the key of G minor. It gets its name from the belt buckles that clink together during the dance. This piece alternates between fast and slow sections to create a sense of tension and release.

The fifth piece, “Poarga” (“The Bagpipe Dance”), is in 2/4 meter and is in the key of D minor. This dance mimics the sound of a bagpipe by using sustain pedal to hold notes over longer durations.

The sixth and final piece, “Mârțișorul” (“The Little March”), is in 2/2 meter and is in the key of G major. This festive march signals the beginning of springtime in Romania and features joyful melodies accented by sharp chords.

The Sheet Music

Romanian Folk Dances for Violin – Sheet Music is a great addition to your collection. The music is beautiful and the arrangement is perfect for violin. The sheet music is easy to follow and the fingering is clearly marked. This piece is perfect for intermediate to advanced violinists.

The Parts

The first page of the Romanian Folk Dances for Violin consists of six parts. The top part is the solo violin part. Below that are the two violin parts, then the viola part, the cello part, and finally the double bass part.

Bartok wrote Romanian Folk Dances forViolin in 1915. The work is a collection of six short dances, each in a different Romanian style. Bartok collected many of the tunes from Romanian peasants who were singing and playing them on traditional instruments such as fiddles, violins, and flutes.

The Score

Bela Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances (1915) is a suite of six short pieces based on Romanian folk tunes from Maramures, Bihor, and hunedoara Counties. The Romanian folk music was collected by the composer on his ethnomusicological expeditions to Transylvania in 1912 and 1913, and the pieces were first published together in 1915 as Romanian Folk Dances (Román népi táncok), Sz. 56, BB 68.

The sixth and final dance, “Brâul”, is in fact not a Romanian folk dance at all, but rather a Hungarian dance from Csík County (now in Romania). Bartok likely included it because of its similarity to the other five dances in mood and style.

The original publisher’s edition of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances (above) contains only the violin part; the piano score was published separately. However, many editions nowadays include both parts in one volume.

Playing the Romanian Folk Dances

Romanian Folk Dances is a suite of six short pieces based on Romanian folk themes, composed by Béla Bartók in 1915. It is probably Bartók’s best-known work and one of the most popular works in the violin repertoire. The Romanian Folk Dances are easy to play and are a great way to improve your violin skills.

Tips for Playing

Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances is a great piece of music to add to your violin repertoire. This 6-minute work consists of six miniature dances, each in a different Romanian style. The first dance, “Jocul cu Bâtă”, is in 3/4 time and is played Allegro. The second dance, “Braul”, is in 2/4 time and is played Marcato. The third dance, “Pe Loc”, is also in 2/4 time and is played Allegretto. The fourth dance, “Buciumeana”, is in 9/8 time and is played Allegro moderato. The fifth dance, “Poarga Românească”, is in 5/8 time and is played Andante. The final dance, “Mărunţelul”, is in 6/8 time and is played Allegro vivace.

To play this piece well, it is important to know the Romanian folk dances that Bartok was drawing from. These dances are: the Batuta Dance (Jocul cu Bâtă), the Stamping Dance (Braul), the Pe Loc Dance (Pe Loc), theFast Redowa Dance (Buciumeana), the Romanian Poarga Dance (Poarga Românească), and the Mărunţelu Dance (Mărunţelul). Researching these dances and understanding their origins will help you bring out the character of each one in your performance of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances.

In addition to knowing the dances themselves, it is also important to know the proper bowing techniques for each dance. For example, the first dance (Jocul cu Bâtă) uses a lot of down-bows while the second dance (Braul) uses mostly up-bows.Learning the correct bowing techniques will give your performance of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances a more polished sound.

Finally, be sure to practice with a metronome to make sure you are keeping an even tempo throughout each dance. Bartok marked all of the tempos clearly in his score, so be sure to follow his indications closely. With practice and attention to detail, you can give a great performance of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances on violin!

Violin Technique

Romanian Folk Dances is a six-movement work for piano by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. The work was composed in 1915 and is based on seven Romanian tunes collected by the composer. It was first published in 1916 under the title Rumänische Tänze (Romanian Dances).

The piece was originally composed for piano duet, but Bartók also orchestrated it for small orchestra in 1917 under the title Rumänische Volkstänze (Romanian Folk Dances). The violin part is mostly written in first position with some simple double-stops and scale passages. There are a few moments of higher positions and third-finger shifting, but nothing too difficult for an intermediate violinist.

Bowing

There are two basic ways of holding the bow – French and German. Bartok specifies that the dances should be played with a light, quick bowing action, using little or no vibrato. You may find it helpful to use different bowings for different parts of the dances to create variety and interest.

The following is a suggested bowing for the first dance, “Jocul cu Bata.” Remember that these are only suggestions – feel free to experiment to find what works best for you!

With a French bow hold, play the first four measures all with up-bows. On beat one of measure five, start your down-bow. Continue down-bowing until you reach beat four of measure eight, where you will start your next up-bow. Repeat this pattern for the remainder of the dance.

With a German bow hold, play the first two measures with down-bows. On beat three of measure three, start your up-bow. Continue up-bowing until you reach beat two of measure six, where you will start your next down-bow. Repeat this pattern for the remainder of the dance.

Conclusion

Bela Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances is a collection of six short piano pieces composed by Bartok in 1915. The collection was inspired by the folk music of Romania and includes some of the most popular Romanian folk dances, such as the “Hora Unirei” and the “Braul”. The Romanian Folk Dances are among Bartok’s most popular works, and have been frequently performed and recorded by both professional and amateur musicians.