Béla Bartók

In print, Béla Bartók always proclaimed the superiority of Hungarian folk music over Romania's indigenous music; still, the latter was a direct source of inspiration for some of his own works, including this Sonatina for piano (1915). Less than four minutes long, the Sonatina explores a succession of Romanian folk songs and dances in Bartók's most attractive and accessible style, at the same time placing before the performer a number of technical challenges. Of particular interest is the depiction of peasant bagpipes in the first movement, with its droning open fifths in the left hand and widely-spaced grace note figurations in the right.