Mikrokosmos - No. 148, 149, and 153

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Description +
- For my ninth publication with Edition Svitzer, I have arranged three movements from Béla Bartók’s Mikrokosmos for percussion ensemble. Specifically, I have selected three pieces from the final volume, Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm — Nos. 148, 149, and 153.
  
  Mikrokosmos (Hungarian: Mikrokozmosz), Sz. 107, BB 105, is a progressive collection of 153 piano pieces written between 1926 and 1939 and published in 1940. The pieces range from simple beginner études to technically demanding works and are widely used in modern piano education. They are notable for their folk music influences, inventive use of tonality, and complex additive rhythms. Between 1906 and 1936, Bartók traveled extensively through rural Hungary, Romania, Algeria, and Turkey, transcribing traditional folk songs — an influence that is especially prominent in the Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm at the end of Mikrokosmos, as well as in his Romanian Folk Dances (1915).
  
  Performers may choose to play all three movements as a suite or select individual pieces to perform.
Instrumentation +
- Instrumentation:
  
  • No. 148 – Quintet: Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Marimba I, Marimba II, and Timpani
  
  • No. 149 – Quintet: Xylophone, Vibraphone, Marimba I, Marimba II, and Timpani
  
  • No. 153 – Quartet: Vibraphone, Marimba I, Marimba II, and Timpani
  
  Performance Notes:
  
  The Marimba II part in all movements requires a five-octave marimba.
  
  The Marimba I part can be performed on a 4.3-octave marimba.
  
  The Timpani part includes numerous pitch changes and should be played on a set of four timpani with modern pedal tuning mechanisms.
  
  The arrangements preserve the original keys of the piano pieces, allowing for easier rehearsal and comparison with existing recordings.
About the composer +
- Béla Viktor János Bartók (25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Liszt are regarded as Hungary's greatest composers (Gillies 2001). Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became ethnomusicology.
Credits +
- Front Cover graphics and layout: Nicola Lee
  Translation: Thomas Aanonlie
  Engraving: Thomas Aanonlie
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition SVITZER
  www.editionsvitzer.com

Mikrokosmos - No. 148, 149, and 153

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