Here is my new recording, made last weekend, of Bartók’s educational set For Children. The colorful Hungarian title “A Gyermekeknek” somehow always amuses me. The pieces were penned down in 1908/09, but Bartók revised the set in 1945, towards the end of his life, leaving out 6 pieces and slightly altering others. It is this final version that I play here.
The two books are quite different in character. I marginally prefer
Book I, based on Hungarian Folk Tunes. These are more ebullient, the colors brighter, than those in Book II, based on Slovak Folk Tunes, which are generally darker and more introspective, at times
reminiscent of Janacek (as they ought to be, being Slovak).
Both books contain a wealth of great music, and certainly not all of the pieces seen suitable for children – unless they have advanced technique and musicality. I hope my cycle can be enjoyed despite a couple of small read errors (which, obviously and irritatingly, I only noticed during video preparation).
Book I – Based on Hungarian Folk Tunes
0:00:23 / 1 Children at play
0:00:51 / 2 Children’s Song
0:01:38 / 3 Quasi adagio
0:02:39 / 4 Pillow Dance
0:03:10 / 5 Play
0:04:13 / 6 Study for the Left Hand
0:04:59 / 7 Play Song
0:05:31 / 8 Children’s Game
0:07:09 / 9 Song
0:08:20 / 10 Children’s Dance
0:08:58 / 11 Lento
0:10:02 / 12 Allegro
0:11:25 / 13 Ballad
0:12:25 / 14 Allegretto
0:13:05 / 15 Allegro moderato
0:13:36 / 16 Old Hungarian Tune
0:14:21 / 17 Round Dance
0:15:17 / 18 Soldier’s Song
0:16:16 / 19 Allegretto
0:16:56 / 20 Drinking Song
0:17:32 / 21 Allegro robusto
0:18:25 / 22 Alegretto
0:19:14 / 23 Dance Song
0:20:11 / 24 Andante sostenuto
0:21:19 / 25 Parlando
0:22:05 / 26 Moderato
0:22:49 / 27 Jest
0:23:50 / 28 Choral
0:25:45 / 29 Pentatonic Tune
0:26:35 / 30 Jeering Song
0:27:21 / 31 Andante tranquillo
0:29:09 / 32 Andante
0:30:50 / 33 Allegro non troppo
0:31:51 / 34 Allegretto
0:32:47 / 35 Con moto
0:33:21 / 36 Drunkard’s Song
0:34:05 / 37 Swine-Herd’s Song
0:34:49 / 38 Winter Solstice Song
0:35:46 / 39 Allegro moderato
0:37:11 / 40 Swine-Herd’s Dance
Book II – Based on Slovak Folk Tunes
0:38:57 / 1 Allegro
0:39:28 / 2 Andante
0:40:02 / 3 Allegretto
0:40:40 / 4 Wedding Song
0:41:19 / 5 Variations
0:43:19 / 6 Round Dance I
0:43:55 / 7 Sorrow
0:44:55 / 8 Dance
0:45:35 / 9 Round Dance II
0:46:07 / 10 Funeral Song
0:47:30 / 11 Lento
0:49:07 / 12 Andante rubato
0:49:58 / 13 Allegro
0:50:37 / 14 Moderato
0:51:11 / 15 Bagpipe I
0:51:54 / 16 Lament
0:53:10 / 17 Andante
0:54:04 / 18 Teasing Song
0:54:48 / 19 Romance
0:56:25 / 20 Game of Tag
0:56:51 / 21 Pleasantry
0:57:58 / 22 Revelry
0:58:47 / 23 Andante tranquillo
0:59:49 / 24 Andante
1:00:59 / 25 Scherzando
1:01:50 / 26 Peasant’s Flute
1:03:07 / 27 Pleasantry II
1:04:04 / 28 Andante, molto rubato
1:05:07 / 29 Canon
1:06:08 / 30 Bagpipe II
1:07:06 / 31 The Highway Robber
1:07:52 / 32 Pesante
1:08:50 / 33 Andante tranquillo
1:10:01 / 34 Farewell
1:11:42 / 35 Ballad
1:13:22 / 36-37 Rhapsody
1:16:13 / 38 Dirge
1:17:59 / 39 Mourning Song
