Structure
This set of dances consists of six movements and, according to the composer, it should take four minutes and three seconds to perform, but most professional pianists take up to five minutes. The list of the movements is as follows. The original Hungarian title will be in the first place, the most commonly known title in Romanian will be in the second place and the translation into English will be in parentheses:
- I. Bot tánc / Jocul cu bâtă (Stick Dance)
- II. Brâul (Sash Dance)
- III. Topogó / Pe loc (In One Spot)
- IV. Bucsumí tánc / Buciumeana (Dance from Bucsum)
- V. Román polka / Poarga Românească (Romanian Polka)
- VI. Aprózó / Mărunțel (Fast Dance)
The melody of the first movements, according to Bartók, came from Mezőszabad, in the Maros-Torda (now Mureș County) section of Transylvania, and he first heard it when two gypsy violinist were playing it. The second movement is a typical dance from Romania called Brâul, for which traditionally a sash or a waistband was used. This melody came from Igriș, in the Banat region. The third dance comes also from Igriş, but its theme is much darker and its melody recreates Middle Eastern instruments, such as the flute. The fourth dance came from Bucium, in the district of Torda-Aranyos (today Alba county in Romania). The fifth dance is an old Romanian dance similar to the Polka and comes from Belényes, today Beiuş, in Bihor county near the border between Hungary and Romania. The sixth and last dance is formed by two different melodies: the first one comes from Belényes (called Beiuș in Romanian) and the second one comes from Nyagra (from the commune of Lunca Bradului). Both on the orchestral version and on the original piano version, these two dances are performed without a discernible pause.
Read more about this topic: Romanian Folk Dances
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