Rhapsody No. 2 (Bartók)
Encyclopedia
Rhapsody No. 2, Sz. 90
, BB 96 is the second of two folk dances for violin and orchestra written by Béla Bartók
. It was written in 1928 and dedicated to Hungarian chamber
violinist Zoltán Székely
, a founding member of the Hungarian String Quartet
. It was heavily influenced by the musical styles of Ruthenia
, the Czech
region that bordered with Ukraine
.
The piece draws its stylistic elements from the Czardas, the national dance of Hungary. A major characteristic of the Czardas is the alternation of slow and fast sections and so this piece was written in two movements: the first movement named Lassú (the slow movement) and the second movement named Friss (the fast movement). The title, 'Rhapsody', is a reference to the dramatic contrasts between the movements.
Other features of the piece include open-interval harmonies, drones, fiery rhythms and folk melodies.
András Szőllősy
András Szőllősy was the creator of the Szőllősy index , a frequently used index for the works of Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, was born at Szászváros in Transylvania on February 27, 1921. He studied composition under Zoltán Kodály at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music where he was a professor of...
, BB 96 is the second of two folk dances for violin and orchestra written by Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
. It was written in 1928 and dedicated to Hungarian chamber
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
violinist Zoltán Székely
Zoltán Székely
Zoltán Székely was a violinist and composer.Székely studied violin with Jenő Hubay and composition with Zoltán Kodály at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. He composed mainly chamber music...
, a founding member of the Hungarian String Quartet
Hungarian Quartet
The Hungarian String Quartet was a musical ensemble of world renown, particularly famous for its performances of quartets by Beethoven and Bartók...
. It was heavily influenced by the musical styles of Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...
, the Czech
Czech lands
Czech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...
region that bordered with Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
The piece draws its stylistic elements from the Czardas, the national dance of Hungary. A major characteristic of the Czardas is the alternation of slow and fast sections and so this piece was written in two movements: the first movement named Lassú (the slow movement) and the second movement named Friss (the fast movement). The title, 'Rhapsody', is a reference to the dramatic contrasts between the movements.
Other features of the piece include open-interval harmonies, drones, fiery rhythms and folk melodies.