Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók (1881–1945)
was a Hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist whose choral writing is deeply rooted in the folk music of Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. Together with Zoltán Kodály, he recorded and transcribed more than 10,000 folk songs, weaving that material directly into his choral works. His choral output includes Four Hungarian Folksongs and Four Slovak Folksongs for mixed chorus, Five Hungarian Folk Songs for male chorus, and Cantata Profana for soloists, chorus, and orchestra. His 27 Choruses for two and three parts a cappella, premiered in Budapest in 1937, prompted Bartók to remark, "I can never forget my impression of how fresh, how joyful the youngsters sounded." Considered one of the 20th century's greatest composers, he died in New York in 1945.
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