Bartók's 'For Children' Book 1 Songs Arranged as Duets for Flute and Clarinet
Noteworthy Sheet Music now offers a second edition of Béla Bartók's "For Children" songs arranged for flute (or oboe) and clarinet duo. The new publication includes selections from the original Book 1 based on Hungarian folksongs.
SOMERVILLE, Mass.: Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC (NSM) is an online sheet music publisher with a catalog of ~180 editions. NSM specializes in sheet music for flute and alto flute. They offer original works by distinguished contemporary composers, re-notated versions or facsimiles of rare historical scores, and unique arrangements of pieces from the classical repertoire. Selected NSM publications are offered as professionally-printed hard copy editions, and most are available as convenient pdf downloads from the NSM website.
Béla Bartók's delightful For Children selections were written for solo piano and originally published in four volumes. Two, comprising Book 1, contain 42 pieces after Hungarian folksongs; the other two, comprising Book 2, contain 43 pieces after Slovakian folksongs. Many of the songs included in the For Children volumes are entirely or mostly for two voices, like Bach's two-part inventions in style if not structure or harmony, and thus convenient for wind duo and no more childish for Bartók than Bach. John Pratt is creating a series of arrangements of these collections for wind duo or wind trio. Last month NSM published an edition of pieces from Bartók's Book 2 arranged for flute (or oboe) and clarinet. Pratt has now completed the second edition in this series and the new NSM publication includes 25 pieces from Bartók's Book 1, after Hungarian folksongs, arranged as duets for flute (or oboe) and Bb clarinet. Soon to follow will be an edition for oboe and bassoon.
Besides the usual purposes of music written for children, Bartók sought to broaden their musical experience with, for instance, modal and other scales, and harmonies outside the traditional western canon. Furthermore, For Children was written when Bartók's folksong research was well underway and his notational efforts at their peak. Though the notes may be easy to play, these pieces have a lot to offer. Students, teachers, and every-day players can make as much of them as they like ... as simple tunes for beginners content to learn basic notes and rhythms, or as more advanced studies on articulation, musicality, etc.
