Scoring: Wind decet plus optional double bass
Date: 2025These six or seven (the last two are often considered to be just one) folk dances from Romania were originally composed by Bela Bartok in 1915 for piano solo. They have been extremely popular ever since perhaps in part because, despite each being so short (about one minute), they do seem to create a wonderful linear progression, with the last few increasing gradually in tempo until the brilliant ending of the final dance. They are also extremely attractive melodies.
This arrangement which derives principally from Bartok's subsequent chamber orchestra version tries to maintain and enhance the different colour of each dance by using the different instruments of the wind decet in a variety of ways. The piccolo clearly has a starring roll in the third movement (as Bartok himself scored it), but also swapping the melody between first and second of a particular instrument (e.g. 1st and 2nd oboe) can create a new texture to a repeated musical line. I hope players and listeneners alike will enjoy its kaleidoscope of sounds.
Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6
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