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Mikrokosmos Volume 1
(BH Piano). The definitive edition (1987) of the piano teaching classic. Includes an introduction by the composer's son Peter Bartok. In 1945 Bela Bartok described Mikrokosmos as a cycle of 153 pieces for piano written for "didactic" purposes, seeing them as a series of pieces in many different styles, representing a small world, or as the "world of the little ones, the children". Stylistically Mikrokosmos reflects the influence of folk music on Bartok's life and the rhythms and harmonies employed create music that is as modern today as when the cycle was written. The 153 pieces making up Mikrokosmos are divided into six volumes arranged according to technical and musical difficulty. Major teaching points highlighted in Mikrokosmos 1: Unison melodies, Question and answer, Imitation and Inversion. Volume with pink covers have text in English, French, German, and Hungarian. Volume 1 Contains Nos. 1-36
- GenresMusic
36 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
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About the author
Béla Bartók
1,237Ìýbooks13ÌýfollowersWorks, including the music for the opera
Duke Bluebeard's Castle
(1911) and
Concerto for Orchestra
(1943), of Hungarian pianist and composer Béla Bartók combine east European folk with dissonant harmonies.
Since 1920, small childhood hometown of Béla Viktor János Bartók in the kingdom within Austria constituted Sânnicolau Mare or great Saint Nicholas, Romania.
From his mother, he got his first lessons, but from the age of 18 years in 1899, he studied under a protege of the great late Franz Liszt. At the royal academy in Budapest, he met Zoltán Kodály, lifelong friend. Kodály, Claude Debussy of France, Johannes Brahms, and old Magyar melodies influenced Bartók, who met Richard Strauss in 1902. Indeed, Bartók of founded study of ethnomusicology, a passion in which his friend Kodály joined him, studying and incorporating much country into his own.
Since 1920, small childhood hometown of Béla Viktor János Bartók in the kingdom within Austria constituted Sânnicolau Mare or great Saint Nicholas, Romania.
From his mother, he got his first lessons, but from the age of 18 years in 1899, he studied under a protege of the great late Franz Liszt. At the royal academy in Budapest, he met Zoltán Kodály, lifelong friend. Kodály, Claude Debussy of France, Johannes Brahms, and old Magyar melodies influenced Bartók, who met Richard Strauss in 1902. Indeed, Bartók of founded study of ethnomusicology, a passion in which his friend Kodály joined him, studying and incorporating much country into his own.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 19, 2020
I don't know how it is for children, but this is by far the best piano course for adults, composed by a genuine master. If you are adventurous enough to take in Bartok's unique harmonic landscape, this is a profoundly effective boot camp for your piano skills. I've used it whenever I've needed to wake up my piano brain after years without practice.
What makes it so valuable is:
1. The very fair and consistent learning curve. This includes a few strategic steps backward in simplicity to allow you to absorb new techniques as they're added. A gradual learning curve is essential for building skills - so essential, I'm surprised at how many technique books in piano and elsewhere seem to drop the ball. Not here. It's challenging, but your efforts on any particular step are swiftly rewarded.
2. The emphasis on counterpoint. One of Mikrokosmos' defining characteristics is how it asks the student to hold off on the standard "right hand plays melody, left hand plays harmony" format and focus mainly on counterpoint from the beginning. This is brilliant. It strengthens and sharpens your left hand work, specifically, but it also does a fantastic workout on your brain in general. Also, counterpoint is one of the most intimidating techniques for a beginning player, and getting over that hump swiftly and easily is extremely rewarding and confidence-building.
3. The quality of compositions. This isn't a book of mere exercises - it is written with real craftsmanship and heart. Even the first book, which is a bit spare and monochromatic in style, feels like something the composer has spent time perfecting and therefore worth your time. This is important and quite a gift. Often, exercises are considered throwaway compositions. Even when you are grinding away to improve your skills, your time and your life are not throwaway things, so you deserve something with real value.
As for Volume I specifically: this is perhaps the least interesting book, but, if you approach it with momentum and focus (and do all the exercises well in advance of their corresponding pieces), you can get through it before it feels stale. And it does such good things for you. I would actually say the first three pieces in Volume II (#s 37 - 39) are spiritually part of Book I, so it applies to these, as well. There are many beautiful moments all over the place. In particular, I've always enjoyed playing #32, maybe because I like the Dorian mode.
What makes it so valuable is:
1. The very fair and consistent learning curve. This includes a few strategic steps backward in simplicity to allow you to absorb new techniques as they're added. A gradual learning curve is essential for building skills - so essential, I'm surprised at how many technique books in piano and elsewhere seem to drop the ball. Not here. It's challenging, but your efforts on any particular step are swiftly rewarded.
2. The emphasis on counterpoint. One of Mikrokosmos' defining characteristics is how it asks the student to hold off on the standard "right hand plays melody, left hand plays harmony" format and focus mainly on counterpoint from the beginning. This is brilliant. It strengthens and sharpens your left hand work, specifically, but it also does a fantastic workout on your brain in general. Also, counterpoint is one of the most intimidating techniques for a beginning player, and getting over that hump swiftly and easily is extremely rewarding and confidence-building.
3. The quality of compositions. This isn't a book of mere exercises - it is written with real craftsmanship and heart. Even the first book, which is a bit spare and monochromatic in style, feels like something the composer has spent time perfecting and therefore worth your time. This is important and quite a gift. Often, exercises are considered throwaway compositions. Even when you are grinding away to improve your skills, your time and your life are not throwaway things, so you deserve something with real value.
As for Volume I specifically: this is perhaps the least interesting book, but, if you approach it with momentum and focus (and do all the exercises well in advance of their corresponding pieces), you can get through it before it feels stale. And it does such good things for you. I would actually say the first three pieces in Volume II (#s 37 - 39) are spiritually part of Book I, so it applies to these, as well. There are many beautiful moments all over the place. In particular, I've always enjoyed playing #32, maybe because I like the Dorian mode.
September 5, 2019
The practices helped me at time keeping and sight reading.
Unfortunately they're not very presentable .
Be prepared to see ffriends and family frown when you play this in front of them.
Unfortunately they're not very presentable .
Be prepared to see ffriends and family frown when you play this in front of them.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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