Expression of the Romanian Folk Style in Béla Bartók’s String Quartet No. 1

Abstract

"Bartók’s string quartets play an important role in his overall output, as they represent a stylistic universe encompassing almost his entire oeuvre. In his String Quartet No. 1, Bartók aimed at reworking and expanding the folk elements as well as at developing his own personal expression. Despite being deeply rooted in folklore, this is not a folkloric work, but an expression that goes beyond folklore, which the composer placed in a new relationship to art-music. The aim of this research paper is to explore the aspects of language, the content conforming to the preoccupations of the modern era and the types of writing used, with a focus on the use of the melodic and rhythmic elements of folk music. The musical stylistics of this work is based precisely on the intertwinement and fusion of the two great creative principles: folk and art. Keywords: Béla Bartók, string quartet, folk elements. "