The Bartok Album

 

 

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Alongside the vocal prowess of Marta Sebastyén, the Hungarian folk ensemble Muzsikás retrace the musical path taken by composer Béla Bartók as he collected and transcribed a corpus of Hungarian folk music in the early decades of last century. These collecting journeys took him to Hungarian language territory now incorporated into Romania and provided Bartók with much of the inspiration for his own work in the classical European tradition. By recreating the crisp sound of the original village musicians, Muzsikás transport us to a magical realm and allow us to hear the tunes as the great composer himself would have heard them. Sometimes we are treated to a juxtapositioning of the original recording and the Muzsikás reconstruction, which is fascinating. The music itself is wonderful - lively village dances that capture the feeling of the Carpathians and tragic songs that seem to speak of the region's troubled history. There is a wide variety of instruments on the recording - essentially strings but also flutes, tamburas and other magyar specialities. I really like the way that the music combines a livelly dance rythym with sense of tragedy, provided much of the time by the haunting but meaty voice of Sebastyén. Having cycled through this part of Europe last summer it was very special to be able to hear the music of the communities amongst whom I had travelled. If I'd only heard this CD prior to my visit I'd have made a greater effort to hear the music live! A must for any fan of Bartók and/or Central and Eastern European folk.

I first encountered the eerily beautiful voice of Márta Sebestyén, like quite a few, through her small but decisive contribution to Deep Forest's smooth electronica album Boheme. I was then gratified to see her attain a wider audience through her memorable contribution to the score for the film of The English Patient. Having become intrigued I went on to acquire her album, Kismet - Márta Sebestyén, which is a collaboration with one of the groups with which she regularly performs, Muzsikás. Here I discovered that Márta is considered a national treasure in her Hungarian homeland, having steeped herself in the deep folk traditions of her country, which it would seem are more alive and well than those of other modern European countries. I also came to admire the incredible flair and instrumental prowess of Muzsikás. On the Kismet album Márta and the band actually extend themselves beyond their native land and perform beautiful arrangements of songs from folk traditions of parts as widely separated as Ireland and Hindustan. I had been aware for some time that much of the rich folk musical heritage of Central Europe had been assiduously collected by the great Béla Bartók, whose efforts have arguably done much to keep these traditions so vibrantly alive in the public mind. I was also aware the Márta and Muzsikás had made an album which was dedicated to Bartók's life and efforts.

Then, over the last few months, I developed, quite independently, a (some would say unhealthy) obsession with the strange and wonderful musical world of Bartók, having acquired and absorbed pretty well all of his major works and quite a few of the lesser known. Bartók was a strange and enigmatic man, and his music throws up many questions, one of the most nagging of which is as to the relationship between his own compositions and the folk sources on which he drew so heavily. When discovering Bartók one is quickly obliged to ask which of what I am listening to is there in the folk music, and which is the expressive genius of the man himself. Answering that question has for me become a bit of a detective story which has eventually led me back to this remarkable album.

The album is most curiously constructed almost as a sort of musical documentary, containing magnificent performances of traditional songs and dances by Muzsikás, joined on the songs by Márta. But alongside it are some of the early phonographic recordings made by Bartók and other collectors of his acquaintance. Also included are performances of three of the pieces from Bartók's 44 Duos for Two Violins (Bartók: Sonata for Solo Violin, Sz 117; 44 Duos for Two Violins), accompanying the original phonographic recordings and their reconstructions. There are also a couple of items which demonstrate the strangely beautiful flute style practised by the Shepherds in some regions, which involves humming a resonant harmonic line along with the flute theme. There is a highly informative, and in places rather moving booklet which details the provenance of each item of the selection; when, where and by whom it was recorded, and in what works Bartók incorporated them. The booklet also tells us that what Muzsikás are presenting us with is an attempt at full authenticity, backed up by nearly a lifetime of research among prior generations of exponents.

So, this absolute gem has done much to answer my questions concerning Bartók's relationship to his folk sources. Indeed, in conjunction with my listening to the wonderful Complete Works for Solo Piano, there is no longer any question in my mind as to what in Bartók is truly Bartók and what are humble borrowings. However, please do not form the impression that one must be a Bartók fan to find value and enjoyment in this marvellous piece of work. Anyone who has a love for the music of folk traditions that include beautiful tunes, wild vigorous dances and that primeval shiver down the spine, be they Celtic, Gaelic or from wherever, will find themselves immediately at home in another person's home as it were. My wife's legs are a good litmus test of what makes good dance music and her legs say that the dancing on this album is all great stuff. Meanwhile, the lump in my throat here and there will vouch for the songs.

I was used to the very mournful style of "restaurant serenade" type music, so this is a wonderful cross section of different styles of Hungarian folk music. Excellent!

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