Bartók and Kodály I-III. [antikvár]

GOLDEH SECTIONA thought of Bartók presents itself as a motto: "V/e are guided by nature in composition." The question involuntarily arises here whether Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven were not guided by nature in composition. Where does the main difference between a characteristic Mozart theme and a Bartók theme lie? In classical music, as we know, melody divides symmetrically: 2 bars are answered by 2, 4 by 4, 8 by 8 bars. Thus takes shape the classical proportion and equilibrium of the theme every detail of the melody has a symmetrical counterbalance, insomuch as we might call this formal logic the "law of balance". The most typical Bartók melodies, however, submit to a radically different regularity. If, for example, there appears a melody of 5 syllables, then it is not 5 syllables which will follow it /as with Mozart/ - but 8 syllables:mWhat sort of form is this? Let us speak out straight: it is a form of nature. Earlier in the case of the Mozart melody we have seen that in order to attain the feeling of balance, the theme must be divided symmetrically /conforming to "arithmetical" laws/. But what must be done when it is not the point of equilibrium in the melody that we are seeking for, but Just the point of greatest tension? In this instance, we have to apply a peculiar "geometrical" proportion. The fine arts have long known it - the law of geometrical mean - and it was Leonardo da Vinci who named it the "golden rule" of art, i.e. the golden section. This proportion - the tensest of all pro-