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What is bitonality？—- part.5 —-

The Hungarian composer Bela Bartók wrote many pieces using folk songs; this behavior could be considered patriotic given the state of the country at the time*. Furthermore, there are pieces that suggest a connection to nationalism in terms of compositional techniques. In this time, I will be looking at a piece that uses bitonality among these pieces.

The third piece in “Improvisation on Hungarian Peasant Songs op.20” is composed in several keys other than the major and minor keys that have developed along with so-called Western music**.

Perhaps he was thinking about independence from the West in music, because at that time Hungary was aiming for independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

2025年11月2日 https://youtube.com/shorts/7vjyoOPmOp0?feature=share

In the piece “op.20-no.3”, he used novel scales*** for the folk song accompaniments and also added bitonal elements to it. In other words, he was able to pursue his own new musical expression while demonstrating his nationalism.

＊After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Hungarian Republic was established in 1918, but in 1920 it became the Kingdom of Hungary.

＊＊Bartok later wrote, “through the study of folk music, which is primarily modal, I was liberated from the overwhelming role of major and minor”

＊＊＊The melody in the first is accompanied by a whole-tone scale