Béla Bartók quotes

Béla Bartók was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist, recognized as one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. His work deeply integrated folk music elements with modern classical traditions. He remains celebrated for his groundbreaking research in ethnomusicology and his innovative compositions. Here are 5 of his quotes:

Competitions are for horses, not artists.

Béla Bartók

I cannot conceive of music that expresses absolutely nothing.

Béla Bartók

Our peasant music, naturally, is invariably tonal, if not always in the sense that the inflexible major and minor system is tonal. (An "atonal" folk-music, in my opinion, is unthinkable.) Since we depend upon a tonal basis of this kind in our creative work, it is quite self-evident that our works are quite pronouncedly tonal in type. I must admit, however, that there was a time when I thought I was approaching a species of twelve-tone music. Yet even in works of that period the absolute tonal foundation is unmistakable.

Béla Bartók

Our peasant music, naturally, is invariably tonal, if not always in the sense that the inflexible major and minor system is tonal.

Béla Bartók