Bartók: Life & Career
History notes for Bartók, 20th Century Composer: complete with Bartók’s life, works, contributions, influences, and musical styles.
- Bartók (1881 – 1837) was born in Sînnicôlau Mare (Hungary). When Czechoslovakia was formed, Bartók and his mother were on opposite sides of the border.
- Bartók’s father died when Bartók was young, thus he was raised by his mother, who first taught him piano.
- From 1899 – 1903, Bartók attended the Budapest Academy.
- In 1905, Bartók began collecting folk music with Zoltán Kodály, a Hungarian composer. This collection of folk music was published in 1907.
- In 1908, Bartók taught at the Budapest Academy, although the main task of his life was to collect, analyze, catalogue folk music.
- Bartók married in 1911, but was divorced at after 11 years, to marry Ditta Pastorzy, his piano student, immediately after. The couple had a son, for whom Bartók composed Mikrokosmos.
