Different Beginnings

By comparing the lives of these two VERY prominent composers you can't help but notice that they came from two very alternate universes. Although Stravinsky grew up in Russia, which is not completely different than Hungary, you have to break it down to the details to really notice it.

So Bartok first. He grew up in a village called Nagyszentmiklós, with his mother, father, and sister, who didn't really have much more to offer besides their love and piano.

So that's exactly what Bartok did; piano. He actually got quite good. So good that by the time he was 8 he was studying with a student of Liszt at the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest. The rest is history; from there Bela just worked his way up the ranks until he took over the world as one of the 5 Best composers of the 20th century (a future blog)!

Now Stravinsky took a slightly different path, but still ended up on my list of the 5 Best composers of the 20th Century. Brought up in St. Petersburg, Russia Stravinsky's has been quoted as having a bad childhood, but I disagree with him. He wasn't getting medicine from the Witch Doctor for his deadly rash (Like Bartok did for most of his early years. Which he probably contracted from playing outside with the gypsy kids in his village). So, like I said, Stravinsky grew up in St. Petersburg where things were probably not too bad. One unfortunate event that occurred early in his life (by the way, he lived forever - 90 years!!) was the passing of his father when he was about 20. This is one commonality between Stravinsky and Bartok. Bartok's father died when he was 8. Another commonality is the fact that both were accomplished pianists by a young age. Interestingly, Stravinsky actually went to law school (forced by his parents) for a while, until his Blood Sunday. From thereon he concentrated on music. His turning point came when he ran into Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. From there Stravinsky was set as a composer and musician.

Now output of the piano works by these two greats is slightly unbalanced. Bartok has a relatively large output for piano. With pieces ranging in difficulty from his piano sonata or piano concerto no. 2 all the way down to his first book of Mikrokosmos, he covered every level. Stravinsky on the other hand, who is known more for his ballets and orchestral works, has a lesser output for the piano.

Bartok's Piano Sonata is definitely one of the best pieces of the twentieth century piano repertoire. It has a rhythmic drive and percussive nature that can greatly effect audiences. It was originally used by Bela as one of his performance pieces. Today, it has become a constant on the concert stage (along with his Out of Doors Suite). At one point I used to watch this video everyday:

Zoltan plays this better than anyone

Stravinsky also has one exceptional piece for piano which is, well, not even originally written for piano; three movements from Petrushka. This can best be decribed as a "virtuosos delight". With wide reaches, blazing tempos, and scary leaps this is a very difficult piece. With that said, if you can pull it off, you have yourself an amazing competition/recital piece and don't let it escape your fingers! Besides this transcription, Igor also wrote a couple of sonatas, a set of etudes (these are good), and a tango! The only other piano work, which I really really love, is his Concerto for Piano and Winds. I am starting to learn it currently and it cannot be decribed as anything else, but INCREDIBLE (sorry to use such a big word). Go to the library and find a recording of Boris Berman playing it, it will make you want to learn it.

Until Next time. . .Toha OUT!