“The Relation of Folk-Song to the Development of the Art Music of Our Time”, The Sackbut, II/1 (June 1921), 5–11. (translated by Brian Lunn)
Collected edition: BÖI, 576–578, 668–671; Essays, 320–330; DocB/5, 92–108; BBI/1, 106–115.
Further version: U źródeł muzyki ludowej; O wpływie muzyki wiejskiej na twórczość artystyczna (Polish edition in two parts, with alterations)
Source: BBA
The Relation of Folk-Song to the Development of the Art Music of Our Time. By BÉLA BARTÓK. I. This essay makes no attempt at being a systematic description of all the various manifestations in the art-music of our day which can be traced back to the influence of some folk-music or other. It will only refer to some of these manifestations, with the special objects of calling attention to the significance of folk-music to the creative artist, and of throwing light on the part each plays or can play in the growth of the music of the present day–and for that matter of the future also. At first sight it seems that the influence of folk-music only began to make itself felt to any considerable extent in the 19th century, on the one hand in the works of Chopin and Liszt, on the other in those of representatives of the various nationalistic movements (Grieg, Smetana, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, etc.). This view is not altogether correct, since in the first place the works of the composers just mentioned have had their roots in the popular artmusic of their native countries rather than in folk-music proper–and in the second place, even in those composers who stand nearer to true folk-music (the so-called Slav school) this relationship has not set an unmistakable seal upon their whole output but is revealed only here and there in their work. We must, therefore, before all realise the essential difference between popular art-music and real folk-music in the strict sense of the term. True folk-music consists of those melodies which grow up as representatives of a more or less uniform musical style among the peasant classes* (*Or in any class of an even lower level of culture.) of a nation. From this point, for brevity’s sake, we shall call it simply peasant-music. But how does this music grow up ? For a long time it was generally supposed that it was made in some mysterious way by ” the folk ” considered as a homogeneous mass ; this notion is of course impossible to accept, more especially as it leaves the question ” How? ” entirely unanswered. On the other hand it has been maintained that particular melodies were invented by particular peasants, although this view has never been substantiated by a single observed instance, and, besides, is scarcely acceptable on psychological grounds. As the result of researches into the new peasant music which has been developed in Hungary, during the last half century or so, evidence was discovered of fresh styles of peasant music, in accordance with which its origin may be explained in the following manner :– Every nation possesses an individual musical style in a certain stage of culture and development. Through various causes foreign melodies of a higher level of culture-either “art-melodies” or folk-melodies of a neighbouring people–are disseminated among the people in question, and in the process of their dissemination, local variants arise–first through small changes, later from an accumulation of more important deviations from the original form. By reason of the peasants’ innate conservatism the foreign melodies are ornamented with the idiosyncrasies of the existing musical style of the country into which they have been imported, or they may be completely transformed by the same means. This process of transformation, which of course is effected in different ways in different districts and countries, is influenced to a considerable extent by the peculiarities of language and intonation, etc. Eventually there grows up a body of melodies which reveal a certain uniformity in their structure and which differ very considerably from their imported originals. The gradual development of these differences may very well be attributed to the impulses of individual peasants, or of smaller or larger groups of peasants. It may, then, be taken for granted that the older ” original ” musical style of this peasant-class has been evolved by a similar process, although it consists of elements whose origin is unknown to us. Indeed the problem of the origin of the primitive music (Urmusik) of a people is as insoluble as that of the origin of root-languages or of the human race itself. Many countries show an extraordinary propensity to cling to the peculiarities of their own traditional musical style. In spite of the most revolutionary movements which bring to birth a style of music which is in spirit entirely new, there yet appear, even in their newest melodies, many gleams of the old primitive characteristics. This is the case with the neo-Hungarian peasant-music style which has sprung up during the last ten years or so, for in its melodies the influence of the pentatonic scale, reminding one of the Asiatic origin of the Hungarian race, is still unmistakable. Peasant-music, in the strict sense of the word, must be regarded as a natural phenomenon the forms in which it manifests itself are due to the instinctive transforming-power of a community entirely devoid of erudition. It is just as much a natural phenomenon as, for instance, the various manifestations of Nature in fauna and flora. Correspondingly it has, in its individual parts, an absolute artistic perfection–a perfection in miniature forms which–one might almost say–is equal to the perfection of a musical masterpiece of the largest proportions. It is the classical model of how to express an idea musically in the most concise form, with the greatest simplicity of means, with freshness and life, briefly yet completely and properly proportioned. This is quite sufficient to account for the fact that peasant music, in the strict sense of the word, is not generally understood by the average musician. He finds it empty and inexpressive; popular art-music suits his taste much better. This latter derives from individual composers, known or unknown, who possess a certain musical erudition. With us in East Europe, it comes from amateurs of gentle birth who satisfy the creative impulse of their slender musical talents by the composition of more or less simple tunes. Their music is partly made up of elements of Western European art-music–a jumble of commonplaces in this respect–but it also bears traces of the peasant-music of their own country. This is what lends their music a certain exotic flavour by which even men like Liszt, Brahms and Chopin felt themselves attracted. Nevertheless the outcome of this mixture of exoticism and banality, is something imperfect, inartistic, in marked contrast to the clarity of real peasant-music with which it compares most unfavourably. At all events it is a noteworthy fact that artistic perfection can only be achieved by one of the two extremes : on the one hand by peasant-folk in the mass, completely devoid of the culture of the towndweller, on the other by creative power of an individual genius. The creative impulse of anyone who has the misfortune to be born somewhere between these two extremes leads only to barren, pointless and mis-shapen works. When peasants or the peasant-classes lose their naiveté and their artless ignorance, as a result of the conventional culture, or more accurately half-culture, of the town-dwelling folk, they lose at the same time all their artistic transforming-power. So that in western countries it is a long while since there was any real peasant-music in the strict sense of the word. In eastern Europe about a hundred years ago or even earlier many popular art-melodies were appropriated by the peasant classes, who, by means of alterations, in a greater or lesser degree, have given them a new lease of life in a new milieu ; but these tunes have not led to the formation of a new style of peasant music, nor indeed have they contributed anything towards it. The greater the alteration or rather the more complete the process of perfection that they have undergone at the hands of their peasant appropriators has been, the more nearly do they approximate to the true style of peasant-music ; at the same time it is impossible to regard them as representative peasant melodies. II. At the beginning of the nineteenth century when the strengthening of national feeling in the, politically-speaking, most oppressed of the smaller nations (as for example the Poles, Czechs and Hungarians) increased the demand for a national art, intellectual circles in these countries were, generally speaking, familiar only with the popular art-music which, thanks to its exotic qualities was not lacking in a certain charm. No attention was paid to the real peasant music. It was looked down upon as something rather common. No wonder, then, that composers like Chopin and Liszt who could not go round collecting these tunes themselves probably had no opportunity of hearing the genuine peasant music at any time. Perhaps they never came into contact with the peasant classes or, if they did on occasions, they only heard from the mouths of the peasants those popular art-songs which had been appropriated by them. For the peasants feel instinctively–many know from practical experience–that most of the gentle-folk look upon their ” simple ” art products with scant respect. They are, therefore, chary of exhibiting them to the townsfolk and the most they will do is to take the opportunity of showing off the products that they have taken over from the towns-folk themselves, of which they are proud as they feel they have accomplished an achievement in mastering them. Chopin was to a certain extent influenced by the Polish and Liszt by the Hungarian popular art music. Liszt however as an international, was especially interested in the similar products of Italy, Spain and other countries. Yet so much that was banal was incorporated by them with much that was exotic that the works concerned were not benefited thereby. That is why it is not the nationalistic Polonaises that rank highest amongst Chopin’s works, and the same applies to Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies and to his Tarantellas and Polonaises. In any case it is only these slighter works that have received what is after all only a nationalistic whitewash; the principal works of both composers are happily for the most part exempt from this influence. It is only recently, that is, at the beginning of the twentieth century that the influence of genuine peasant-music has again become noticeable. I say again, because in the Viennese classical epoch a similar manifestation occurred, of which more anon. The vein of exoticism in the popular art-music was worked out ; its insipidity had become disagreeable, the early researches, modest though they were, into the youngest of the sciences, namely musical folk-lore, drew the attention of certain musicians to the genuine peasant music, and with astonishment they found that they had come upon a natural treasure-store of surpassing abundance. This exploration of the natural treasures of music seems to have been the inevitable result of a re-action against the ultra-chromaticism of the Wagner-Strauss period. The genuine folk music of eastern Europe is almost completely diatonic and in some parts, such as Hungary, even pentatonic. Curiously enough at the same time an apparently opposite tendency became apparent, a tendency towards the emancipation of the twelve sounds comprised within our octave from any system of tonality. (This has nothing to do with the ultrachromaticism referred to, for there chromatic notes are only chromatic in so far as they are based upon the underlying diatonic scale.) The diatonic element in eastern European folk music does not in any way conflict with the tendency to equalise the value of semitones. This tendency can be realised in melody as well as in harmony ; whether the foundation of the folk-melodies is diatonic or even pentatonic, there is still plenty of room in the harmonisation for equalising the value of the semitones. So whether under the influence of peasant-music in the formation of the melody, diatonic or pentatonic prevails, the harmony still gives sufficient play to admit of an equalising treatment of the semitones. (The melody of exotic peasant music as for instance that of the Arabs is not even diatonic). In fact such newer compositions derive from the diatonic simplicity of peasant music an element of refreshing contrast ; the opposition of the two tendencies reveals the more clearly the individual properties of each, while the effect of the whole becomes all the more powerful. Moreover the influence of peasant music saves such works from the danger of falling into a wearying or surfeiting extreme. When I speak of the influence of peasant music, I do not mean as it were a mere whitewash of it, nor the mere adaptation of peasant-melodies or snatches of melodies and their piece-meal incorporation in musical works, but rather the expression of the real spirit of the music of any particular people which is so hard to render in words. The manner in which the spirit is interpreted in the compositions is closely dependent upon the personality and musical talent of the particular composer so that it is of little use for a blockhead or a man with no musical talent to run to ” the people ” in order to get inspiration for his thin ideas. Although every comparison between painting and music tends to break down, it is possible to illustrate from the art of painting, the relation between peasant music and art-music. Peasant-music itself plays the part in composition that natural objects play in painting. Real folk-music can be regarded as a natural phenomenon from the point of view of higher art-music just as well as the properties of bodies as perceived by the eye are so regarded by the painter, or again, in order to illustrate this point from the art of writing, popular-music is to the composer what Nature herself is to the writer,* (* As it might be supposed that poetry can draw upon a similar source in popular songs and ballads it should be explained that folk-songs appear to lack the significance for poetry that folk-music has for art-music. Folk-songs lack more especially the infinite variety that we musicians find in folk-music.) but just as the poet cannot come to understand Nature from written descriptions, so the composer cannot hope to learn the nature of peasant-music from dead collections of musical preserves. In the process of notation that very essence of peasant music is lost, which enables it to awake the emotions in the soul of the composer. The harsh characters cannot possibly render the subtler shades of rhythm, of intonation, of sound-transitions, in a word all the pulsing life of peasant-music. The record of peasant-music is as it were the picture of its corpse. He who has never heard the actual melodies or similar ones from the mouths of the peasant themselves will never obtain a true idea of them by the mere reading of the score. It is essential therefore to seek out the peasants and to become acquainted with them, not only for the sake of their music in their truest type. The effect of the experience is incomparably enhanced by the accessory elements such as the surroundings, the ceremonial customs, etc., that accompany the music. The invention of such instruments as the gramophone has fortunately enabled us to preserve peasant-music and more or less to dispense with the necessity for those visits to the peasants themselves which would often be difficult and sometimes impossible. It is admitted that individual peculiarities and the spirit of songs or of music are rendered to incomparably greater perfection by means of the most primitive phonograph record than, for instance, the most accurate photograph of the scene. Through listening to phonograph records, we obtain a perfect tone-picture of peasant music. All that is necessary is that musicians or musical investigators who wish to possess this should have access to as large a collection of records as possible. III. The purpose of this essay is not to discover which of the modern composers have been influenced by the folk-music of one country or another and in what form the influence has manifested itself. So I shall not raise the question as to whether Debussy acquired certain characteristics through the medium of Moussorgsky or from direct contact with Russian folk-music, nor shall I speculate upon the sources of the pentatonic element in the work of Ravel. I shall invite your attention only to the most remarkable manifestations of those that owe their origin to the influence of peasant music. The first in this category is undoubtedly Moussorgsky, some scores of years before any other. It did not fall to him to achieve perfection– he should be regarded rather as a forerunner of this tendency. Stravinsky’s Sacre du Printemps is one of the best examples of the intensive permeation of art music by genuine peasant music. The work, in spite of its extraordinary verve and power, fails to be completely satisfying. Under the influence of the short-winded structure of the Russian peasant melodies Stravinsky did not escape the danger of yielding to a broken mosaic-like construction which is sometimes disturbing and of which the effect is enhanced by his peculiar technique, monotonous as it becomes by repetition and by its practise of as it were, automatically superimposing several chord-sequences of varying length, in constant repetition, without regard to their consonances. It is not the Russian peasant-music that we must blame for this, but the composer’s lack of grasp and power of organisation. The majority of the works of the Hungarian Zoltan Kodaly// Zoltán Kodály, which may be called the apotheosis of the old Hungarian folk-music furnish a second and moreover a satisfactory example. As a young Hungarian critic* (*Aladar Toth//Aladár Tóth in the periodical Nyugat–July, 1920.) aptly remarks :-” Kodaly having discovered in the peasant music of the Hungarians, that is of the Seklers, the Transylvanian Hungarians, a language appropriate to his specifically Hungarian thoughts, he did not apply himself to it as to a scientific proposition but learnt the language and spoke it as one speaks one’s mother tongue.” Kodaly’s technique lacks any striking sensational novelty, but he is a master of form and has something thoroughly individual to say–two factors which always ensure perfection in creative work. Finally, as a negative example of what I mean, the works of Schonberg//Schönberg may be mentioned. He is free from all peasant-influence and his complete alienation to Nature, which of course I do not regard as a blemish, is no doubt the reason why many find his work so difficult to understand. The two composers who furnish the examples quoted above gave themselves up to the folk-music of a particular country but I wish especially to emphasise that this exclusiveness is not important. The personality of the composer must be strong enough to synthesise the results of his reactions to most widely divergent types of folk-music. He will, of course, probably react only to a folk-music in harmony with his personality. It would be stupid to force a selection for exterior reasons such as a wrongly conceived patriotism. Naturally a composer will be most influenced by the music he hears most of–the music of his home. This circumstance ensures a certain geographical difference in style–at least superficially. IV. As I have already indicated, the practice of employing peasant-music in the attempt to put life into works of art-music is not entirely new, but appears merely to have disappeared for a certain time during the 19th century. In fact, many symphonic themes–especially in last movements–of the Viennese Classics, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, suggest peasant-music ; in their case it would seem to be a matter of Slavonic peasant instrumental music. We shall probably never arrive at a clear solution of this question as the material in the form of contemporary peasant-music necessary for a thorough comparative analysis is lacking. In many cases the Croatian melodies, which were preserved until the second half of the 19th century and were then actually committed to writing, give us grounds for supposing that peasant-music exercised a considerable influence at that time. For certain melodies which had quite accidentally escaped oblivion appear in a collection* (* Kuhac : Juzno-Slovjensky Narodne Popievke (Jugo-slavonic Volkslieder). Lagreb (about 1600 Croatian Slovenian and Serbian melodies.)) published between the years 1878-81 ; and these were made use of in Haydn’s and Beethoven’s works. In order to make some of these interesting cases known more widely in musical circles I will quote three melodies out of the collection. The first melody is identical with the main theme of Haydn’s D major Symphony (finale). The second and third melodies (two variations) constitute the main theme of the first passage of the Pastoral Symphony.† († These are also quoted by Grove in Beethoven and His Nine Symphonies. –Ed.) The possible theory that this was Beethoven’s own theme and penetrated to the Croatian peasantry with the popularisation of the Symphony is quite untenable. The peasantry is capable of taking up only such melodies as it hears repeated to the point of satiety at village dances or other meetings. Nobody can imagine that Beethoven’s Symphonies achieved such a widespread popularity in the villages of the east of Europe. One has only to consider that in the country districts of the east of Europe the very name of Beethoven is unknown even to the gentry, these circles in fact lack the slightest acquaintance with the higher art-music of any period. It is much nearer the truth to say that Beethoven heard this melody from a bagpipe played in West Hungary, where Croats also are settlers and where he often stayed. Before strangers peasants play on an instrument much more naturally than they sing melodies from a text. The tune appealed to Beethoven and as it just seemed to give a picture of rural life he used it in his symphony without acknowledgment–as was in fact usual at the time. Bars 16 to 25, which constantly repeat the self same one-bar Motif are in fact a very faithful imitation of the bagpipe interlude-passages as they can still be heard in our day. Thus for instance the interlude occurs as the eight or ten-fold repetition of the Motif in a melody which I heard played on the bagpipes by a Hungarian peasant. My theory is strengthened by the bagpipe-like accompaniment of the theme. As I have already said, there are scarcely eight, or at the most, ten examples of this kind. How many such melodies may have perished amongst the peasantry before they could be written down ! An examination of the part played by the ” choral ” melodies in the art-music of the 17th century will furnish still older analogy. I cannot say for certain, whether or not these melodies may be counted as peasant-music, as I have not investigated this question, but their simple and uniform character agrees fairly generally with that of all genuine peasant-music. As ” choral ” melodies have been used to serve as the basis of instruction in composition, more especially in the study of counterpoint, up to the present day, peasant-melodies might to still greater advantage be made to serve an academic purpose in the future. One of the most difficult tasks is to find such accompaniments to peasant-melodies as will not obscure but will emphasise and bring into relief their characteristic features. In the hands of a good teacher these melodies could exercise an extraordinarily beneficient effect. Students of composition and in fact musical students generally would be well advised to study peasant-melodies thoroughly, where possible from phonograph records, or if they can, in its natural form–not that a person of medium talent can thereby be transformed into a creator of note, but it is a study which will refine the budding musician’s taste and considerably enlarge his horizon. V. I have endeavoured so far to show the significance for art and the wide scope of the study of peasant-music. Its scope in research is, I believe, already admitted beyond all question. It has attempted to throw light upon the stages in the development of the art of music, an art the high cultural significance of which is more and more generally recognised even by the non-musical. Yet in spite of its wide range in two directions, incredibly little attention has as yet been devoted to the study of musical folk-lore in comparison with other scientific researches. That this should have been so up to the end of the 19th century can be readily understood as the apparatus essential for research work was lacking. But now that there is nothing to prevent the collection of phonograph records such indifference, nay, every neglect is an unpardonable sin. The three most important requirements are : (1) The foundation of systematic collections which should constantly be enriched by expert investigation. (2) The galvano-plastic fixation of the records–first to avoid the disadvantage of the ephemeral duration of the originals, and secondly so that any number of copies may be taken. (3) Institutions which possess such collections should enter into relation with those of other countries for mutual exchange so that the results of these researches might become universally accessible. Indeed this research work should be carried out in each country according to a uniform plan, the main features of which should be common to all countries. So far as I am aware no institute fulfilling all these requirements exists. The Paris Institute, for example, has no music folk-lore collection. The Berlin University possesses a fairly rich one which owes its existence to the labour of Professor Erich von Hornbostel and is being fixed by the galvanoplastic process ; yet the material even for this collection is acquired casually and at hazard. No systematically organised expeditions by musical experts to explore new territory have been carried out. The Hungarian national museum in Budapest certainly possesses a collection that is fairly rich for the resources of what was Greater Hungary ; its material is drawn almost entirely from the country districts ; but unhappily nothing has been done hitherto to effect the fixation of these most valuable specimens, so that they must gradually perish. There has not been and, of course, there is not now any suggestion for mutual exchange or a common scheme of work with other institutions. Meanwhile the ancient peasant-music of each people is disappearing day by day, submerged beneath the waves of new cultures, so that the neglect of each day causes an irretrievable treasure for music to vanish for ever. It is quite possible that in the future peasant-music will have to play a far more important part than it does to-day. A future generation might conceivably discover and embody in their art-music properties of the peasant-music which have altogether escaped us. We in the meantime, through sheer indifference, do practically nothing to preserve this perishable treasure. (Translated by BRIAN LUNN.)