Sonata for two pianos and percussion

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Béla Bartók wrote Sonata for two pianos and percussion for the ISCM, and it was premiered by him and his second wife, Ditta Pásztory-Bartók, at the ISCM anniversary concert of 16 January 1938. It received enthusiastic reviews and has since become one of his most performed works.

The two pianos are paired with two percussion players, dividing seven types of percussion instruments between them, namely timpani, bass drum (gran cassa), cymbals, side drums (with and without snares), tam-tam (gong) and xylophone.

The work consists of three movements:

[edit] Assai lento - Allegro troppo

This movement is in a kind of expanded sonata form, where the "mysterious" motif of the introduction returns in the double-exposition of the "Allegro", (in C) and then competes whith a second theme group in the first development section; the second development is in three parts (ranging from E to G sharp), consisting largely of material from the first, sometimes as ostinatos. The movement ends with a fugato coda in which the opening motif returns.

[edit] Lento, ma non troppo

This movement displays the classical "middle movement" ternary a-b-a form. It is an example of Bartók's "night music" idiom.

[edit] Allegro non troppo

The finale starts with the hammering of luminous C major chords on the pianos, over which the xylophone plays an up-beat melody tuned in a folk music scale (c d e f# g a bb). It displays the for Bartók so characteristic rondo sonata form and is full of humouristic turns. It ends quite unexpectedly in pianissimo.