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 score requires four performers, two pianists and two percussionists, who play seven instruments between them: timpani, bass drum (gran cassa), cymbals, snare drum (both on- and off- 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 with 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.
Sonata for two pianos and percussion, first movement (excerpt)
[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 in the Lydian-Mixolydian mode (C D E F# G A Bb). It displays the sonata rondo form characteristic to Bartók's music and is full of humoristic turns. It ends quite unexpectedly in pianissimo.
