Allegro Barbaro (arr Wallace)

Béla Bartók

Subtitle: Adapted from Allegro Barbaro (1911) for Solo Piano

General Info

Year: 1911 / 1995
Duration: c. 3:05
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Arrangers Publishing Co.
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $80.00 | Score Only (print) - $12.50

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:

Bass Drum
Bells
Crash Cymbals
Floor Toms
Gong
Ratchet
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tambourine
Temple Blocks
Triangle
Woodblocks
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Allegro Barbaro, BB 63 (Sz. 49), composed in 1911, is one of Béla Bartók's most famous and frequently performed solo piano pieces. The composition is typical of Bartók's style, utilizing folk elements. The work combines Hungarian and Romanian scales; Hungarian peasant music is based on the pentatonic scale, while Romanian music is largely chromatic.

- Program Note from Wikipedia

Allegro Barbaro was composed in 1911, but the first performance didn't occur until 1921. According to Maurice Hinson, editor, Bartók premiered the piece in February 1913 in Kecskemet, Hungary. Like many of Bartók's compositions, there are several different editions of Allegro Barbaro. The piece was performed in private by Bartók many times by memory before he even started to notate the music. In many early printed versions of the composition, the tempo markings were indicated at a much slower speed. These indications would confuse musicians because the recordings of Bartók performing his own composition were much faster than indicated. Also, many times certain accents and dynamics would be performed by the composer but would not make it to paper because each performance was different. The publication of the composition that took place in 1918 in Vienna has become to standard and final edition. Allegro Barbaro is a frequent choice of students to orchestrate, in particular for their college studies.

With apologies to the Bartok purists, this transcription for winds and percussion has been described by different reviewers as everywhere from "heavy metal: classical style” to a rather succinct “terribly awful”. But I wonder, if Bartok had had the modern wind and percussion ensemble at his disposal, would the “barbaro” have become more “barbarous” than ever?

- Program Note by David Holsinger for the Lee University Wind Ensemble concert program, 30 November 2016

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

Mississippi: V-A
North Carolina: IV
South Carolina: IV
Tennessee: IV
Virginia: IV

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

University of Mississippi (Oxford) Concert Band (Kevin Cole, conductor) 2 May 2023
Texas A&M University (Lubbock) Concert Band (Russell Tipton, conductor) – 1 March 2020
California State University Bakersfield Concert Band (Leo Sakamoto, conductor) – 2 December 2019
Strafford Wind Symphony (Sanford, Me.) (Bruce Gatchell, conductor) – 25 May 2019
The Gold Coast Band (Boynton Beach, Fla.) (Ken Wilbanks, conductor) – 5 May 2017 (ACB 2017 Annual Convention (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.))
Lee University (Cleveland, Tenn.) Wind Ensemble (David Holsinger, conductor) – 30 November 2016
Penn State University (University Park) Concert Band (Brett Penshorn, conductor) - 10 December 2015
Northern Kentucky University (Highland Heights) Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds (Brant Karrick, conductor) - 2013

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

For Children (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kurokawa) (1909/1945/2014)
Romanian Folk Dances (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Nakamura) (1915/2017)

All Wind Works

Allegro Barbaro (arr. Roman) (1911)
Allegro Barbaro (arr. Wallace) (1911/1995)
Bartok Folk Rhapsody (arr. McGinty) (/2004)
Bartok: Folk Trilogy (arr. McGinty) (1992)
Bartok for Band (arr. Schaeffer) (/1981)
Bartok for Children, three pieces (arr. Finlayson) (1909/1966)
Bartok Sketches
A Bartok Suite (arr. Clark) (1909/1997)
Bear Dance (arr. Leidzén) (1909/1931/1955)
Changing Time (arr. Schaeffer) (1909/1984)
Children's Album (arr. Gordon) (1909/1957)
Country Dance (arr. Henderson, Stoutamire) (1976)
Dance Suite (arr. Suzuki) (1923/2000)
Dance Suite (arr. Vandenberghe) (1923/)
Divertimento (arr. Abe) (1939/2015-2017)
Evening in the Country (arr. Suchoff) (1908/1931/1970)
Evening in the Village (arr. Leidzén) (1908/1931/1955)
Folk Song and Dance (arr. McGinty) (1988)
Folk Song Suite (tr. Erickson) 1909/1968)
Folk Trilogy (arr. McGinty) (1992)
For Children (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kurokawa) (1909/1945/2-14)
Four Pieces for Band (arr. Suchoff) (1961)
Four Sketches (arr. Schaefer) (1908/1963)
Hungarian Folk Song (arr. Castle) (1975)
Hungarian Folk Suite (arr. Gordon) (1967)
In a Quiet Mood (arr. Applebaum) (1909/1972)
Jocùri Poporale Romanesti (arr. Goto) (1999)
Little Suite (arr. Lijnschooten)
Maypole Dance
The Miraculous Mandarin (arr. Morita) (1918-1924/2017)
Nocturne (arr. Gardner) (1908/1931/1962)
Petite Suite (tr. Cushing) (1936/1963)
Piano Concerto No. 1 (1926)
Piano Concerto No. 2 (1932)
Play (arr. Pharmer) (1909/1969)
Rhapsody for Children (arr. Erickson) (1909/1969)
Roumanian Folk Dances (arr. Goto). See: Jocùri Poporale Romanesti
Romanian Folk Dances (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Nakamura) (1915/2017)
Second Movement from "Streichquartett nr. 2" (arr. Koh) (1915-1917/2006)
Silly Story (arr. Gordon) (1909/1974)
Song of the Mountain Horn (arr. La Plante) (2013)
Suite No. 14 (1916/)
Swineherd's Dance (arr. Suchoff) (1908/1931/1962)
Three Bartok Themes (arr. Pharmer) (1971)
Three Folk Songs (1907/)
Three Hungarian Songs (arr. Gordon) (1975)
Three Pieces for Children
Two Bagatelles for Band (arr. Gardner) (1970)
Two Pieces (arr. Lijnschooten)
Two Portraits (arr. Hanna)
Two Songs and a Dance (arr. Hastings) (1976)

Resources

Allegro Barbaro (Bartók), Wikipedia
Wallace, T.; Bartók, B. (1995). Allegro Barbaro : Adapted from Allegro Barbaro (1911) for Solo Piano [score]. Arrangers Publishing Co.: [Nashville, Tenn.]