Duos for violin

Description

Béla Bartók composed the 44 Duos for two violins in 1931. The German violinist and pedagogue Erich Doflein had asked him to arrange piano pieces extracted from his cycle For Children, but Bartók preferred to deliver entirely original compositions. The works of this monumental cycle are all based on folk songs from several countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The form of each Duo, generally very simple, reflects the spontaneity and lack of structural complexity of the original folk songs. But the folkloric character of these Duos is not solely due to the use of modal folk songs. The irregular rhythmic patterns, percussive effects, syncopation, double-string drone, and many other techniques contribute to creating an evocative and extroverted atmosphere that is certainly not a minor factor in the continued success of these pieces.