A Transylvanian folk-dance mashup

A devotee of Eastern European folk music, Béla Bartók orchestrated Romanian Folk Dances, a mashup of seven short melodies from Transylvania. Each tune, with its own unique character, lasts no more than a minute and goes with a traditional Romanian dance.

Bartók collected these melodies during his travels in Transylvania between 1910 and 1912, where he recorded them on phonograph cylinders – state-of-the-art recording technology of the time! While he accompanied the melodies rather simply, he managed to capture provide rich, original harmony and an exciting rhythmic foundation.

The seven movements, named after folk dances, are named as follows: 1. Dance with sticks – 2. Waistband dance – 3. Stamping dance (“in one spot”) – 4. Horn Dance – 5. Romanian Polka – 6. Quick Dance (actually a combination of two dances)

Come hear this rollicking piece and many more, in a toe-tapping concert some call “a six-course tasting menu of folk dance music.”