For Children – Béla Bartók: Piano Solo Volumes I–IV / Zoltán Kocsis / Hungaroton 2x LP 1981

UPC: 5996255607055 

MPN: SLPX 12304-05 

Brand Name: Hungaroton

Overview

For Children (Hungarian: Gyermekeknek) is a celebrated cycle of short piano pieces by Béla Bartók, composed between 1908–1909 and revised in 1945. Originally written as pedagogical exercises for students, the pieces are based on Hungarian and Slovak folk tunes and progress in difficulty across the volumes.

This 2-LP edition features a masterful performance by Zoltán Kocsis, whose interpretation elevates these pedagogical pieces into a compelling concert experience. The work remains a cornerstone of Bartók’s piano repertoire and an essential collection for lovers of 20th-century classical music.

Product Features

• Format: 2 x Vinyl LP, Stereo
• Label: Hungaroton – SLPX 12304-05
• Country: Hungary
• Released: 1981
• Genre: Classical
• Style: Modern, Folk-Influenced
• Performer: Zoltán Kocsis – Piano (Steinway B)
• Engineer: Sándor Kálmán
• Liner Notes: András Wilheim
• Photography: György Hegedűs, János Huschit
• Producer: Zoltán Hézser

Interesting Facts

• The cycle comprises 79 piano pieces across four volumes (originally 85 pieces), with Volumes I–II using Hungarian folk tunes and Volumes III–IV Slovak tunes.
• Bartók wrote the pieces to progressively train students in piano technique while immersing them in Eastern European folk music traditions.
• Pianists like Zoltán Kocsis have included selections from this cycle in recitals, demonstrating their musical depth beyond pedagogical purposes.
• The work reflects Bartók’s dual interest in ethnomusicology and modern composition, bridging folk music and early 20th-century classical idioms.

Track Listing

Volume I (16:59)

1. Allegro – Children At Play 0:26
2. Andante – Children's Song 0:50
3. Quasi Adagio 0:53
4. Allegro – Pillow Dance 0:45
5. Allegretto – Play 1:02
6. Allegro – Study for the Left Hand 0:39
7. Andante Grazioso – Play Song 0:27
8. Allegretto – Children's Game 1:32
9. Adagio – Song 1:02
10. Allegro Molto – Children's Dance 0:38
11. Lento 1:04
12. Allegro 1:28
13. Andante – Ballad 0:56
14. Allegretto 0:25
15. Allegro Moderato 0:30
16. Andante Rubato – Old Hungarian Tune 0:34
17. Lento – Round Dance 1:08
18. Andante Non Troppo – Soldier's Song 1:00
19. Allegretto 0:32
20. Allegro Robusto 0:44

Volume II (17:34)

1. Allegretto 0:54
2. Allegro Grazioso – Dance Song 0:45
3. Andante Sostenuto 1:01
4. Parlando 0:32
5. Moderato 0:35
6. Allegramente – Jest 0:52
7. Andante – Choral 1:35
8. Allegro Scherzando – Pentatonic Tune 0:42
9. Allegro Ironico – Jeering Song 0:32
10. Andante Tranquillo 1:33
11. Andante 1:18
12. Allegro Non Troppo 0:55
13. Allegretto 0:28
14. Con Moto 0:22
15. Vivace – Drunkard's Song 0:34
16. Allegro – Swineherd's Song 0:30
17. Molto Vivace – Winter Solstice Song 0:54
18. Allegro Moderato 1:58
19. Allegro Vivace – Swineherd's Dance 1:34

Volume III (18:28)

1. Allegro 0:24
2. Andante 0:52
3. Allegretto 0:26
4. Andante – Wedding Song 0:29
5. Molto Andante – Variations 1:44
6. Allegro – Round Dance I 0:31
7. Andante – Sorrow 1:00
8. Allegro Non Troppo – Dance 0:33
9. Andante – Round Dance II 0:33
10. Largo – Funeral Song 1:34
11. Lento 1:46
12. Andante Rubato 0:44
13. Allegro 0:33
14. Moderato 0:36
15. Molto Tranquillo – Bagpipe I 1:11
16. Lento – Lament 0:57
17. Andante 0:39
18. Sostenuto – Teasing Song 0:37
19. Assai Lento – Romance 1:16
20. Presto – Game Of Tag 0:21
21. Allegro Moderato – Pleasantry 1:02
22. Molto Allegro – Revelry 0:37

Volume IV (20:28)

1. Andante Tranquillo 0:54
2. Andante 0:58
3. Allegretto – Scherzando 0:29
4. Andante Molto Rubato – Peasant's Flute 1:28
5. Allegro – Pleasantry II 0:40
6. Andante, Molto Rubato 1:11
7. Allegro Non Troppo – Canon 0:39
8. Vivace – Bagpipe II 0:48
9. Allegro – The Highway Robber 0:39
10. Pesante 1:03
11. Andante Tranquillo 0:35
12. Adagio – Farewell 1:52
13. Moderato – Ballad 1:43
14. Parlando, Molto Rubato / Allegro Moderato – Rhapsody 2:41
15. Lento – Dirge 1:57
16. Lento – Mourning Song 2:23

Publishers

• Label: Hungaroton – SLPX 12304-05
• Country of Release: Hungary
• Pianist: Zoltán Kocsis
• Engineer: Sándor Kálmán
• Producer: Zoltán Hézser
• Liner Notes: András Wilheim

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