While the quartets were central to the composer’s chamber output, there were other, somewhat less time-honoured ensembles. that benefitted from his skills; one such was the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion.
Quartet No. 2 (1917)
The Second Quartet comes from the same period as the composer’s three stage works; and, while it remains resolutely abstract, it shares some of their musical vocabulary and syntax:
A rare example of Bartók describing the structure of his music:
“The work is in five movements; their character corresponds to Classical sonata form. The slow movement is the kernel of the work; the other movements are, as it were, arranged in layers around it. Movement IV is a free variation of II, and I and V have the same thematic material; that is, around the kernel (Movement III), metaphorically speaking, I and V are the outer, II and IV the inner layers.”
I: Allegro0:00 II: Prestissimo, con sordino7:00 III: Non troppo lento10:14 IV: Allegretto pizzicato16:31 V: Allegro molto 19:49
One of the composer’s best known works, it explores the sonorities of a related group of instruments, with the two pianos vacillating between their percussive and lyrical natures:
I: Assai Lento – Allegro molto0:04 II: Lento ma non troppo13:07 III: Allegro non troppo19:42
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The Art of Listening 