Nationalism, Exoticism, or Concessions to the Audience? Motivations behind Bartók's Folksong Settings

Abstract

Folksong settings are usually the least appreciated works of a composer. Focusing on Bela Bartok's guiding principles in creating folksong settings, the author examine the motivations that have driven other composers to use folk material in their works.  The spread of the idea of nationalism, resulting in the endeavor to create an idiomatic national language of music played the lead in many cases. But the folksong as an exotic object also exerted an enormous appeal on composers and audiences alike, making folksong settings generally, but not always, a profitable undertaking as well. In the long run, the artistic quality of the folksong, its expressive power despite its succinct form, fascinated composers and inspired them to create a wealth of folksong settings.