🇭🇺Bartók Béla Viktor János ： Mikrokosmos Vol.5 No.130 Rustic Joke BB 105 Sz 107

This witty miniature appears in Volume 5 of Bartók’s educational collection Mikrokosmos. Short motifs suggesting a simple folk-like character are repeated and varied, while displaced accents and sudden changes of expression create the humor implied by the title. Listening for the exchange between motifs and the contrast between tension and release reveals the interest of its concise design. In performance, keep the rhythm precise while giving each note a clear attack, and bring out the dynamics and rests with deliberate definition. Rather than rushing the tempo, the performer should naturally draw out the cheeky spirit hidden within its rustic simplicity.