Written in 1915 for piano and then transcribed for orchestra in 1917, Bartok’s Romanian Dances is a fast paced ride through the folk tunes and rich musical history of Transylvania and Romania. Each movement is a brief glimpse into one of the many captured folk dances and melodies that Bartok painstakingly collected throughout his career.  

The opening movement (Stick Dance) is a traditional melody collected in a small Transylvanian village being performed by two (Romani) women on violins. The second movement (Sash Dance) is a traditional Romanian dance that uses a sash tied around the waist. The third movement (In One Spot) comes from the same region (Egres) as the second, but invokes more Middle Eastern tonalities and instrumentation. The fourth movement (Dance from Buscum) is a slow Romanian folk dance. The fifth movement (Romanian Polka) is a lively polka-like dance that comes from the border of Romania and Hungary. The final movement (Fast Dance) features two distinct melodies from completely different regions played at a quick tempo overtop one another.