The definitive edition (1987) of the piano teaching classic. Includes an introduction by the composer's son Peter Bartk. In 1945 Bela Bartok described 'Mikrokosmos' as a cycle of 153 pieces for piano written for 'didactic' purposes, seeing them as a series of pieces in many different styles, representing a small world, or as the 'world of the little ones, the children'. Stylistically Mikrokosmos reflects the influence of folk music on Bartk's life and the rhythms and harmonies employed create music that is as modern today as when the cycle was written. The 153 pieces making up 'Mikrokosmos' are divided into six volumes arranged according to technical and musical difficulty. Content: - Foreword to the Definitive Edition - Preface by the Composer - Six Unison Melodies - Dotted Notes - Repetition - Syncopation - With Alternate Hands - Parallel Motion - Reflection - Change of Position - Question and Answer - Village Song - Parallel Motion with Change of Position - Contrary Motion - Four Unison Melodies - Imitation and Counterpoint - Imitation and Inversion - Pastorale - Imitation and Inversion - Repetition - Syncopation - Canon at the Octave - Imitation Reflected - Canon at the Lower Fifth - Dance in Canon Form - In Dorian Mode - Slow Dance - In Phrygian Mode - Chorale - Free Canon - Appendix: Exercises - Appendix: Notes