I have selected seventeen of the the forty-two pieces in the 1909 version of Béla Bartók’s seminal work, For Children, Volume One, for this collection. These particular selections were chosen as a result of me teaching experiences with this music: pieces that are both pedagogically advantageous, and the most enjoyed by students.

Although Bartók’s intention was to write a set of pieces for young people, the charm and depth of these masterful works makes them equally appealing to students of all ages and levels. For Children has been played in concert and recorded by great artists such as György Sándor, Zoltán Kocsis, Géza Anda, Menahem Pressler, and June de Toth. There is also a recording available on YouTube of Béla Bartók himself playing a selection of pieces from For Children in a 1945 radio broadcast.

Bartók was inspired by the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach and Robert Schumann’s Album for the Young to compose piano music for young students. The first result of this were the two volumes of For Children, written between 1908 and 1909. Volume One is based on Hungarian folk tunes, and Volume Two is based on Slovakian folk tunes. In 1943, after emigrating to the United States of America, Bartók created a revised version of For Children for his new publisher in the USA. This edition is based on the original 1909 version.
Bartók gave none of the pieces titles in the 1909 version. In the 1943 version, he gave titles to some, but not all of the pieces. The titles in this edition are Bartók’s.

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