A Guide to the ABRSM Syllabus (2023 - 2024)

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Bartók - Pentatonic Tune (No. 29 from For Children, Vol. 1)

ABRSM Grade 4 – C1

Bartók’s For Children is a large collection of folksong arrangements written between 1908 and 1910, revised in 1943. Pentatonic Tune is based on Hungarian folk tunes, the term “pentatonic” referring to the five-note scale so often found in folk music. The first tune appears starkly, in unison between the hands in different registers of the piano, sometimes fragmented. We find two arrangements of the second tune, both featuring the melodic line in the left hand with a chordal accompaniment in the right hand.

Resources & links This piece is available for digital download individually from the ABRSM shop here or in print as part of the Piano Exam Pieces 2023 & 2024 Grade 4 publication here. Click here to view open domain editions for this work.