For Children

For Children (Hungarian: Gyermekeknek) is a set of short piano pieces composed by Béla Bartók in 1908 and 1909; 85 pieces were originally issued in four volumes. Each piece is based on a folk tune: Hungarian in the first two volumes (42 pieces), Slovak in the last two (43 pieces). In 1945, Bartók revised the set, removing six pieces that were inaccurately transcribed or had been found not to be original folk tunes, and substantially changing the harmonization of a number of others; the collection, now of 79 pieces, was reissued in two volumes (of 40 and 39 pieces).

The pieces were written for students to play, and progress slightly in difficulty through each half of the collection. In modern times, some concert pianists (notably Zoltán Kocsis) had begun including some of them on their recital programs, citing their musical value even apart from their pedagogical origins.

Contents
The final, revised version of For Children is divided into two volumes:

1. Játszó gyermekek (Children at Play). Allegro
 * Volume I

2. Gyermekdal (Children's Song). Andante

3. Quasi adagio

4. Párnatánc (Pillow Dance). Allegro

5. Játék (Play). Allegretto

6. Balkéztanulmány (Study for the Left Hand). Allegro

7. Játékdal (Play Song). Andante grazioso

8. Gyermekjáték (Children's Game). Allegretto

9. Dal (Song). Adagio

10. Gyermektánc (Children's Dance). Allegro molto

11. Lento

12. Allegro

13. Ballada (Ballad). Andante

14. Allegretto

15. Allegro moderato

16. Régi magyar dallam (Old Hungarian Tune). Andante rubato

17. Körtánc (Round Dance). Lento

18. Katonadal (Soldier's Song). Andante non troppo

19. Allegretto

20. Bordal (Drinking Song). Allegro

21. Allegro robusto

22. Allegretto

23. Táncdal (Dance Song). Allegro grazioso

24. Andante sostenuto

25. Parlando

26. Moderato

27. Tréfa (Jest). Allegramente

28. Kórusdal (Choral). Andante

29. Ötfokú dallam (Pentatonic Tune). Allegro scherzando

30. Gúnydal (Jeering Song). Allegro ironico

31. Allegro tranquillo — attacca

32. Andante

33. Allegro non troppo

34. Allegretto

35. Con moto

36. Részegek nótája (Drunkard's Song). Vivace

37. Kanásznóta (Swine-herd's Song). Allegro

38. Regös ének (Winter Solstice Song). Molto vivace

39. Allegro moderato

40. Kanásztánc (Swine-herd's Dance). Allegro vivace

1. Allegro
 * Volume II

2. Andante

3. Allegretto

4. Lakodalmas (Wedding Song). Andante

5. Változatok (Variations). Molto andante — A tempo — A tempo — L'istesso tempo

6. I. Körtánc (Round Dance I). Allegro

7. Bánat (Sorrow). Andante

8. Táncdal (Dance). Allegro non troppo

9. II. Körtánc (Round Dance II). Andante

10. Temetésre szól az ének (Funeral Song). Largo

11. Lento — attacca

12. Andante rubato — attacca

13. Allegro

14. Moderato

15. I. Dudanóta (Bagpipe I). Molto tranquillo

16. Panasz (Lament). Lento

17. Andante

18. Gúnydal (Teasing Song). Sostenuto

19. Románc (Romance). Assai lento

20. Kerget dzés (Game of Tag). Presto

21. Tréfa (Pleasantry). Allegro moderato

22. Duhajkodó (Revelry). Molto allegro

23. Andante tranquillo - attacca

24. Andante

25. Scherzando. Allegretto

26. Furulyaszó (Peasant's Flute). Andante, molto rubato

27. Még egy tréfa (Pleasantry II). Allegro

28. Andante, molto rubato

29. Kánon (Canon). Allegro non troppo

30. Szól a duda (Bagpipe II). Vivace

31. Betyárnóta (''The Highway Robber). Allegro

32. Pesante

33. Andante tranquillo

34. Búcsú (Farewell). Adagio

35. Ballada (Ballad). Moderato

36. -

37. Rapszódia (Rhapsody). Parlando, molto rubato

38. Siratóének (Dirge). Lento

39. Halotti ének (Mourning Song). Lento