Kodaly, Z :: Children's Dances

Children's Dances

Kodaly, Zoltan

Most of Zoltan Kodaly's pedagogical compositions are written for voices. Some piano collections, which use the black keys of the instrument to draw the attention of music students to the various possibilities of the pentatonic scale, can be regarded as exceptions. The earliest of these is the twelve-piece cycle Children's Dances, which dates back to 1945 and addresses the needs of advanced pianists, not beginners. Its melodies reflect characterstics of Hungarian folk dance tunes, while their setting even evokes the sound of original folk instruments commonly used for accompaniment.

Vilmos Bantai and Eva Bantai-Sipos selected eight of the Children's Dances to transcribe for flute and piano. In these transcriptions, recommended for music school students, the original keys are always transposed to easier-to-read keys. In the case of two pieces, two different transpositions (one being very easy to play and the other more difficult) are even offered. The flute is undoubtedly featured as a melodic instrument in these pieces, while the piano sometimes plays a supporting role and other times shares equal status with the flute.