1.

Bartok’s interest in nature and folk music

I want to explore Bartok’s perspective on folk music as it relates to his profound interest
in nature, and how it all applies to his harmonic language. I am particularly interested in
how the use of dissonance and chromaticism especially in his Synthesis period (1926-
1945), and how it connects with Bartok’s philosophies on music as it relates to nature
and folk music.

2. The mechanism of Ravel

I want to investigate the mechanical aspects of Ravel’s music, and how his
compositional approach relates to his interest in mechanism. Some of the factors I would
like to consider include the influence from his engineer father, his collection of
mechanical toys (as preserved in his house in Montfort l’Amaury), and his perspective on
the Futurists during the interwar era.

3. The Historiography of Bartok in the Eastern Bloc

I want to assess the legacy of Bartok as it was told in Cold War-era Hungary (and the
Eastern bloc as a whole), and how the Soviet-era government interpreted his biography
and works. I would like to look at how the Communist party dealt with Bartok’s legacy
that may fit the ideology of Socialist Realism or otherwise, and how Bartok’s image as a
national icon was formed and held up in Soviet-era Hungary.