The Structural and Formal Issues of the Bartók Viola Concerto: The Main Hypotheses and the Practical Solutions Proposed So Far

Abstract In a letter to William Primrose, dated September 8, 1945, Béla Bartók indicated that his Viola Concerto (BB 128, 1945) was ready, with only the mechanical work remaining. It seems reasonable to posit that the composer had the entire work in his mind at the time of his death; however, the famous fourteen pages that he left behind are far from complete. While the manuscript does not provide any information regarding various aspects (such as dynamics and performance instructions), it does reveal a great deal about the structure and form of the work. Nevertheless, numerous uncertainties still remain, and the formal plan that Bartók outlined in his unsent letter draft of August 5, 1945, further complicates the situation. This study provides an overview of the hypotheses put forward in previous studies (by Sándor Kovács, László Somfai, Donald Maurice et al.) as well as the practical solutions proposed in editions by Tibor Serly, Peter Bartók/Nelson Dellamaggiore/Paul Neubeuer (the so-called “Revised Version”), Csaba Erdélyi, Miklós Rakos, and Lars Anders Tomter. The study reviews six topics: the handling of the incomplete recapitulation of the opening movement, the utilization of the enigmatic bridge material, the use of the sketches and drafts in , the planned but missing acceleration in the finale, the presence of the ritornello concept, and the intended number of movements and overall structure.