Bartók’s Influence on the Compositional Style of Rezső Sugár as Found in his Sinfonia a Variazione

Abstract

Rezső Sugár’s Sinfonia a Variazione (1970) is among those mostly unknown and unexplored symphonic works that were composed after the death of the two greatest Hungarian composers in the 20th century, Béla Bartók (1881-1945) and Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967). The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the influence of Bartók and his compositional heritage by examining certain techniques and comparing them with those that found in Sinfonia a Variazione. The study brings this piece under a well-deserved examination, due to its high-quality craftsmanship and organic integrity. It also considers the composer and his work in the context of political influences that were prevalent after World War II. Attention was specifically directed toward a distinctive, personal voice after the Hungarian revolution in 1956, trying not to be shaded by the great Hungarian predecessors, but rather benefitting from their achievements, and incorporating some current trends in music beyond the Iron Curtain, that were available at that time.