The String Quartets of Béla Bartók: Tradition and Legacy in Analytical PerspectiveBla Bartk (1881 1945) was one of the most important composers and musical thinkers of the 20th century. His contributions as a composer, as a performer and as the father of ethnomusicology changed the course of music history and of our contemporary perception of music itself. At the center of Bartk's oeuvre are his string quartets, which are generally acknowledged as some of the most significant pieces of 20th century chamber music. The String