The celebrated classical music composer Béla Bartók was really into folk music. I mean, really into it. Not like, hitchhiking-with-beat-up-acoustic-guitar, playing-open-mic-nights folk music. More like, invented-an-analytic-study-of-folk-music-and-created-the-field-of-ethnomusicology-in-general folk music. Hyeyung Yoon, Greg Beaver, and Jonah Sirota of the Chiara String Quartet talk about how Bartók brought the collection and analysis of folk music into his work as a classical composer. They also talk about why playing Bartók’s music “by heart” was important on their latest CD.

All music in this episode from the Chiara String Quartet’s CD, Bartók by Heart.

Audio production by Todd “Stranger Todds” Hulslander with Demogorgon slaying by Dacia Clay and assistance from Mark DiClaudio.