Now available in paperback! Béla Bartók's Mikrokosmos is a collection of 153 pieces for piano designed by the composer as a series graded according to difficulty. The pieces were written between 1926 and 1939, and have become by far the best-known series of teaching pieces by a major composer in the twentieth century. This in-depth study investigates Bartók's Mikrokosmos from three main viewpoints: the genesis of the pieces, their pedagogical value, and their stylistic qualities. The book is intended for piano teachers, students, and performers as well as anyone interested in Bartók's life and work as pianist, educator, and composer. Cloth originally published in 2002 under ISBN 0-8108-4427-3.