This comprehensive, accessible guide to Bartók and his music contains up-to-date research by a new generation of Bartók scholars. Part I sets the cultural, social and political background in Hungary at the beginning of the twentieth century, and considers Bartók's research into folk music. Part II surveys his compositional output in all genres, relating changes in style to broad aesthetic issues, his folk music studies, and his activities as a pianist, music editor and teacher. The final part considers various aspects of reception and the variety of responses to Bartók's music in Europe and the United States.